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Cordray streamlines process for student loan information requests
On May 28, Richard Cordray, Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid (FSA) at the Department of Education, issued a memorandum to FSA vendors revising guidance related to handling outside requests for Department records and data. In 2017, the Department instructed loan servicers working for FSA to avoid responding directly to inquiries from third parties, including state and federal regulators, and required state attorneys general and regulators to submit requests for information directly to the Department. However, according to a blog post announcing the revised guidance, Cordray noted that FSA usually rejected the requests, thus forcing states to file lawsuits against FSA and student loan servicers in order to obtain the information. Cordray further emphasized that states and regulators need access to company policies and procedures, handbooks, consumer complaints, and other information should they think a student loan servicing company might be violating a law or regulation. The revised guidance supersedes the Department’s 2017 guidance and creates a “streamlined and expedited process” for reviewing information requests made by any state or federal authority for information pertaining to companies engaged in student loan lending or collections. Instructions are provided for vendors that receive information requests seeking to obtain Department records or data.
Colorado sues PSLF student loan servicer
On May 26, the Colorado attorney general filed a complaint against a Pennsylvania-based student loan servicer that handles the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, alleging the servicer failed to comply with state law when asked to provide certain documentation. Under the Colorado Student Loan Servicers Act (SLSA), the state is “authorized to conduct examinations and investigations of student loan servicers that are servicing student education loans owned by residents of Colorado.” The SLSA also allows the state to enforce compliance by bringing a civil action to prevent servicers from violating the SLSA and to obtain other appropriate relief. According to the AG’s press release, the state requested information related to the servicer’s handling of the PSLF program during the Covid-19 pandemic. The servicer allegedly refused to produce the requested materials and only provided certain limited documents regarding non-government owned loans related to its business line. The complaint seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction compelling the servicer to comply with the AG’s oversight authority and provide the requested documentation.
District Court certifies student loan borrower class action
On December 2, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York granted final approval of a class of student loan borrowers who claimed a defendant student loan servicer and other associated entities interfered with their rights to prepay or consolidate their Federal Family Education Loan Program student loans in accordance with certain guarantees under federal law. Specifically, the class alleged that they suffered harm when their applications seeking loan forgiveness were denied because the defendant failed to complete and return required loan verification certifications (LVCs) within 10 days. According to the class, the defendant allegedly “admitted that it failed to return LVCs within the time period mandated by law,” and in 2019 had entered into consent orders with the CFPB and NYDFS, “in which it conceded that it had failed to do so.” (Covered by InfoBytes here and here.) The complaint alleges several claims, including violations of New York General Business Law, breach of contract, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
Oklahoma enacts student loan servicer prohibitions
On April 27, the Oklahoma governor signed SB 261, which creates the Oklahoma Student Borrower’s Bill of Rights Act and outlines new provisions for student loan servicers. Among other things, the act prohibits student loan servicers from (i) directly or indirectly defrauding or misleading student loan borrowers; (ii) engaging in unfair or deceptive practices, such as “misrepresenting the amount, nature or terms of any fee or payment due or claimed to be due on a student education loan, the terms and conditions of the loan agreement or the borrower’s obligations under the loan”; (iii) obtaining property by fraud or misrepresentation; (iv) incorrectly applying or failing to apply a borrower’s loan payments to an outstanding balance; (v) providing inaccurate information to a credit bureau about a borrower; (vi) failing to report a borrower’s favorable and unfavorable payment history at least once a year except in the case of loan rehabilitation; (vii) refusing to communicate with a borrower’s authorized representative; (viii) making false statements or misrepresenting by omission any material facts in connection with a government investigation; (ix) failing to inform borrowers of their federal income repayment options prior to offering deferment or forbearance; and (x) failing to inform borrowers if their loan does not qualify for a loan forgiveness program. The act takes effect November 1.
In 2023, the governor signed HB 1443 to make a technical correction to the text. The change is effective November 1.
Court grants interlocutory appeal in CFPB student loan servicing action
On February 26, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania granted a student loan servicer’s request for interlocutory appeal as to whether questions concerning the CFPB’s constitutionality stopped the clock on claims that it allegedly misled borrowers. The court’s order pauses a 2017 lawsuit in which the Bureau claimed the servicer violated the CFPA, FCRA, and FDCPA by allegedly creating obstacles for borrower repayment options (covered by InfoBytes here), and grants the servicer’s request to certify a January 13 ruling. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the servicer argued that the Supreme Court’s finding in Seila Law LLC v. CFPB (covered by a Buckley Special Alert—which held that that the director’s for-cause removal provision was unconstitutional but was severable from the statute establishing the CFPB)—meant that the Bureau “never had constitutional authority to bring this action and that the filing of [the] lawsuit was unauthorized and unlawful.” The servicer also claimed that the statute of limitations governing the CFPB’s claims prior to the decision in Seila had expired, arguing that Director Kathy Kraninger’s July 2020 ratification came too late. The court disagreed, ruling, among other things, that “[n]othing in Seila indicates that the Supreme Court intended that its holding should result in a finding that this lawsuit is void ab initio.”
The court’s order sends the ruling to the 3rd Circuit to review “[w]hether an act of ratification, performed after the statute of limitations has expired, is subject to equitable tolling, so as to permit the valid ratification of the original action which was filed within the statute of limitations but which was filed at a time when the structure of the federal agency was unconstitutional and where the legal determination of the presence of the structural defect came after the expiration of the statute of limitations.” Specifically, the court explained that this particular “question does not appear to have been addressed by any court in the United States. . . .Not only is there a lack of conflicting precedent, there is no supporting precedent; indeed, no party has identified any comparable precedent.” Further, “[i]f this court erred in applying the doctrine of equitable tolling, it would almost certainly lead to a reversal on appeal and dismissal of this action,” the court noted.
Massachusetts AG settles with federal loan servicer to resolve allegations of unfair and deceptive practices
On February 10, the Massachusetts attorney general announced a “first-of-its-kind” settlement with one of the nation’s largest federal student loan servicers, resolving allegations that the servicer engaged in unfair and deceptive practices by overcharging borrowers and improperly processing claims for public service loan forgiveness. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the AG filed a complaint in 2017 claiming the servicer, among other things, (i) failed to timely and properly process applications for income driven repayment (IDR) plans, thereby denying borrowers the opportunity to make qualifying payments under forgiveness programs; (ii) failed to properly count qualifying payments under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; (iii) failed to properly process certification forms in connection with the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant program, causing grants to be converted into loans; and (iv) collected amounts not legitimately due and owing and failing to refund them.
Under the terms of the settlement, more than 200,000 Massachusetts borrowers will be able to submit a claim for a detailed audit. Should the audit identify a servicing error or misrepresentation, the servicer must “restore borrowers to their rightful statuses” under the federal loan forgiveness programs; however, if corrections cannot be made, the servicer is required to provide monetary relief to borrowers. The servicer is also is required to repay teachers whose grants were converted into loans erroneously and have not already received relief from the Department of Education, and make corrections for borrowers who experienced IDR application processing delays resulting in missed opportunities for making qualifying payments towards loan forgiveness. Further, the servicer must implement an enhanced quality assurance review practice to identify servicing errors, affected borrowers, as well as root causes for the errors.
Massachusetts establishes student loan servicer licensing provisions
On January 14, the Massachusetts governor signed H. 5250, which provides new requirements for student loan servicers. Among other things, these provisions stipulate that servicers are not required to (i) be licensed as a debt collector, or (ii) be registered as a third-party loan servicer provided the servicer does not act, represent, operate, or hold itself out as a third-party loan servicer or a debt collector outside the scope of specified provisions. The bill also requires entities servicing student loans in the Commonwealth to be licensed, but exempts from the licensing requirement banks, credit unions, wholly-owned subsidiaries of banks and credit unions, and nonprofit or public institutions of higher education. H. 5250 also establishes a student loan ombudsman within the office of the attorney general who will be tasked with resolving complaints from student loan borrowers, and assisting student loan borrowers with repayment options, applying for loan discharges and forgiveness, and resolving billing disputes, among other things. Additionally, H. 5250 states that non-exempt student loan servicers must comply with all applicable state and federal regulations, and stipulates that the commissioner may conduct investigations and examinations and suspend licensure should a servicer be found to be in violation of the outlined provisions. In addition, should the commissioner determine that a servicer has committed fraud or engaged in unfair, deceptive, or dishonest actions, the commissioner may take action, including notifying the state attorney general or the student loan ombudsman, suspending or revoking the servicer’s license, and/or imposing an administrative penalty of no more than $50,000 per incident.
Illinois adopts regulations for student loan servicers
On October 9, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation adopted regulations implementing provisions of the Student Loan Servicing Right Act related to licensing fees, operations, and supervision. Among other things, the provisions (i) establish license, examination, and hearing fees, as well as assessment costs; (ii) require servicers to file notice within 10 business days of any application changes; (iii) require servicers to maintain websites and toll-free telephone services for borrowers and cosigners to access information on existing loans; (iv) require servicers to provide borrowers with information on alternative repayment and loan forgiveness options; (v) outline requirements related to the maintenance of account information, payment processing, cosigner payments, and books and records; (vi) provide record retention requirements; and (vii) address the preparation of independent audit reports and examination ratings. The regulations are effective immediately.
New Jersey now accepting student loan servicer licenses through NMLS
On September 15, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (Department) began accepting applications for the NJ Student Loan Servicer license through the NMLS. The license is governed by the Student Loan Servicing Act, which was enacted in July 2019, and establishes the Office of the Student Loan Ombudsman within the Department and provides licensing requirements for student loan servicers (covered by InfoBytes here). A recently released bulletin by the Department describes the process for licensing and details persons exempt from the licensing requirements, including federal or state chartered banks, savings banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions, as well as their wholly owned subsidiaries. The Bulletin notes that all non-exempt student loan servicers must submit all requirements for a license by December 31 and may continue to operate in New Jersey while their applications are pending.
California enacts student loan servicing requirements
On September 25, the California governor signed AB 376, which provides new requirements for student loan servicers. Among other things, these requirements require servicers to (i) timely post, process, and credit payments within certain timeframes; (ii) apply overpayments “consistent with the best financial interest of a student loan borrower,” and apply partial payments so that late fees and negative credit reporting are minimized; (iii) diligently oversee service providers; and (iv) provide specialized training for personnel responsible for offering advice to “military borrowers, borrowers in public service, borrowers with disabilities, and older borrowers.” The bill also prohibits student loan servicers from, among other things, engaging in unfair or deceptive practices or abusive acts and practices. Additionally, the bill will allow a borrower “who suffers damages as a result of a person’s failure to comply with these provisions as well as all applicable federal laws relating to student loan servicing to bring an action for actual damages, injunctive relief, restitution, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and other relief, including treble damages in certain circumstances.” The bill also provides for an opportunity to cure alleged violations. The bill further stipulates that, starting July 1, 2021, the Commission of Business Oversight will be authorized to compile information on student loan servicers’ business conduct and various activities in order to monitor and assess consumer risk.