Department Of Education Encourages FFEL Lenders To Adopt New Procedures For Determining SCRA Eligibility

SCRA

On August 25, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a “dear colleague” letter authorizing and encouraging Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) lenders and lender-servicers to use the new procedures adopted by ED for determining which borrowers are eligible for benefits under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The new ED procedures require ED loan servicers to use the Department of Defense’s website to access the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) database. From there, the ED loan servicers compare their list of borrowers against the DMDC database to identify borrowers who are eligible for the SCRA interest rate limitation. Once the borrower’s status and service dates have been confirmed using the DMDC, the FFEL lenders and lender-servicers using this process may use the DMDC-generated certification information in lieu of having a servicemember submit a copy of his military orders and a written request to receive the SCRA benefits. When the FFEL lender or lender-servicer applies the SCRA interest rate limitation to the borrower’s account, it must notify the borrower of the interest rate change.