Articles Posted in Student loans

Published on:

https://www.tampabankruptcylawyerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/christie_d._arkovich_p.a_1_small.jpgOne key difference in the foreclosure crisis versus the student loan bubble is that many believe there is no possibility of relief.  That is something that we seek to change every day for our clients via affirmative lawsuits for discharge of what is really consumer debt as it was debt issued beyond the true cost of education, settlements for pennies on the dollar for private student loans owned by NCSLT or other investment trusts, lawsuits for consumer law violations such as the FCRA, FCCPA, FDCPA and the TCPA, and making sure our clients obtain all forgiveness possible.

But for many others who are not aware of these options, it is a common mis-perception that there is no way out.  In examining “What a Student Loan Bubble Bursting Might Look Like,” Allie Conti quoted Persis Yu, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, in arguing that short of fleeing abroad, or going underground, you can’t ever walk away from student debt.

Studies show that nearly 40 percent of borrowers are expected to default on their student loan payments by 2023.  For those who do not believe that we are in a bubble, I ask how do you explain such a high default rate?  The cost of education is simply creating an absurdly high student loan balance for many.  Student loan servicers push forbearance like a drug – which continues to increase the balance.  Interest is capitalizing at every turn  – whenever someone comes off forbearance or is late in renewing an income driven plan.  Whether we are in a bubble or not, it’s clear that the current system cannot continue unchecked — trapping a generation of students in servitude, straining taxpayers and the solvency of our own government.

Published on:

abc-action-newsThis week, Adam Walser of ABC Action News reports on the problem where licensed health care workers who are in default on their federal student loans are at risk of losing that license here in the State of Florida “Florida Board of Health Suspends Health Care Licenses Over Student Loan Defaults”.  We were interviewed by Adam:

“We’re not saying that people shouldn’t repay their loan,” said Arkovich. “We’re just saying that getting them fired probably isn’t the best way to go about that.”

By suspending healthcare workers’ licenses, which by the way only Florida has chosen to pursue this draconian measure, economists fear that many will be put out of work.  At a time when we are told there is a shortage of health care workers.  And in the State of Florida which likely has a greater than average number of health care workers caring for our elderly in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and rehabilitation centers.

Published on:

https://www.tampabankruptcylawyerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/christie_d._arkovich_p.a_1_small.jpgGenerally, approval is needed from the bankruptcy court to take on any new debt in the form of a new federal or private student loan.  This would include the filing of a refinance or even a consolidation application – as these are considered new loans.

ECMC, the guarantor of FFEL government backed loans, has a specific policy regarding regaining Title IV eligibility during a bankruptcy.  Whether a borrower is in a Chapter 7 or 13, they are required to make six consecutive payments in order to regain Title IV eligibility.

If the student loan debt is not listed, or if it is listed in the bankruptcy, but the plan provides for 0% to be paid to general unsecured creditors, then the borrower is not considered to have established a “satisfactory repayment arrangement” through their bankruptcy plan.

Published on:

shutdownYou still need to pay your student loans when you are furloughed or else you risk a default.

But if you are a federal employee, take this opportunity to ask your servicer to recalculate your IDR plan while you’ve got zero income!!  Even if the shutdown ends next week, your zero payment would continue for the remainder of your 12 month plan.

To Schedule a Consultation
Published on:

consumer-law-with-bkWhen you are thinking about hiring a bankruptcy attorney, what should you consider? – besides all the regular stuff like client reviews, years of practice, cost, availability, knowledgeable, friendliness of attorney and staff etc.

One thing to keep in mind is what other areas does that law firm handle and could that help you fix your situation.  As you can see from the chart above, many bankruptcy attorneys just take bankruptcy cases.  While that’s fine, most people facing a bankruptcy also have issues with their credit report, foreclosures, debt collection violations, robo calls, student loans etc.  We handle all of that.  We also have a class action team.  One consumer area we don’t handle is vehicles – I don’t know a thing about our lemon laws or other issues regarding vehicles for instance.

I’m not suggesting you hire someone who dabbles in bankruptcy to file your bankruptcy.  That is probably the worst thing you can do.  But hiring a firm that is experienced in bankruptcy plus the other issues you are facing is probably best.  We have over 25 years experience in bankruptcy plus a myriad of other consumer related issues commonly faced by our clients.

Published on:

https://www.tampabankruptcylawyerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/christie_d._arkovich_p.a_1_small.jpgIn what reads like a Student’s Bill of Rights, a 76 page Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, CEC must clearly and conspicuously disclose to prospective students a “Single-Page Disclosure Sheet” that contains the following information:

  • the anticipated total direct cost for the program of study at the prospective campus; provided, however, that this provision shall not be interpreted to restrict CEC’s ability to change tuition, fees, or expenses;
  • the median debt for completers for the program of study for the most recent reporting period, if available;
Published on:

Most of us still use the New Year as an opportunity to review the past year and set goals for the New Year.  My own practice has grown tremendously from this goal setting.  We target the best strategies to grow our practice and help our clients to get back on track financially.

As most of you know, we practice bankruptcy and foreclosure defense as we have for many years, but since student loan debt has become such a crisis, much of our work is focused on eliminating that debt.  We have developed different strategies both inside and outside of bankruptcy to reduce student loan debt.

A new tool we are adding this year involves the misreporting of student loan debt on credit reports.  Put quite simply, the student loan servicers often can’t get it right.  They send bills with different amounts owed, transfer the debt so often that it appears duplicate times on a credit report, inaccurately reports payments etc.  We intend to hold them accountable.  Stay tuned as we hope to blog about this regularly to help our readers recognize when their credit reports may be in error and costing them real money – by denied credit or increased cost of credit, insurance etc.

Published on:

https://www.tampabankruptcylawyerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/07/christie_d._arkovich_p.a_1_small.jpgSince last week’s announcement that the Department of Education was forgiving $150 million in federal student loans, many people have reached out to us to see if they may benefit.

Those who will receive forgiveness under the $150 million announcement are limited to only those borrowers who:

  • were enrolled when the school closed; or
Published on:

cnbcToday, a CNBC reporter Annie Nova,  reports and gives an update on our Public Service Loan Forgiveness cases in Florida against Great Lakes and Navient for misrepresentations about the program.  Both of these cases are seeking or will seek class action status.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/18/borrowers-denied-public-service-loan-forgiveness-file-lawsuits.html

  • The number of people who’ve been financially derailed by the public service loan forgiveness program is piling up, and so are the borrowers interested in bringing their servicers to court to seek damages.
Published on:

Graph-Growth-in-SLs
In several stunning revelations, Betsy DeVos announced on November 27, 2018 in a press release that the federal government has 1.5 trillion dollars of federal student loan debt (more than credit card debt and auto loans combined).  It took 42 years from 1965-2007 for the federal student loan balance to grow to 500 billion dollars and in the last ten years that 500 billion has tripled.  However, that wasn’t the surprising part.

Only 24% of federal student loan borrowers are currently paying down both principal and interest.  Nearly 20% of all loans are delinquent or in default.  Those are very high numbers.

To compare, that’s seven times the rate of delinquency on credit card debt.

Contact Information