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New Stats Out Paint Depressing Outlook on Student Loans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau just published their annual report on student loans. Some of the data jumped out at me. Fun Facts Students who take out college loans but don’t graduate are three times more likely to default than borrowers who complete. The average amount of recent defaults, as of March 31, 2020, is …

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Brandon Frere – 12,000+ Pages of Victim Impact Statements

What began as an action by the Federal Trade Commission against Brandon Frere, AFB, AF Student Services, Ameritech Financial, and Financial Education Benefits Center has almost reached its conclusion, reporting to prison. As a result of Frere’s student loan assistance activities, he was nabbed by the FBI at the airport. Frere was to report to …

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Are More Debt Relief Executives Facing Real Jail Time Like Brandon Frere?

Brandon Frere is either the unluckiest debt relief executive or the first of a trend of debt relief company executives hit with criminal charges. Brandon was the guy behind American Financial Benefits Center (AFBC). Like other companies, AFBC first appeared on this site as a result of consumers sending in their junk mail to me. …

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Criminal Sentencing Scheduled for Brandon Frere From American Financial Benefits Case

Brandon Frere seems to be nearing the end of his legal issues with both the FTC and U.S. Attorney. A recent court filing in the American Financial Benefits Center case said, “As the Court is aware, on December 20, 2019, Defendant Brandon Frere entered a plea of guilty to one count each of wire fraud …

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Good and Bad News for Brandon Frere of American Financial Benefits Center

Brandon Frere who is the honcho behind American Financial Benefits Center and a subject of the action by the Federal Strade Commission against the student loan debt relief companies, has won a victory of sorts. Good News I received an alert that the court has awarded him a nine-month stay in the proceedings against him …

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Brandon Frere of American Financial Benefits Center – Arrested Before Flight Out of U.S.

Student loan assistance company executive Brandon Frere, 41, was arrested and faces a maximum prison term of 20 years in jail. An FBI Special Agent has stated in unsealed documents that Frere, the honcho of American Financial Benefits Center, a student loan assistance company sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was arrested just prior …

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I Can’t Get a Straight Answer About What is Going On With Ameritech and the FTC

Question: Dear Steve, Are you familiar with Ameritech? I can’t seem to get an answer from anyone there as to the status of things in general. My daughter has paperwork with them and we I don’t know to assess the situation. No one seems to think what I saw on the internet with the FTC …

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This Student Loan Assistance Marketing From Ameritech Financial Will Make You Feel Violated

I’ve been helping people with debt advice or assistance since 1994 but this marketing just revealed in public filings is creepy as hell. If I had not seen the images myself I would not have believed it. This material was made public in the suit brought by the Federal Trade Commission against American Financial Benefits …

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The Number of People You Give Gifts or Rides Too Impacts Your Student Loan Payment

Under the heading of “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” I was reading a recent FTC filing in the case involving American Financial Benefits Center. An FTC investigator made a call to an AFBC sales agent named Hollywood. The sales representative asks the undercover investigator about how big her family is. HOLLYWOOD: Three, so is …

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American Financial Benefits Center Hit by FTC Over Student Loan Assistance

The Federal Trade Commission has charged a student loan debt relief operation with bilking more than $28 million from thousands of consumers throughout the country by falsely promising that consumers’ monthly payments would go towards paying off their student loans. This is the eighth action the FTC has taken in Operation Game of Loans, the …

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