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☆ Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan could erase up to $20,000 in interest for millions of borrowers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

More than 25 million federal student borrowers owe more than they originally borrowed, according to the Biden administration. It estimates that, if its new plan is enacted as proposed, borrowers will get up to $20,000 of unpaid interest on their federal student debt forgiven, regardless of their income. Borrowers would need to be enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan to qualify but shouldn't have to apply for the relief. "Student debt interest capitalization has been keeping families from accessing their version of the American Dream," said Jaylon Herbin, director of federal campaigns at the Center for Responsible Lending. "Erasing that debt will lessen the burden of student loan debt on millions of borrowers and allow them to pay off their loans in a timely manner."

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Jaylon Herbin Organizations: Madison Area Technical, Truax, Reuters, Consumer, Center for Locations: Madison , Wisconsin, U.S

☆ After student loan forgiveness, the Education Dept. is sending some borrowers refunds. What to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

So far, almost 3.9 million borrowers have gotten their education debt erased, totaling $138 billion in relief . Under the U.S. Department of Education's income-driven repayment plans, student loan borrowers are entitled to get any of their remaining debt forgiven after 20 or 25 years. The companies earn a fee per borrower per month, which advocates say discourages transparency around loan forgiveness opportunities. "Loan servicers were not tracking the number of qualifying payments, and the automatic forgiveness was not occurring," Kantrowitz said. Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a trade group for federal student loan servicers, denied that the companies benefit by veering from the government's orders.

Persons: Joe Biden, Culver City Julian, Mark Kantrowitz, servicers, Nadine Chabrier, Kantrowitz, he'd, Scott Buchanan, Buchanan, Biden, who've, Persis Yu Organizations: Culver City, Culver City Julian Dixon Library, Education Department, U.S . Department of Education, U.S . Department, Center for, Lending, The Education, Finance, IRS, Student Loan, Alliance, Student, Protection Locations: Culver City , California, U.S

☆ After 35 years, he got $119,500 in student debt forgiven. Then the government refunded him $56,801
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Under the U.S. Department of Education's income-driven repayment plans, student loan borrowers are entitled to get any of their remaining debt forgiven after 20 years or 25 years. Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a trade group for federal student loan servicers, refuted that the companies benefit by veering from the government's orders. Shortly after Fox heard that his student loans were forgiven, he received a payment from the government for $56,801. When he told people he was still paying off his student debt, they scratched their heads. Over the decades, based on Fox's records which CNBC reviewed, he paid around $200,000 to his federal student loans.

Persons: Marlon, George, servicers, Nadine Chabrier, Fox, he'd, Scott Buchanan, Buchanan, I've, Marlon Fox, overpayments, Biden, Debbie Organizations: Biden, U.S . Department, Center for, Lending, The Education, Student Loan, Alliance, Palmer College of Chiropractic, CNBC Locations: forbearances

☆ New student loan repayment plan could make it easier for borrowers to become homeowners
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Row of townhouses in Alexandria, Virginia Grace Cary | Moment | Getty ImagesA new, more affordable repayment plan for federal student loan borrowers may come with another advantage: It could make it easier to become a homeowner. Half of student loan borrowers — including 60% of millennial borrowers — who haven't yet purchased a home say their education debt is delaying them from doing so, according to a 2021 report by the National Association of Realtors. Previously, someone who made $40,000 a year would have a monthly student loan payment of around $151. watch nowIn the past, most mortgage lenders assumed that a borrower's monthly student loan payment was a certain percentage of their loan balance, even if the actual payment was lower, Kantrowitz said. There's one catch: Many mortgage lenders won't use a $0 monthly student loan payment in their underwriting process, which the SAVE plan could leave many borrowers with.

Persons: Alexandria , Virginia Grace Cary, Biden, Mark Kantrowitz, Christelle Bamona, Barmona, Kantrowitz, Bamona Organizations: Valuable Education, National Association of Realtors, Here's, Center for, SAVE, Finance, Lending Locations: Alexandria , Virginia

☆ Workers are paying to get part of their paychecks early. It's 'payday lending on steroids,' one expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Fotostorm | E+ | Getty ImagesMillions of American workers are paying for early access to their paychecks. So-called "earned wage access" programs, which operate either directly to the consumer or through employers, let workers tap a portion of their wages before payday, often for a fee. Earned wage access has gotten more popularEarned wage access goes by various names: daily pay, instant pay, accrued wage access, same-day pay and on-demand pay, for example. "It's another version of payday loans," Monica Burks, policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, a consumer advocacy group, said of earned wage access. However, a recent study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that earned wage access products "generally cost less than typical costs associated with payday loans."

Persons: it's, Marshall Lux, Lux, hasn't, Cherie Chung, EarnIn, MoneyLion, Monica Burks, —, Thad Peterson, There's, EWA, Peterson, Harvard's, we're, Stacy Greiner, Dave, Ben LaRocco, Miranda Margowsky, Margowsky, Atif Siddiqi, Siddiqi, Safwan Shah, Shah, doesn't, Harvard's Chung Organizations: Harvard University, Finance, Harvard Kennedy School, Lux, Harvard, Hilton, Uber, Walmart, Companies, Center for, California Department of Financial Protection, Center for Responsible, U.S, Government, Office, GAO, Datos, Commerce, Economic, Financial Technology Association Locations: Kroger, McDonald's, California, Vermont

White non-Hispanic families in the U.S. have a median wealth of $188,200, compared with $36,100 for Hispanic families, according to data analyzed by the Brookings Institution. In 2016, about half of Hispanic families weren't able to contribute anything to the costs of their children's higher education, UnidosUS, an advocacy organization, found. Overall, Latinos borrow less than their white peers to pay for college, but "they face challenges repaying student loans when they do borrow," said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. Most Latinos at institutions of higher education are the first in their families to go to college. Elizabeth Zamudio vice president of education at UnidosUS

Persons: Ana Paula Cortes, David Ferreira, Inequity, Cortes, Elizabeth Zamudio, Mark Kantrowitz Organizations: Center for, Brookings Institution, UnidosUS, Gallup Locations: Mexico, U.S

☆ Conservatives hope Supreme Court defangs US consumer watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But the watchdog's future may be in peril thanks to a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Pro-business conservatives and their Republican allies believe the court fight has brought them closer than ever to dismantling the CFPB. Congress, then controlled by Democrats, authorized the agency to supervise certain financial institutions' compliance with federal consumer laws, backed by the threat of lawsuits and fines. Circuit Court of Appeals last October ruled that the agency's funding structure violated the Constitution. Biden's administration told the Supreme Court that the CFPB's funding structure approved by Congress - with a fixed amount going to the agency annually - was effectively "a standing, capped lump-sum appropriation."

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Kevin Wurm, Wells, Joe Biden's, Ellen Harnick, Barack Obama, Mick Mulvaney, Donald Trump, Mulvaney, John Kruzel, Douglas Gillison, Will Dunham, Scott Malone Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Fifth Third Bank, U.S . Federal, Congress, Center for Responsible, Republican, Democrats, Republicans, Republican U.S, Community Financial Services Association of America, Consumer Service Alliance of Texas, Circuit, Trump, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, New Orleans

☆ Despite crackdown on junk fees, this banking surcharge just hit a record high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

eclipse_images | E+ | Getty ImagesATM fees rise while overdraft, NSF fees fall"ATM fees are biting harder than ever," said Greg McBride, Bankrate's chief financial analyst. When factoring in the combined fees for using an out-of-network ATM, the average fee is $4.73, also a fresh high. On the upside, overdraft fees and non-sufficient funds fees are now significantly lower. watch nowHowever, few banks have done away with them altogether: 91% of banks still charge overdraft and 70% charge non-sufficient funds fees, Bankrate also found. "Despite recent progress in addressing overdraft fees, the job is far from complete," said Nadine Chabrier, the Center for Responsible Lending's senior policy counsel, in a statement.

Persons: Greg McBride, Bankrate, Nadine Chabrier Organizations: Getty, CFPB, Bank of America, Center

☆ Federal watchdog cracks down on Bank of America but 'junk fees' aren't going anywhere, expert says — it's a 'game of whack-a-mole'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Junk fees are additional, often hidden, charges that can come from a range of lenders. Overdraft fees are a good example of a 'game of whack-a-mole' when it comes to fees. Ted Rossman senior industry analyst at Bankrate"Overdraft fees are a good example of a 'game of whack-a-mole' when it comes to fees," Rossman said. "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took a big step by banning surprise overdraft fees," she said. The average overdraft fee costs $29.80, Bankrate's research found, while the average nonsufficient funds fee is $26.58.

Persons: Ted Rossman, Rossman, surcharges, Bankrate, Joe Biden, Biden, Nadine Chabrier Organizations: Center, Financial

And we still do.”A recent study of small business owners by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that inflation and supply chain issues are the top challenges entrepreneurs face today. One in three small business owners call inflation their highest concern and 67% of them have raised prices in response to inflation. “The Paycheck Protection Program continues to be disadvantageous to smaller businesses, businesses owned by people of color, and businesses without employees. According to NBC Bay Area, searches for “Black-owned businesses near me” peaked in June 2020, with companies like Yelp making it easier for people to find and support Black-owned businesses, per data from Google. She said that during the height of the social justice movement, corporations and financial institutions pledged to support Black-owned businesses.

☆ How military members can avoid predatory lenders
▼ + stars: | 2019-07-04 | by ( Michelle Fox | Michelle Fox Is A Digital Producer For Cnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

After serving overseas, military service members return home to face a new economic reality that often includes, unfortunately, lenders looking to take advantage of their vulnerability. Unscrupulous auto lenders and credit card companies have also been known to target members of the military. The government has moved to crack down on predatory lending, enacting the Military Lending Act in 2006. Not only does predatory lending cause undue financial stress, it can also negatively impact a soldier’s military readiness, said Falcone. Predatory lenders like to prey on young military members because they’re often inexperienced with money, have little to no credit and are usually very excited to spend that first paycheck.-Tara Falcone FOUNDER OF REISUP4.

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