Read previewA federal consumer watchdog just hit a major student-loan company with a new lawsuit.
According to the press release, the CFPB accused PHEAA of illegally collecting payments from student-loan borrowers whose loans had already been discharged in bankruptcy and sending "false information" to credit reporting agencies.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, said that under the US bankruptcy code, some private student loans are not subject to the stringent standards that most student loans are when it comes to receiving relief through bankruptcy.
Per the CFPB, American Education Services collected or tried to collect 7,934 private student loans after a bankruptcy proceeding between 2017 and 2021, and 177 of them were non-qualified education loans.
AdvertisementThe CFPB has previously issued guidance over potential illegal collections of borrowers' payments after bankruptcy proceedings.
Persons:
—, PHEAA, Rohit Chopra
Organizations:
Service, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, American Education Services, Financial, Business, Court, Middle, Middle District of
Locations:
Middle District, Middle District of Pennsylvania