Category Archives: Letters and Statements

students in graduation cap and gowns - Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Statement on the Student Loan Cancellation Provisions of the HEROES Act

The HEROES Act provides needed relief to the 45 million student loan borrowers in the U.S., tackling the ongoing economic fallout caused by the coronavirus with an approach that research shows would boost the economy overall. HEROES includes $10,000 in federal student debt cancellation, which would leave as estimated 16 million borrowers completely debt-free. It also extends the CARES Act suspension of student loan payments to September 2021, giving borrowers a chance to recover on the same timeline the economy is projected to need to return to pre-coronavirus productivity.

a student raises their hand in a classroom Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash

Sign-on letter: 69 orgs call for canceling student debt to tackle economic fallout

Today, 69 community, civil rights, consumer, and student advocacy organizations sent a letter to House and Senate leadership, urging them to include student debt cancellation in the next coronavirus package.  The letter also calls on leadership to extend the suspension of payments on federal student loans through March 2021, as current estimates indicate that the economy will not recover to pre-virus levels until the third quarter of 2021.

lawyer signing a document Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

News Release: Private Student Lenders Finally Do the Bare Minimum, Halt New Lawsuits Against Borrowers During the Pandemic

According to the Washington Post, Navient will suspend any new lawsuits against private student loan borrowers, and National Collegiate has said no new lawsuits will be filed for at least two months. This is the bare minimum of what should happen in the midst of a pandemic, but it is step in the right direction which we welcome and urge all other private student loan servicers to take as well.

a large group of students in an auditorium sitting in chairs Photo by Mikael Kristenson on Unsplash

Joint Statement: Advocates Urge Industry to Provide Relief to Private Student Loan Borrowers During COVID-19  

Today the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) and Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) sent letters to one dozen large private student lenders urging the companies to take steps to mitigate borrower harm caused by the economic fallout of the coronavirus. Private student loan borrowers were not provided any relief by Washington’s emergency economic stimulus legislation. In light of this critical omission, and given the widespread financial impact of COVID-19, advocates are urging the largest student lenders to act quickly to protect borrowers.

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photo of a student borrower looking sadly at the sky - Photo by Matese Fields on Unsplash

News Release: The CARES Act fails to provide sufficient relief to federal student loan borrowers

The 43 million federal student loan borrowers are not getting meaningful relief from the CARES Act. It leaves an estimated 9 millions of federal student loan borrowers without any relief at all, does not guarantee that borrowers won’t face large principals when they return to repayment, and doesn’t include cancelling student debt, a move that both provides crucial relief to distressed borrowers and stimulates a fast-contracting economy. 

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