Student Loans

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlighted its observations of the resumption of federal student loan payments by consumers after more than three years of a payment moratorium due to COVID-19 in a report released on January 5, 2024. The report, titled “Issue Spotlight: Federal Student Loan Return to Repayment,” highlights several issues it maintains are confronting consumers, including extended call hold times, processing delays in income-driven repayment applications, and inaccurate billing and disclosure statements.… Continue Reading

The White House signaled last week that, with the resumption of federal student loan payments, federal student loan servicers can expect to face increased scrutiny. The Department of Education issued a “Framework for Student Loan Servicer Oversight and Accountability to Protect Borrowers” and indicated that “[t]he framework’s strategies help the Department to encourage servicers to better support borrowers and allows the Department to hold their feet to the fire when they have servicing failures.”… Continue Reading

On October 13, 2023, the California Department of Financial Innovation (DFPI) published final regulations implementing the Student Loan Servicing Act (“SLSA”) and the Student Loans: Borrower Rights Law. The final regulations are the culmination of two sets of proposed regulations from the DFPI, which we previously covered here. The final regulations become effective January 1, 2024.… Continue Reading

The CFPB recently released a report regarding higher education tuition payment plans that discusses prevailing practices and highlights certain CFPB concerns regarding consumer impact. The CFPB’s report was based upon (a) a review of hundreds of postsecondary school and college websites that contain publicly available information on tuition plans and related contracts, (b) consumer complaints submitted to the CFPB and Department of Education, and (c) interviews with consumers and meetings with industry participants.… Continue Reading

The CFPB has published a notice in the Federal Register seeking comment on its request for approval by the Office of Management and Budget of a new one-time survey of student loan borrowers.  Comments must be received by September 18, 2023.

The survey is intended to allow the CFPB “to understand [student borrowers’] borrowing decisions, their experience managing their loans, and their expectations for the future.” … Continue Reading

Less than six weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court held that President Biden lacked authority to advance his signature effort to forgive upwards of $430 billion in federal student loans, a new challenge has been filed to other major elements of his higher-education agenda.  On August 4, 2023, the Cato Institute and Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed suit in the Eastern District of Michigan, alleging that the U.S.… Continue Reading

Last year, Kentucky enacted the Student Education Loan Servicing, Licensing, and Protection Act of 2022 (the “Act”), which requires student loan services to be licensed in Kentucky.  The Act took effect on July 13, 2023 (the “Effective Date”). 

On the Effective Date, the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”) released its new application checklist and made a license application available through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (“NMLS”). … Continue Reading

The Nevada Legislature recently passed Assembly Bill 332 (“AB 332”), which amends Nev. Rev. Stat. Title 55 relating to Banks and Related Organizations to add a new chapter regulating Private Education Lenders and Student Loan Servicers.  The provisions of SB 322 will become effective on January 1, 2024. 

AB 332 exempts the following entities from its requirements:

  • Banks;
  • Savings and loan associations;
  • Savings banks;
  • Thrift companies;
  • Credit unions;
  • The Nevada System of Higher Education;
  • The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education; and
  • Any wholly owned subsidiaries of the above.
… Continue Reading

Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Biden Administration did not have the legal authority to proceed with its plan to forgive approximately $400 billion in federal student loans.  After reviewing the background of the two cases, we first look at the majority opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts and discuss the majority’s legal analysis for concluding that the Missouri Attorney General had standing to challenge the plan, that the HEROES Act’s text did not authorize the Secretary of Education to forgive the loans, and that the “major questions” doctrine should be applied to assess whether Congress had given loan forgiveness authority to the Secretary. … Continue Reading

On June 30, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court announced long-awaited opinions in two cases challenging the Biden Administration’s authority to proceed with its plan to forgive approximately $430 billion in federal student loans.  Most significantly, in Biden v. Nebraska, the Court held that the state of Missouri had standing to challenge the federal action, and that the Biden Administration’s loan cancellation plan was not authorized under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 (HEROES Act).… Continue Reading