The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History-and How We Can Fight Back
March 25th, 2010
Posted in Consolidate Student Loan | 
Tags: Back, debt, Fight, Historyand, loan, Most, Oppressive, Scam, student, U.S.
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March 25th, 2010
Posted in Consolidate Student Loan |
Tags: Back, debt, Fight, Historyand, loan, Most, Oppressive, Scam, student, U.S.
My daughter is in her senior year in high school and I am trying to learn as much about the various mechanisms available to finance her education as I can. I was really stunned to read about all the problems with student loans and how Congress has given the banks and loan guaranty organizations a free ticket to extract as much money from students as possible.
Some of the actions of our government include making student loans the only loans available that cannot be discharged through bankruptcy, allowing the loan companies and guarantee companies to own the collection agencies, which provides to them an incentive to allow (and push) the student to default, being able to attach Social Security retirement and disability income for repayment, allowing interest rates to be as high as 29.9% and a host of other goodies.
The stories in this book will cause you to cringe. The author does name names and lets you know who has been a friend to student’s and their families and who has been bought by the loan companies PACs. In addition, you will learn about the various pitfalls and tricks used by the loan companies to increase the profit margin on these loans.
While the writing is a little redundant, it generally is a well written book that contains crucial information for anyone who has a student loan or for the families of anyone considering taking out a loan. Read this book and learn the pitfalls that are waiting for you!
Rating: 5 / 5
Readers may already be familiar with Alan Collinge from his website [...] or his appearance on “60 Minutes” two years ago in a piece about the student lender Sallie Mae and the way that it has destroyed the lives of many college graduates by burdening them with exorbitant fees and finance charges on their student loan debts. College is the riskiest and perhaps the most foolhardy investment anybody can make, as student loan debts can NEVER be erased with bankruptcy. Warning to parents: NEVER cosign on a student loan. Many parents are facing financial ruin because they cosigned on a student loan for a child. This 150 page book examines the huge student loan industry and how it derives colossal profits by destroying peoples’ lives.
Chapter 1 – “The Rise of Sallie Mae and the Fall of Consumer Protections” -How Sallie Mae became a vertical corporation with control of all aspects of student loans: issuing loans, guarantees, and collections. In 2002 it purchased Pioneer Credit Recovery, a student loan collection company. It lobbied Congress for laws that permitted huge penalties and fees for defaulted debt.
Chapter 2 – “Who Benefited” – The huge salaries of Albert Lord, CEO of Sallie Mae, and other executives in the industry. Reveals that Edfund, a “guarantor”–is just another entity that relentlessly extracts money from debtors.
Chapter 3 – “Collection Abuses” and Chapter 4 “The Borrowers” – Readers may have already heard some of these stories from[...]. One particularly sad story is a graduate of Illinois State University who committed suicide after completing his master’s in chemistry because his student loans had grown to $100,000. Many student debtors report being called several times every day by Sallie Mae loan shark collectors.
Chapter 5 – “The Oversight Fiasco” and Chapter 6 “Corruption of the Universities” – The most shocking part of the book. Describes how numerous personnel of the Dept. of Education are actually former Sallie Mae officers, and instances where university financial aid officials hold stock in student loan companies such as Student Loan Xpress. Also describes kickbacks, donations, luncheons, and gifts paid by student lenders to universities in return for steering their incoming freshmen to those lenders (such as putting them on “preferred lender lists”). These universities include the University of Nebraska, Johns Hopkins, the University of Texas at Austin, and many others. For example, one financial aid director of Johns Hopkins received $93,000 from American Express and Student Loan Xpress. On many occasions, students who called their universities’ student loan hotlines didn’t know they were really talking to representatives of student loan companies.
Chapters 6-8 “The Grass Roots Awaken” ,” Solutions”, “Practical Advice for Students” Collinge offers little hope for current debtors –at this time legislation to allow student loans to be discharged in bankruptcy is nowhere close to being passed. However, perhaps the groundwork is being laid for the next generation of lawmakers to revise the laws concerning student loan debt.
This book about student loans is extremely relevant and timely. We are in the Depression of 2009 and it is obvious that college graduates may not find gainful employment. Sallie Mae and other student lenders don’t care about your problems with unemployment, sickness, a death in the family, or anything else. They will hound you until your debts are paid or until you are resting in your grave.
Rating: 5 / 5
Collinge argues that student loans have become the most profitable, uncompetitive, and oppressive type of debt in American history. This has occurred in large part due to legislation passed since the mid-1990s that removed stand consumer protections from student loans, and allowed for massive penalties and draconian mechanisms to collect these inflated debts.
Americans borrow almost $90 billion/year to attend college. About 2/3 of college students require loans to make it through, and typical undergraduate borrows leave school with over $20,000 in student loan debt, $42,000 for graduate students. Student-loan holders can garnish a borrower’s wages, tax returns, Social Security, and disability incomes – without a court order. Defaulted loans do not qualify for forgiveness for eg. teaching in under-served areas.
Federal loan limits, with protections, are $8,500/year for graduate students.
Fortune magazine called Sallie Mae the second most profitable company in 2005, and its CEO topped the list of highest paid CEOs in D.C. Sallie Mae’s (major student loan provider) fee income increased 228% between 2000 and 2005, while its loan portfolio rose only 82% – the difference was penalties and fees from defaulted loans. As of 2007, Sallie Mae’s top two executives together made more than 500 million. Universities often have “preferred-lender” arrangements with the universities and receive kickbacks. In 1999 Sallie Mae purchased Nellie Mae, followed by USAGroup and Southwest Student Services (nonprofit student loan companies and guarantors).
The national average interest rate is 12% for private student loans. Student loans are the only type of loan in U.S. history to be non-dischargeable in bankruptcy. They are also exempt from statutes of limitations for collection, usury laws, Truth in Lending, and Fair Debt and Collections. Borrowers wanting to consolidate their loans must use the original lender, if there only was one, giving them an iron grip. Further, only one consolidation is allowed, even if other firms are willing to take over.
Lenders are also allowed to take up to 25% as collection fees on defaulted loans. Loan guarantors and collection agencies can also seize tax refunds, suspend state-issued professional licenses, and even terminate public employment.
The Bush II administration strangled the Federal Direct Loan Program to about 19% of the market.
Important Point: A loan cannot be considered in default unless NO payment, even insignificant, is made for 270 days. Send registered mail!
There are now about 5 million defaulted loans, with penalties and extra interest running 2X and more than the original loan.
Rating: 5 / 5
Alan Collinge of http://www.studentloanjustice.org has been a tireless crusader against the student loan industry and it shows in this work. He is fighting hard to bring about consumer protections in the one area that we all need to use at some time in our lives…student loans. Unlike any other loan one can not file for bankruptcy protection if one should happen to run into financial difficulty. As a result the student loan industry is strong arming those who do have trouble. Interest gets capitalized and debt grows exponentially. One can never get out of debt….the result is many have left the country or committed suicide. This is shameful in the wealthiest country on Earth.
Rating: 5 / 5
Mr. Collinge de-mystifies many of the policies surrounding the student loan industry. The book examines the intricate relationship between the university, various student loan entities as well as other stakeholders such as financial aid administrators. The author does an excellent job of providing a historical backdrop for the case against unscrupulous lending practices. A reader who lacks any prior knowledge can easily be brought up to speed on the current trends. The best part is that you won’t get lost in any technical jargon. His case studies represent a very diverse pool of graduates whose lives have been ruined by attempting to pursue a better lot in life. This might include moving out of poverty or just being a productive young citizen. The irony is that “borrowing” has vastly turned into a movement of it’s own.
The author is very clear on the consequences of borrowing and the fact that these loans should come with a “buyer beware” disclaimer. This is due to the fact that de-regulation largely occurred during the 80′s but it’s effects are currently crushing an entire generation. Student loans are the only loans in our nation’s history to be specifically exempted from basic bankruptcy protections, state usury laws, refinancing rights, truth in lending requirements and fair debt collection practices. Borrowers can also face termination from public employment due to the status of their student loan. They can also have their driver’s and professional license suspended due to the status of their student loan in certain states. In addition to discussing the consequences, he continues to explore the ways in which we can investigate the situation intelligently and how to be “proactive” in the fight.
It helps to be in touch with your political action committee state representative and your peers. It also helps to be informed about the industry facts which will help bring this issue to the forefront. The borrower’s ability to effectively argue and advocate for congressional intervention is essential. Another course of action that you have as a borrower is to tell your own story which will “personalize” the struggle. This will make legislators aware of the methods employed and strengthen the role of the (PAC). This, in turn, is how we often create new policy in the US. His book covers a lot of territory and is an excellent read for anyone who is swimming in student loan debt or anyone who might be searching for a practical approach.
Rating: 5 / 5