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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is investigating the companies that manage federal student loans, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The investigation will center on how the companies dealt with the restart of student loan payments this month following a three-year pause because of the pandemic. Borrowers have complained about long hold times when calling customer service centers and about the guidance loan servicers have provided, including inaccurate payment information.
The CFPB’s education loan ombudsman saw an increase in complaints about student loans in the past year amid several systemic changes to the federal student loan system and the resumption of payments, according to an October report.
“Complaints reveal that borrowers are reaching out to servicers and encountering widespread problems that prevent them from getting the information they need, enrolling in [income-driven repayment] plans, or accessing loan cancellations,” the ombudsman wrote. “They reveal significant servicer errors including inaccurate payment histories and delayed refunds that are owed to borrowers.”
Congress kept the budget for student aid administration flat at $2 billion for this fiscal year despite requests from the Biden administration for more money. That’s led to a budget crunch at the department. Federal loan servicers have laid off staff and cut call center hours in response.
Servicers had warned before the payment restart that the limited funds would lead to extended wait times and servicing delays and that poor planning from the federal government would hamper the restart.
