GREAT LAKES CFPB Complaints

2000 Latest Complaints

Date Received	Timely Response	Product	Issue	State / Zip	Submitted Via	Tags
09/16/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't temporarily delay making payments	FL 33312	Web
****This is the first email I received from them confirming my deferment because I had processed it at the end of the semester. I informed them I would graduate in XXXX. ** Tue, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Re : Stafford Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Dear XXXX : We've updated our records to show that you've been continuously enrolled and plan on being in school at least half-time through XX/XX/XXXX. Once you are no longer enrolled at least half-time, you will enter a 6-month grace period. We will send you a payment schedule that details your repayment terms before your first payment is due. If you've already received a payment schedule for this account, you may disregard it. Finally, please be sure to keep your contact information up to date so we can stay in touch with you regarding your student loan account. Sincerely, Great Lakes Borrower Services ***I then receive this email months after my deferment had been processed and I had already registered full-time for the fall semester. **** Tue, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Re : Stafford Loan Account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) Hi XXXX, Payments on your student loans are now due. This is a good time to review your payment schedule, which provides monthly payment amounts, due dates, and other important information about your loans. Here 's what you need to do. Access your payment schedule. Each of your student loan accounts has a payment schedule you can view at any time on mygreatlakes.org. Make sure you're ready to pay back your loans. Making on-time payments helps you build good credit, which is important when looking for a job, securing housing, or buying a car. Options are available if you need them. Unable to make full payments? Log into mygreatlakes.org to find the best repayment option for you. A plan with a lower monthly payment may cost you a little more in the long run, but you'll have a payment you can afford. Having financial difficulties? You can also explore postponing your payments with deferment or forbearance. We'll send you a billing statement soon. Whatever path you take to repay your loan, we're here to help. Contact us if you can't make a payment or have questions about your loans. Sincerely, Great Lakes Borrower Services ****I sent a request of contact directly from their website in regards to my loan and as to why I was getting billed after getting a deferment approved in XXXX -- This is the email they or their automated response system, responded with. ****** Thu, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX RE : School and financial aid : I'm currently in school or going back to school, and I want to know why I'm getting billed << XXXX XXXX XXXX >> Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. I appreciate you informing us that you will be returning to school in the near future. Students who are attending classes at least half-time may be eligible for an in-school deferment. To determine whether or not you will need to complete an In-School Deferment Request form, or if your school will send enrollment information to Great Lakes, please reply with the following information : The full name of the school you are or will be attending. The date you did or will begin classes ( month/day/year ). Whether you are or will be a full-time or half-time student. ( we can not accept part-time ). When you will complete your program ( month/year ). You are responsible for the monthly payments as scheduled until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. If you are unable to make payments until you are approved for an in-school deferment you have a variety of options available on our website at mygreatlakes.org, including : Temporarily postponing your payments with a deferment or forbearance. Lowering your monthly payment by selecting a different payment plan. Weve created Options for Managing Repayment which you can review. It provides an overview of each option and important considerations. When you log into your account at our website, you will find detailed information and tools that can help you determine if one of these options will work for you. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ****To which I responded with my schedule and answered every question they asked. *** Thu, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX PM XXXX College XX/XX/XXXX Full-Time XX/XX/XXXX will complete my AA image1.jpeg Sent from my XXXX ***I then get a call a few days later from a representative from Great Lakes and they tell me that they need an invoice of payment for my classes and that it will all be corrected and my deferment reinstated before the due date. I was told to send it to the same email**** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Please confirm that this will defer my student loan payments. Thank you image1.png ****They respond with this email which makes the situation worse by warning me that I would now get charged interest on a forbearance request. All stemming from their incompetence and lack of proper communication. **** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. We can not update your enrollment status with a school bill receipt. Students who are attending classes at least half-time may be eligible for an in-school deferment. If you are attending at least half-time, your school, XXXX College, automatically sends us electronic updates. Please note that this may take up to two months after your first day of classes. Upon receipt of the electronic enrollment verification, your request for deferment will be evaluated, and you will be advised of the status of your account. You are responsible for the monthly payments as scheduled until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. If you are not eligible for an in-school deferment or are unable to make payments until the deferment is approved, you have a variety of options available on our website at mygreatlakes.org, including : Temporarily postponing your payments with a deferment or forbearance. Lowering your monthly payment by selecting a different repayment plan. Applying for loan discharge, where in certain situations your loan may be forgiven Weve created Options for Managing Repayment which you can review. It provides an overview of each option and important considerations. When you log into your account at our website, you will find detailed information and tools that can help you determine if one of these options will work for you. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. **I then respond with this email** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX I was called by one of your reps a few days back. They asked me to send paid invoice to this email. They told me that, that would be everything I would have to do. Ive been going back and forth now with this and getting different information. I was told it would be updated and I would not need to pay on the XXXX if I sent the information. Im in school and I registered months back and I informed you guys months back that I was still in school. I need this taken care of because I will not be making those payments on the XXXX of this month. Thank you Sent from my XXXX ****To which they respond with this* Wed, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. If you are having difficulty making your payments while you are waiting for your enrollment verification to be sent from your school, you may qualify for a forbearance. Please keep in mind that during forbearance, you wont be required to make payments, but youre still responsible for any interest that accrues and capitalizes. This means that you could end up paying more interest over the life of your loan. To apply and to have your request processed immediately, you may have the option to request a forbearance at our website, mygreatlakes.org. If you are unable to access it online, please call us at the number provided below. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ****I respond infuriated at this point, no one can seem to give me clear information and it's all a useless back and forth, all while I should be focused on my studies and not wasting hours trying to solve this issue. I work full-time and go to school full-time. * Mon, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX No, I need this taken care of correctly. This abuse, Im still in school and informed your department months back that I was still enrolled. I need this to be corrected immediately. I am in school and should not have to worry about this at the moment. Please take care of this ASAP. I refuse to pay this month and I refuse to request forbearance. I need a deferment to be processed in a timely manner. X X Sent from my XXXX ***They then respond with this information ONE day before my " due date '' * XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. We have not received current enrollment information from your school. If you are attending classes at least half time, you may be eligible for a deferment. In order for us to place an in-school deferment on your account, we either need a completed In-School Deferment Request form or an enrollment history from your school. You may download an In-School Deferment Request form from our website. You will need to : Log in to your account at mygreatlakes.org. Click Forms under the Resources list at the bottom of the page. Click Deferment. Expand the list of forms by clicking Already know what form you need? Find it here. Please note that Section 4 of the In-School Deferment Request form will need to be completed by an authorized official from your school. The completed forms may be returned to Great Lakes by any of the following methods : Fax : ( XXXX ) XXXX Email : XXXX Mail : Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX The option is also available at our website to upload documents to your file for processing. Log in. Click on the Magnifying Glass on the right hand side of the Navigation Bar. Click Upload Documents. Select Submit Forms and Support Files Tab. Select Document Name from the drop down list. Click on Browse to attach your document. Select Submit File ( s ). Please remember that you are still responsible for any scheduled payments until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. **I have now received this email stating I missed a payment and that it may affect my credit. I am now going to get affected on my credit report and have additional interest on my account because of their massive incompetence and lack of proper communication and abusive efforts. ****** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Oops. Re : Stafford Loan Account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) We haven't yet received your student loan payment. We realize you're new to paying back your loans and there are lots of reasons why it may be late. We want to make sure you have all the information you need to successfully pay back your loans, including three helpful tips to get you started. Sign up for account access on mygreatlakes.org. It's the easiest and fastest way to manage your loans. Make payments using Auto Pay and you may be eligible for an interest rate reduction. Enrollment is free and convenient. Change your repayment option to one that's more affordable. If you recently made a payment, please log in to mygreatlakes.org or call us for automated account information to confirm we've received it. Make On-Time Payments to Build Good Credit Missing your first payment can quickly snowball into a past due account and damaged credit. Poor credit can be a factor when looking for a job, securing housing, buying a car, or applying for additional financial aid if you're headed back to school. Making on-time payments helps build good credit. Contact us for help in figuring out an affordable solution.
12/09/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Information belongs to someone else	CA XXXXX	Web
NOTICE ; DOCUMENTS NOT PRESENTED AS REQUESTED LOAN STATED BY YOUR LETTER THAT PAYMENT ( XXXX ) WERE RECEIVED, LOAN DEBT PAID IN FULL DUE TO MONEY ORDER BOND SUBMITTED XXXX ADDED INTEREST : Dear Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ; Letters received with dates of XXXX XXXX XXXX and such documents do not provide uncontested wet signature ( XXXX ) just the assumption thereof, which concerns our legal team, if possible and it is, please feel free to send over the documents so that we can have them examined by an expert. Therefore the alleged uncontested wet signature XXXX XXXX ) should have dates times and locations of signage. If this is not produced we will not allow anymore communications and shall file legal actions if this type of communications persist. As well you claim to have records or recordings of a conversation and or emails of XXXX XXXX XXXX requesting a discharge that which no permission had been given to do such. As well XXXX XXXX XXXX did not request a discharge, the documents presented where for legal tender and payment to settle matters in this account quickly, rather it seems as if the money order was not accepted without reason with legal qualifications. Therefore payment should have been received by law and can not be dismissed without a very good legal reason. This has not been done. Please provide dates, documents, times and locations of the request for forbearance and deferments, for such times are relevant to the actions of identity theft which has taken place. Moreover it was the credit reporting agency that red flagged your attempt to report to credit bureaus that which was the wrong birthdate and address. Please take notice that any and all documents presented with incorrect personal and private information shall be deemed identity theft and be place on alert as well all parties shall be notified that being the victims therein which such has been created for theft purposes. Further more you have attempted to contact friends and family member located in multiple states XXXX of which is XXXX XXXX XXXX elderly mother whereas the postal delivery clerk whom has known the family for years assisted in stopping mail from being delivered to her address. This is harassment and will not be taken lightly. There are also too many coincidences, the timing of the letters and the information suggest that there is a relationship between that whom we have discovered in the past month of XXXX to be XXXX of which whom created the identity theft and the language in the letters which are very similar and is being examined. Not to leave out that your documents are not notarized, signed and or verified by an agent and or an XXXX therein your organization, which changed from XXXX XXXX to present, there was once a persons of contact within Great Lakes and or Dept Of XXXX or XXXX XXXX. Please use this legal format to verify whom you are, status or position and a contact information so it is not assumed that your agency has taken part in the thefts at hand. If you received payment ( XXXX ) as you stated or someone stated in the letter, why is the account still open for there was a payoff request made by Great Lakes and that final payment in form of a money order was provided, what is the problem with the final payment in regards to settling the matter of debt? The payment was legal and is excepted so please provide a legal and legitimate answer or solution to the payment, adding interest and expecting payment over a period of years as in adding another {$65000.00} is extortion. Please be advised that XXXX XXXX XXXX notified XXXX XXXX XXXX that his account had been hacked by a bank or a government agency so that email is no longer being used since that time and had been forwarding all emails over to XXXXXXXXXXXX please see to it that you use this email only. Once you have provided an reasonable explanation as to why the payment was not received dated The court papers that which was forwarded over to you are very much real and legal. They state that XXXX XXXX XXXX is not dated XXXX XXXX, XXXX. That which there are investigations prevailing at this current time and future court dates with the culprit ( XXXX ) whom created the identity theft and other illegal matters are being tracked. Those individuals may have contacts within Great Lakes and or XXXX XXXX XXXX that which is being seriously and deeply investigated and will have serious repercussions for charges will not be dropped and the max amount of time will be heavily requested for this has caused XXXX XXXX XXXX and his family millions in investments as well his home. As for the XXXX of the court proceedings and the language i personally do not have any control or legal input as to how the XXXX and deputy documented and worded the Identity theft documents and findings. Rather in all cases presented to the court on XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX am that with all the evidence and documents presented by XXXX XXXX XXXX and his wife XXXX XXXX XXXX whom was effected as well by the multiple identity theft ( XXXX ) that which stated in the court records is that simply put, neither XXXX XXXX XXXX or his wife are responsible or committed any offense to that which was created by identity theft be in loans, mortgages, and all other loans therein which was recently and formerly created in the past. Court Rulings - The court finds XXXX XXXX XXXX and his wife to be factually innocent of the offenses that being any loans that neither petitioner gave consent to therein. As for a defendant and or identity theft perpetrator name in the verdict is not warranted by the accounts of the Dept of Justice whom have been notified due to the wide range and damages that this may cause others, none the less we have investigated and have found several personnel whom have major part in the identity theft and other crimes committed against XXXX XXXX XXXX. That which had been presented to you at cost of XXXX XXXX XXXX. Reminder - XXXX XXXX, XXXX and several times before hand you had received documents warning your of identity theft along with multiple affidavits for such causes and it was stated in the entry of the legal document that you must respond to this affidavit point by point, under oath meaning notarized and witnessed as well by an XXXX agent therein the angry whereas you sit, failure to answer all points under oath shall be deemed incomplete and that which you claim or alleged to be factual unequivocal and irrefutable admission to all statements contained here, further this will be binding against you in any subsequent court proceedings to enforce remedy. You had XXXX days after receipt of said documents and you have failed multiple times. Furthermore all credit agencies have began red flagging any attempt to report thereafter the date you had received the first Affidavit herein this matter. Therefore this shall conclude any and all communications herein this account and it is deemed PAID IN FULL as stated on the letter from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and any further communication hereafter is deemed harassment as well illegal and prohibited. You may proceed with legal matters and fillings rather count on countersuits to be applied therein for such has been presented to you in full notification and you have ignored it, therefore that is your issue and not XXXX XXXX XXXX. Further more after this point that you proceed and continue pursuing this matter that is closed, you shall be responsible for all legal cost travel and pain and suffering therein hereafter. You also may provide a copy of your report and investigation hereafter so that while we are pursuing those whom created this issue your evidence may have implications to that which has been stated before, and the communications herein thereto in connections with the thefts and injuries. Moreover any attempt to contact family members outside of this matter shall be deemed harassment and legal matters shall be filed against you in said cities and states for such illegal actions.
09/11/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Personal information incorrect	CA XXXXX	Web
I have been harrassed by servicer after letters and documents produced by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX XXXX mailed a letter stating that someone [ Great Lakes ] attempted to recreate a loan in the amount of {$55000.00} by creating a different identiy in my name or assumed as XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. When in fact my name is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. THey have also been paid by way of money order on XX/XX/XXXX as they requested. NOTICE REMINDER OF PAYOFF PAID IN FULL DISCHARGE PAYMENT MONEY ORDER AS REQUESTED. Payment or payoff {$54000.00} was received by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX Registration USPS number Tracking : XXXX and before thus XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX received the payment or payoff on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. Posting 90 days late on XX/XX/XXXX is deemed harassment and possible extortion. On several occasions since XX/XX/XXXX I have recieved multiple emails and letters requesting new and more information for a student loan. See attached docs emails and letters. I called to ask what was going on and was suggested to ignore the emails and calls. I have recieved a numberous amount of calls emails and letters for offers of free money for college, so on and so forth. This is an internal issue for the Department of Education and the servicer Great Lakes. I would like to file a complaint due to the amount of harassment and extortion produced by your agency as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I spoke with XXXX a manager on XX/XX/XXXX concerning the payments and payoff with Great Lakes and on the behalf of The Dept Of Education, whom have received multiple payments before and thereafter XX/XX/XXXX. As well the credit agency filed a complaint on this behalf due to attempts thereafter the Dept Of Ed receiving payment in full that your agency attempted to file late on the credit agency thereafter payment was mailed and received. As well the documents stated that after payment my private and personal information shall be deleted and no more attempts to contact communicate or create some form of verbal contract or written contractual documented be it by phone mail or email. In no way is this communication a form of contract only to prevent legal recourse and false documented information. Attached to this email are the correspondences during before and final. Great Lakes on multiple occasion attempted to file new agreements or contracts forbarrences please ceist this type of actions for they shall produce legal recourse against you. I have not allowed or given permission thereafter payments in full has been received by the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX address of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX, XXXX GA XXXX. Now I am dealing with Identity theft and have taken such actions against those whom have created this dilemma and those assisting is such illegal actions, and if its found that someone inside your agency is assisting in attempts to slander my good name and reputation I shall alert the authorities of such things asap. Please be advised there are no other forms of communication thereafter nor a log in account addressed hereafter XX/XX/XXXX after the payment was received anyone attempting to collect on this closed account shall be forwarded to the proper authorities and legal ramification shall be pursued. You have 10 business days to remove all false reports from credit bureaus. XXXX XXXX XXXX I spoke with XXXX manager of the complaint department on XX/XX/XXXX and she stated if any harrasment persist that I could file a compalint. Payment or payoff was received by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX Registration USPS number Tracking : XXXX and before thus XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX received the payment or payoff on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. Posting 90 days late on XX/XX/XXXX is deemed harassment and possible extortion. The Credit Bureaus have noted the account ( s ) closed as of XX/XX/XXXX, please inform me of why you are claiming that i am 90 days late when there have n't been a payment maid since XX/XX/XXXX and thereafter XX/XX/XXXX paid in full? As well the documents presented shows interest owed on this alleged account and a new balance as if a forbearance has occurred some how without my signature or permission! Done this XXXX Day of XX/XX/XXXX I declare under penalties of perjury in accordance with the laws of the United States of America ( without the United States ) Title 28 U.S.C. 1746 ( 1 ) the forgoing is true and correct and is admitted when not rebutted, so help me. iam IAM ' ; a Sentient being in living flesh operating in the outer expression ( 3rd Dimension ) as : XXXX, : XXXX XXXX : XXXX : : : a naturalized original descendant of the ancient, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX of the ancient XXXX hemisphere ; the Real Party in Interest, First Lien Holder [ FRCP Title IV. > PARTIES > Rule 17 ( b ) ( 3 ) ( A ) ] of : XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX : ( a corporation sole ) doing business as ( d.b.a ) XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX created XX/XX/XXXX ). : XXXX ; XXXX XXXX XXXX : has attained the Age of Majority and is competent in His own affairs having in his possession the Authenticated Documents pertaining to the full and authoritative operation within His own Due Process and rights as an Indigenous Aboriginal and Registered Owner, Pursuant to the Minnesota Court General Rules of Practice - Rule 220 pertaining to Birth Certificates.Notice to Agent is Notice to Principal, Notice to Principal is Notice to Agent- All rights Reserved [ U.C.C. 1-308, 12 USC 95a ( 2 ) ]. As such He demands All of His unalienable rights at all times and does not waive any of His rights. iam IAM ' XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and upon this ROCK ( Revelation of Common Knowledge ) I will build my CHURCH ( Comprehensive Historical Universal Revelation Combating Hopelessness ) and the Gates of XXXX ( Misinformation ) shall not prevail against it. A new money order was sent to the alleged agency of XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. [ PRI ] VATE AND CONFIDENTIALITY-CLAIM : FOR THIS [ PRI ] VATE E-MAIL-MESSAGE WITH THE [ ATTACHMENT ( S ) WITH THE [ PRI ] VILEDGE-KNOWLEDGE AND/OR : CONFIDENTIAL-KNOWLEDGE IS WITH THE CLAIM OF THE SOLE-USE WITH THE VOLITION OF THE CLIENT-VESSEL ( S ) BY THIS [ PRI ] VATE AND CONFIDENTIALITY-CLAIM. FOR THE POLITICAL, PRIVATE, PUBLIC-ENTITIES, FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL-CORPORATE-GOVERNEMENT ( S ), MUNICIPALITY ( IES ), INTERNATIONAL-ORGANIZATION ( S ), GLOBAL-ORGANIZATION ( S ), CORPORATION ( S ), AGENT ( S ), INVESTIGATOR ( S ), INFORMANT ( S ), ET. AL., AND & OR : THIRD-PARTY ( IES ) WITH THE CONS-PIRACY OF THE COLLUSION BY THE MONITORING AND & OR BY OTHER MEANS OF THE SPYING FOR THE COLLECTION OF THESE COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE LACK OF THE AUTHENTIC-AUTHORIZATION BY THE CONTRACT-PARTIES ARE WITH THE VOID-CLAIM FOR THE LACK OF AN AUTHENTIC-AUTHORIZATION FOR THE USE, [ RE ] VIEW, [ DIS ] COVERY- [ DIS ] CLOSURE AND : [ DIS ] TRIBUTION & TRANSFER OF THE KNOWLEDGE IN THIS E-MAIL. FOR THIS AUTHOR AND : SENDER OF THIS E-MAIL IS WITH THE CLAIM OF THE RIGHT OF A LIVING-SOVEREIGN WITH THE LACK OF THE [ A ] PARTHIED AND [ RE ] COURSE BY THE CLAIMANT. FOR AN OMISSION OF THE KNOWLEDGE IN THIS E-MAIL IS WITH THE LACK OF A CLAIM FOR A WAIVER OF THE OWNERSHIP-RIGHTS AND & OR : RIGHTS WITH A CLAIM BY THE AUTHOR. FOR A CLAIM WITH THE PRINCIPLE IS WITH THE SAME-CLAIM WITH THE [ A ] GENT. FOR A CLAIM WITH THE [ A ] GENT IS WITH THE SAME-CLAIM WITH THE PRINCIPLE. XXXX XXXX XXXX
08/01/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	PA 19115	Web
To whom it make concern, In XX/XX/XXXX I started my graduate student loans with FAFSA, then after graduation in XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Great Lakes informing me that they are the going to manage my loans and the first payment going to be on XX/XX/XXXX At that time I applied to repayment driven by income, and since then I was sending the required documents to Great leaks every year to decide my ability to repay the loan. According to my income and family size, my monthly due payment was {$0.00} till the beginning of XX/XX/XXXX At the beginning of XX/XX/XXXX Great lakes reviewed my renewal application with my supported documents, and decided to make my monthly payment {$23.00} I agreed and started paying this amount on time. In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a phone call from Great Lakes, the associate said, you parent student loan will do in XX/XX/XXXX and the due payment is {$100.00} ( I had a parent student loan for my son who was studying at XXXX XXXX, but he stopped and didnt complete his studying ). I explained to the customer service representative that I can not handle these two monthly payment, how am I going to pay this {$100.00} and Great Lakes just reviewed my income in the last two months and acknowledge that my ability according to my income and family size is {$23.00}, it is mean I have to pay ( {$23.00} + {$100.00} = {$120.00} ) this is too much for me! I want to pay and I dont want to default with my payments, but this is above my capacity. She suggested to consolidate all the loans, and if I will do that, the total payment ( For my loan and the parent student loan ) going to be approximately {$70.00}, and this will decrease the payment significantly from {$120.00} to about {$70.00} The representative instructed me to log on online and proceed with a consolidation application. I told her to give me some time, and let me talk to my son and I will make a decision. In May I contacted the Great Lakes and asked them about the consolidation which been recommended by Great Lake associate and the associate who talked to me over the phone agreed to the consolidation and how this can decrease/reduce my total payment to about {$70.00}, she added, keep in mind that you still need to pay the coming due payment {$100.00} in XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, then after completing the process of consolidation, the total payment for ( your loan and parents student loan ) to about {$70.00} ( This is going to be the best repayment plan ) I called Great Lakes another time in XX/XX/XXXX, to ask about some details and started the consolidation process. I applied for consolidation and in my application I chose to start the consolidation process in XX/XX/XXXX ( It was optional to choose the time to start the process ) In XX/XX/XXXX surprisingly I received emails from Great Lakes informing me that they approved my application for the consolidation, while I requested and instructed in my application to start in XX/XX/XXXX, but I considered its done and at the end it is going to be good for me as the total payment going to be around {$70.00} Unexpectedly, on XX/XX/XXXX I received an email from Great Lakes informing me that the due paying going to be on XX/XX/XXXX and the amount is {$320.00} I called Great lakes, explained all the details above, and told them that I did the consolidation according to the associate suggestion, and the entire goal was to reduce the payment from {$120.00} to {$70.00} The associate didnt help me to resolve the issue, she transferred me to a supervisor, and the supervisor informed me that she needs to hear the phone calls and then get back to me, it took a week till she called me back and said, I am not sure, I listened to the recorded phone calls but the voice is not clear and a little cut out especially when the conversation between you and the associate was about the {$70.00}, yes she recommended the consolidation but she just estimated the payment around {$70.00} I told her when someone estimating {$70.00} it may be {$60.00} or {$80.00} but not {$320.00} she suggested to me and I did the consolidation as a result for her advice. She said ; I cant help you with that, I will talk to my manager, and he will contacted you in 24 to 48 hours I told her yes, I want to escalate complain to a manager. I left her 6 voicemails asking her to call me back, and informing her that her manager didnt call me back. After a week of calling and leaving voicemail, I got a call from a manager who was not calling to listen to the situation, but to affirm that Great Lake will not be doing anything and will not be reversing the loan. I asked why didnt an underwriter see that my payments are going from {$120.00} to {$320.00} would be ok. And that no one checked my Debit to Income ratio to realize that I can not afford that payment. The manager didnt comment on that statement and kept saying that the company wont change anything, and he stated that this plan will take 20 % of my income. I told him you are setting me to default, because two months ago, Great Lakes evaluated my ability and decided {$23.00} is my maximum, how do you approved me for a consolidation put me on {$320.00} as a monthly payment, how did you do the calculations, which equation you used to put me on this plan! ( I understood from the conversation, that he is the loan officer/underwriter who did the process ) All his concern was that the representative didnt suggest to me the consolidation, or after lot of back and forth he said yes she did recommended a consolidation but not this type, another type. He told me that I can forbearance for 12 months, but there will be {$16.00} interest every day Here I am requesting a help to solve my issue with Great Lakes, as no way will I be able to make a payment that large. Please understand my situation. Im unable to make that payment nor am I able to afford a missed payment on my Credit history. I had my loans for graduate program, as I did my XXXX XXXX in XXXX, and I completed the program with XXXX XXXX out 4 and will not do this mistake, unless the two representative confirmed to me that this is the best solution and will help me reduce my monthly payment. My request is to put me where I can pay my student loan and the parent student loan according to my income just like what I had before, something around {$25.00} for my loans and {$25.00} for parent student loan, in the same time I want to file a maximum complain about that manager who insist to defend himself and his team even when he knew that his team advised me for this plan and he completed the process with 100 % know I am not going to be able paying this amount, and with all my requests and explanations, he insisted to keep me on this plan. Great Lakes ID : XXXX XXXX/XXXX Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) XXXX Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) XXXX/XXXX Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Sincerely, XXXX XXXX Cell # XXXX XXXX XXXX
06/04/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	PA 193XX	Web
I have a Stafford Loan serviced by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX. This is my loan for XXXX school. I am now a XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX who shares a law office with another attorney. Financially, I am essentially XXXX. My income varies drastically based on client payments and contingent cases. For example, in XX/XX/XXXX, my income was roughly in the high 60,000 range. For XX/XX/XXXX, which saw several contingent cases hit successfully, my income was considerably higher at roughly XXXX. I have been enrolled in income based repayment for several years now with Great Lakes and never had a problem. I was in the process of buying a house when the time for IBR renewal came up. I applied on or about XX/XX/XXXX. I provided details on my income and how it fluctuates in my application. I started receiving e-mails about additional information being needed. These e-mails were constant and were requesting copious amounts of information. I had never experienced anything like this before in past IBR applications. I was in the midst of the house buying process and could not dedicate the necessary time to these requests, and planned on addressing them the following month. I received a phone call on XX/XX/XXXX from a woman with Great Lakes. She did not identify herself when she called and I had to ask who she was with ( this should be on the recording they made ). She was very polite and nice, and asked about my IBR application. I explained the situation as I had before. She said all I needed was my tax return. I specifically asked her if I needed anything else. She said no. I justifiably relied on that, and attempted to fax my return later that day to the number on Great Lakes ' website. It didn't go through. I then uploaded the return on the website and received confirmation it went through. Two days later I received another email saying more info was needed. I figured, based on the woman 's representations to me, that it hadn't been processed yet as this wasn't different from past emails. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an e-mail stating I was no longer eligible for a reduced payment. I was very confused and faxed a letter along with a completed form of my income estimates, referencing the phone call, and even more information including my profit and losses from the first three months of this year. Meanwhile, my notifications are saying that my payment is going up toXXXX per month -- something I can not afford, which I state in my XX/XX/XXXX letter. I received no acknowledgement whatsoever of this and continued to received automated e-mails asking for further information. No phone calls. On XX/XX/XXXX I got another form that was identical to the one I already submitted and asked to fill it out. No explanation. I finally get fed up and on Friday XX/XX/XXXX, sent everything I had provided to them along with additional information in the form of a list of all of my income thus far this year, along with a very stern letter demanding they process my information and again referencing the XX/XX/XXXX conversation with their representative that the tax return was sufficient. I noted that I was a lawyer and was suspicious about how this process had unfolded, and referenced that I intended on contemplating legal action and filing a complaint with your agency if they did not resolve this mater based on the copious information I had given them. Less than 48 hours later, on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX on Sunday afternoon, I received a message that not only was my IBR application denied, I was wholly removed from the IBR program and my interest was capitalized. I had NO notice this could happen. This is in stark contrast to the XX/XX/XXXX email where I wasn't removed from IBR but my payment went up. This is blatant retaliation and a predatory lending and unfair trade practice as those terms are defined under federal and XXXX law. These practices also fall squarely within the unfair and illegal IBR practices discussed in CFPB 's XX/XX/XXXX supervisory highlights ( spring ) as well as other articles and periodicals and in XXXX 's XX/XX/XXXX lawsuit against Navient which involved in part identical practices as to IBR. I can not afford full payments of XXXX every month. My interest has also been capitalized, without notice to me that this could happen, in what is clearly retaliation for my XX/XX/XXXX letter. I am fortunately paid through for another year or so thanks to a large lump sum payment I made earlier this year. However, I was forced to cancel my auto-payments yesterday after receiving this e-mail because I can not afford them, and am terrified of the ramifications this will have on my credit and other consequences such as interest, as I won't be able to make monthly payments for the time being. While canceling my auto-payments, I observed that the chart Great Lakes uses to break down my interest and principal shows the overwhelming majority being principal. This does not strike me as being correct ( I could be wrong ), and I would like an explanation. These identical practices have been labeled as unfair and illegal by AG XXXX XXXX in his recent lawsuit and I believe Great Lakes is engaging in similar practices. I am strongly contemplating a lawsuit myself but wish to try to resolve this through the administrative process first. Statutes involved/potentially violated include but are not necessarily limited to Consumer Financial Protection Act, XXXX 's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
03/13/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	NH 03053	Web
I have about half of my student loans with Great Lakes. I am always checking on my loans so I can keep up with them. My payments are right around XXXX per month and I also have private loans with another lender also reaching XXXX per month. At XXXX per month just to make my minimum payments I am limited in what I can afford ( transportation, housing, etc. ). I read as much information as I could on ways to pay down my debt quickly without putting myself at risk for not having money for food and other basic living expenses. On the great Lakes website they discuss excess payments and how they are allocated. First off the website states that any over payments will be automatically applied to your loans with the highest interest. That's great. Except that is exactly what wasn't happening on my loans for almost 9 months. I thought okay shame on me for not noticing this. Time to do something about it. So I found on the website where I could choose which loans received the excess payments. Perfect. I chose, to start, my two loans with the highest interest both at 6.8 %. Around the same time I was eligible with my employer to start receiving assistance from them on said monthly payments. So now with my monthly payment of XXXX my employer was sending XXXX automatically every month. Such a relief. After one or two payments from both my employer and I, I checked online and noticed that their payments were putting me ahead. Great. But I also noticed that the two loans I chose were still not receiving excess payments. I called into the service center for great Lakes and the associate I spoke with agreed that it should've had any excess just on two out of my XXXX loans with them. She said she would put it in a request. Later that day all was well the amounts were adjusted. I went about paying those loans as usual and kept an extra eye on any excess payments. Again I noticed that when a payment from my employer came in after a full payment made by myself the excess was applied evenly to all loans. So again, not only against what I manually selected but also against what the website claims it will automatically do. Now I call again expecting a similar outcome as before. This time I'm placed on hold multiple times for almost a half hour total. The associate then comes back with an explanation that is so long and convoluted that not only was I confused but I felt the person working for great Lakes was completely unsure of what he was telling me. During this call a part of the explanation included telling me my extra payments were essentially in a " holding account '' and wouldn't be applied until my next payment was due. Infuriated I hung up. Not only did I feel that I was speaking to someone who was not confident in what they were telling me but also making up what I hoped were just examples to help understand the excess payment method. I called again later that day and spoke with another associate. I explained briefly my situation and what I had been told and she agreed with the first rep ( surprise ). Calmer this time I said okay what he explained did not make sense to me, can YOU explain it better so I can understand? She went on to fumble over her own words and again I received an over complicated explanation that left my head spinning. I said to her that what she said was still not making any sense. So to help myself understand I asked her this. " Ok. Currently the website says I am paid ahead until XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/2018 it currently says I will then owe 70 ( and some change ). We are currently in XXXX. So this means my full month of XXXX is also paid. Yes? '' She tells me yes. " So, here is my question. If I pay for example XXXX $ right now. And of course given any interest will come off that amount first. But can you tell me approximately how much will go to the two loans I have selected to receive any excess? '' She was quiet for a while and was clearly trying to calculate this. Then finally she comes back to me with okay if you paid 100 ( keep in mind we were still in XXXX and I was paid ahead until XX/XX/XXXX ) then XXXX ( and some change ) will go towards the XXXX loans. So I asked why. She said oh the XXXX from here and then this that and the other thing. So I say " do you understand my confusion? We are NOT even in XXXX yet. And you are telling me even if I make a SECOND excess payment in XXXX ( because both myself and my employer had already made payments in XXXX ) that because of the amount you are saying I do not owe until XX/XX/XXXX only XXXX will go to the XXXX loans? She responded with oh. And then more silence. I never received a solid confident answer and did my own research between the XXXX calls. The website 's example of excess payments is expained exactly how I would think they would work. Yet somehow these phone reps are trained to over complicate and confuse the answer. I plan on calling again and speaking with a manager because I also work in a call center and maybe this is what they are trained to tell you. But it is not matching up to what the website says and also to just basic logic. I've seen similar complaints on excess payments and am frustrated that my {$23000.00} loan will end up adding up to almost double that in what I pay. I am young and struggling to even live on my own because of this. Every tiny thing I can do to impact how much I ultimately pay on these loans matters and makes a difference. The overall student loan/debt situation we are currently in is so disappointing and disheartening that I constantly question why I went to college.
03/08/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	CA 95134	Web	Servicemember
On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, my student loan server. Originally, I was calling because I had questions regarding how filing jointly or separately with my husband would impact my income driven repayment program. At that time, however, the customer service agent informed me that Great Lakes had placed me on the incorrect repayment plan. Initially, the agent informed me that switching back to the REPAYE program would result in the capitalization of any unpaid interest. After determining that the switch was Great Lakes error, however, I was told that interest would not be capitalized. On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I followed-up with Great Lakes to confirm that I had been placed back on the REPAYE program. Unfortunately, at that time, a different customer service agent informed me that Great Lakes had simply updated my PAYE program. Consequently, I was required to re-explain the situation to that agent who, after an hour, assured me that she would switch me back to the REPAYE program. During that time, obviously I also wanted to confirm once again, that I would not be penalized for switching back to the REPAYE program, because it was a result of Great Lakes error. It was at that point, that the customer service agent informed me that interest would not be capitalized as a result of switching me back to the correct repayment program, however, interest would be capitalized because, at that time, they determined that I did not submit my repayment application on time. After reassuring the agent for more than an hour that I had submitted my application on time, which is why interest had previously not been capitalized, she determined I was correct, and again I was told interest would not be capitalized. Further, regarding the above late renewal application, Great Lakes records will show that I contacted them in XX/XX/XXXX and was informed that my renewal application was due in XX/XX/XXXX. In addition, I never received any prior communication from Great Lakes stating that my renewal application was not timely, and thus up to that point interest had not been capitalized. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Great Lakes stating that all unpaid interest had been capitalized. Obviously, this email prompted me to again contact Great Lakes. At that time, I was told that capitalization is the automatic result of switching back to the REPAYE program. That being said, because the capitalization was a direct result of Great Lakes error, they would go back and manually remove all capitalized interest. At the end of this conversation, I was told to follow-up with Great Lakes after XX/XX/XXXX to confirm all capitalized interest had been removed. On XX/XX/XXXX, I followed-up with Great Lakes regarding the above. At that time, I was told that Great Lakes had removed less than {$1000.00} of capitalized interest. Remembering that the original total was approximately {$8000.00}, however, I questioned the amount that had been removed. In addition, I referred to my account to confirm the amount was approximately {$8000.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX. It was at that point, that I discovered Great Lakes had changed the interest capitalization dates from XX/XX/XXXX for an amount exceeding {$8000.00} to XX/XX/XXXX for a capitalized interest in the amount of {$5700.00}, and XX/XX/XXXX for a capitalized interest amount of {$1000.00}. It was at this point, I was again told that Great Lakes retroactively capitalized interest as of XX/XX/XXXX because I allegedly submitted my repayment application late. Unfortunately, however, although I again informed yet another customer service agent that I did not file my application late, I was told Great Lakes would not remove the above-capitalized interest. Instead, I was informed they would only follow-up regarding the remaining {$1000.00} that still reflects the XX/XX/XXXX date. Clearly, given the above, I am filing this complaint because I do not believe I should be responsible for any capitalized interest currently on my account. With that said, I am also motivated to file this complaint for several other reasons. First, I must believe I am not the only person who, through no fault of their own, has been incorrectly assigned the wrong repayment program. Further, because correcting this issue results in the automatic capitalization of any unpaid interest, I am also certain I am not the only person who now has interest capitalized on their account as a direct result of this accidental reassignment. Second, although Great Lakes had the opportunity to resolve all of the above, they instead decided to take that opportunity to change the source of the capitalization to allegedly filing my renewal application late. An occurrence which they did not determine until this incident occurred. Third, {$1000.00} of capitalized interest which Great Lakes now attributes solely to the switching of my repayment program still remains on my account, and although Great Lakes agrees I am not responsible for this amount, it is unclear if they intend to remove it.
02/05/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	TN 381XX	Web
This problem relates to income driven repayments ( IDR ) and how my lender ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) has inadequately informed me about 1 ) reapplying for IDR and 2 ) interest capitalization as a consequence of not reapplying for IDR. I reached out to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX sometime in the fall of XXXX about entering IDR. I learned that after completing my application, my IDR would start sometime later that year and would need to be renewed yearly. They said they were unable to tell me when I would need to renew at that point since I had not yet entered into IDR, and that they would provide me a reminder at a later date. The following year, I started making IDR payments on XX/XX/XXXX. I was making these monthly with no issues. I received notifications every month about my monthly payments with no other communication from great lakes until XX/XX/XXXX when I was informed that I was no longer eligible for IDR and my new payment of $ XXXX/month would be due on XX/XX/XXXX. I contacted great great lakes approximately 2 weeks later to reapply for the IDR. They helped me submit documents to reapply for IDR. Then, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received an e-mail from great lakes that my loans capitalized because I missed the deadline for reapplying for IDR. I called great lakes again to understand why my loans capitalized. They said I missed my renewal date of XX/XX/XXXX for IDR, and this results in interest capitalization. I asked how I was supposed to know I needed to reapply by that date, and they stated that they sent an e-mail to me on XX/XX/XXXX to notify me that I needed to reapply for IDR. I checked my e-mail account, and I did not have any such e-mail from great lakes, only emails telling me my monthly payment would be made soon. I asked that they provide proof that they sent the e-mail to me, and they sent me a PDF via e-mail that said the following : " Hi _______, Thanks for contacting us about your student loans. According to our records, on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX Central Time an email was sent to you confirming your Income-Driven Repayment ( IDR ) plan renewal date of XX/XX/XXXX for your Direct Stafford and Graduate PLUS Loan Accounts with U.S. Department of Education. We appreciate having been able to serve you and hope that your educational experience was a good one. Best wishes with all of your future endeavors. Borrower Services Department '' To me, this is just a PDF form of what they had been telling me over the phone, and did not really prove that an e-mail had been sent to me. Regardless, I do not have the e-mail. I tried to contact XXXX to ask if there is anyway they could see whether this e-mail had been sent to me and was somehow filtered out of my inbox, but as you can imagine trying to contact XXXX about something like this is impossible. Anyway, the fact that all the other communications I have had with great lakes have entered my inbox, it seems highly unlikely that the e-mail went into my spam folder. I genuinely believe this e-mail did not reach my XXXX account. Regardless, important information such as this can be communicated through other means. I asked why they rely on e-mail to notify the borrowers instead of using more reliable communication like a telephone call or mail, they simply said " that is all that is federally mandated. '' I spoke with three individuals at great lakes about this issue, one was a customer support representative, second person was her supervisor ( I think her name was XXXX, though I could be wrong ), and the third individual was an " account manager. '' All re-iterated the same lines, " we did what was federally mandated '' and " we can not un-capitalize your interest. '' In the end, conversations with great lakes were fruitless. They stated it wasn't there responsibility to prove they sent the email, or to remind me. They said " there would be no way to un-capitalize my interest anyway. '' I asked if it could be un-capitalized if they had made a mistake or were at fault. They said yes, if they were at fault then it could be. To summarize, I want to re-iterate my complaints concisely. 1. Great lakes borrowers services did not adequately inform me of when I would need to reapply for IDR. - I was told I would need to apply yearly, but when I asked in XXXX when I would need to reapply, I was told that they did not know at that time because I had not yet entered into IDR. At that time they reassured me I would receive notice in advance of needing to reapply. -As I explained above, I did not receive a reminder because I never received an e-mail they claim to have sent. 2. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX did not adequately inform me of interest capitalization as a consequence of not reapplying for IDR. - If this information was properly emphasized, I would have taken steps up front to make sure not to miss the renewal date. Not being aware of this consequence, I relied on allowing great lakes to remind me as they stated they would.
03/24/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	CA 95834	Web
I found this information on the Department Of Education website! Stating the exact requirements needed for FAFSA, and prior to XX/XX/XXXX enrollment without a high school diploma? i was never given a ATB test or exam, or six hours of course work to see if i qualified? I was pressured extremely hard to sign up within a weeks notices for school, using predatory tactis, and i was told a high school diploma was not needed, so they had me sign a attestation stating i went to high school, but my high school officialtranscript states and shows i never graduated? Basically, i was lied too and the school went to work immediatley after signing the documents borrowing against my name from multiple lenders without my acknowledgement. I did not know this until i was called from lenders when they raised a red flag blocking the school from taking out anymore loans? I was shock, and the education was completley a lie, XXXX grade level math, english, and science? The Bachelor degree program is a scam, and in XXXX i fell victim to it. I was cold called from a telelmarketing firm asking me if i wanted to attend university, i knew i did not qualify without a high school. Here the facts : 1. The attestation form used, has incorrect and untrue information on electronically signed? 2. The application used has incorrect information as well. 3. I was never given a ATB entrance exam which Department Of Education Requires 4. I was never told about stafford loans, only pell grant? 5. The school won't allow me to re-entry because of no high school diploma - so i can not finish the program 6. The attestation is fake and fraudulent, due to it being incorrect and untrue - and they did not allow me to correct any of this information 7. after i realized i was defrauded and victicm of online school fraud - XXXX XXXX XXXX calls me in XXXX, and XXXX asking me to sign up again using the same fraudulent information documents used in XXXX. 8. XXXX XXXX XXXX - XXXX states that the fake fraudulent attestation form is correct and true? But my high school transcript states other wise. XXXX. My loan servicer - Files for False Certification ( ATB ) and False Certification ( Incorrect ), The rejected is because the attestation form that is fraudulent! Greatlakes is the servicer of the loans, Basic Eligibility Criteria Our general eligibility requirements are that you must demonstratefinancial need ( for most programs ) have a valid Social Security number ( with the exception of students from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, or the XXXX XXXX XXXX ) ; be registered withSelective Service, if youre a male ( you must register between the ages of XXXX and XXXX ) ; be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as aregular studentin an eligible degree or certificate program ; be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible forDirect LoanProgram funds ; maintainsatisfactory academic progressin college or career school ; sign the certification statement on theFree Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) stating that you are not indefaulton afederal student loanand do not owe money on a federal studentgrantand you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes ; and show youre qualified to obtain a college or career school education by having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as aGeneral Educational Development ( GED ) certificate ; completing a high school education in ahomeschoolsetting approved under state law ( orif state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credentialcompleting a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law ) ; or enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the '' ability-to-benefit '' alternativesdescribed below. I am victim of admission and online schooling distance fraud! I was taken of advantage by professional scammers looking only to make a profit! Not once was i ever contated to see why my complaints go unanswered? I recently apply for a false certification ( ATB ) discharge, only be denied with no reason? attached to this email is my high school transcript, letter from my GreatLakes loan servicer, attestation form from XXXX and XXXX in which they tried to pass it on to FAFSA only to find that my loans where in default? What scammers, and the nerve on these crooks
07/06/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	MD 207XX	Web
Beginning, I have very few dates to include because I am having difficulty getting responses from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. They did not initially hold my guaranteed Federal Student Loan from XXXX. Yes, this is a case that old but problems did not start until Great Lakes took over and I lost my job. In XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke to Great Lakes about getting out of default which I had been in due to divorce and then I lost my job and was on unemployment. I asked to receive information regarding various plans and plans based on income. In XX/XX/XXXX I was sent a bill of $ 300.00+ dollars for a plan I didn't agree to be in. I called them and explained I didn't agree to this and wouldn't because of being a single mother and how I couldn't afford that much anyway. They stated I agreed to this and I was enrolled and I was required to pay it. I still objected, couldn't pay it and I was charged a huge fee on my account. I already was disputing how much I owed, which was approx {$25000.00}. I have been fighting with this company since then. After a year, they started to garnish my wages after I got a new job even though they never provided full invoices of my account, fees and offer a program I could afford. They also never spoke about loan forgiveness, even though I am a teacher. In XXXX, I left the job I was in, all while they were taking what they could from wage garnishment, and switched jobs. This year, in XXXX, I receive a call from a debt collector stating that the company was collecting on a now $ 57,000.00+ loan that I have not received any information on since XXXX. In that year, in XXXX, I found the Obudsman Group of the Dept of Ed and asked for their assistance in getting a copy of my account with ALL fees and how it had grown so large. It had grown a great deal even within a year. I explained what I needed and when the group got involved, I still could not get the company to provide me with any statements. All I got was a record of payments. I did not ask for that. I specifically told the Group and Great Lakes I wanted an accounting of my account and all fees. I never got that. Now this year, after speaking to a debt collection agency, I asked for that information again. I was then also told in XXXX of this year my wages were going to be garnished. I stated I was not notified. I was told a letter was sent to me in XXXX. They told me they sent a letter to XXXX. I live and work in XXXX. The company knows that. The last address they have for me from XXXX is XXXX. I have not lived in XXXX for 18 years. They knew where I worked because they contacted them. I was not provided the opportunity to even ask for a hearing for this garnishment because I am told, of course, after the 30 day window has passed for a hearing request, that this garnishment is going through. So, in XXXX again, I called Dept of Ed, the Obudsman Group and asked for same account information, and also what I do because this company fraudulently was going to garnish my wages. They recommended I call the company. I did try and call the debt collector and they argued they could go through with the garnishment. It's obvious I will never get anywhere fighting this big company. So the garnishment has started and I called the Group again. I just want to know how I can call this company on fraud and collecting money for being fraudulent and why I can't even get a statement of my account with all fees which I have been trying to do for over 4 years. And being placed in a program I didn't agree to and then having them charge fees. I know Great Lakes has been sued and that they are known for fraudulent fees placed on student loans. I would love to get out of default and even be in loan forgiveness program because I am in one of those careers, but I won't allow the US Govt to forgive a fraudulent loan amount. My bill has gone from {$25000.00} to now {$57000.00}. And {$7000.00} has been added in the past year and I haven't even been fined with anything that they have told me about. This company is ridiculous. I need to know how to fight them. Please tell me. Again, there is no documentation first because anything before XXXX, has been lost due to unforseen reasons, and second I have not received anything from this company since XXXX XXXX.
10/28/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	MN 55423	Web
My student loans were taken out for XXXX school, and came into repayment in XX/XX/XXXX. The account was transferred to Great Lakes Education for servicing in XXXX. The monthly payment amount of the loan was {$290.00}, and according to what has been displayed on the Great Lakes website in my profile since the time of transfer is that my " Repayment Terms '' were that starting on XX/XX/XXXX, I was required to make 106 monthly payments of {$290.00}. Additionally, within my online account profile, the " Monthly Payment Timeline '' provided showed that making monthly payments of {$300.00}, my final payment would be in XX/XX/XXXX, which aligned with the terms noted above. Starting in XX/XX/XXXX, I decided to start making slightly higher payments to include an extra {$100.00} each month, which the intention of paying the loan down faster. Every month since XX/XX/XXXX, I have paid {$390.00}. Based on the information provided by Great Lakes on their website related to being " paid ahead, '' I estimated that this would allow me to pay the loan off earlier than XX/XX/XXXX, as early as XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX. After watching my loan balances over the past year, I started to become concerned that even with the amount I was paying in excess of my required payment, the balance did not seem like it would actually be paid in full earlier than XX/XX/XXXX, so last week I sent an email request to Great Lakes, asking that they look at my current balance, current payments and the information showing on my profile online to explain whether I would actually be paid in full earlier than XX/XX/XXXX. The initial response I received stated that if I continued to make the additional payments, I would be paid in full after 19 more payments, or in XX/XX/XXXX. The assumption appeared to be that XX/XX/XXXX was " early, '' when in fact that is the date that has been given by Great Lakes online to me since they started servicing my loan as the date by which I would be paid in full if I paid only regular monthly payments of {$290.00}. I attempted to email Great Lakes again, to ask that they specifically tell me whether the information displayed on their website was wrong, or if something had gone wrong in the application of past payments, because it did not make sense that I could pay extra each month, only to have the loan pay off exactly when it would otherwise have done if I did not make any additional principal payments. They apparently did not bother to look at my online profile, and just repeated that they had already addressed my questions. Today ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I called Great Lakes and spoke with a representative. She actually took the time to look at my account, along with the online information in my profile, and confirmed that what has been displayed to me in their online portal has been wrong since they took over servicing in XXXX. In other words, my " Repayment Terms '' are wrong. If had not decided on my own to start paying additional money in XX/XX/XXXX and only kept making the required payments, I would definitely not have been paid in full in XX/XX/XXXX, in spite of what they specifically stated on their website. While they admitted to the error and stated that they will make the adjustment to my profile, the representative also stated that this happens occasionally. This implies that the company knows about the potentially deceptive and misleading information provided to consumers repaying their student debt, but that they apparently do not feel that they need to proactively review or correct this for their customers. Obviously, this is very discouraging to me, as I have been planning my finances with the expectation of being done paying my student loan earlier than XX/XX/XXXX, but I am fortunate enough that I caught it in time to make adjustments. For a consumer who reaches what they thought was their last payment date to discover that they instead must keep paying for a year or more additionally, this is unacceptable. I do not anticipate that Great Lakes is going to provide any kind of relief to me personally, but I am filing this complaint to call attention to the fact that they are not providing accurate information to all of their customers about the actual terms of their repayment.
05/14/2017	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly Talked to a third-party about your debt	NC 288XX	Web
Student loan reference # XXXX Principal : XXXX Interest : XXXX Collection Fees : XXXX Total Due : XXXX Violations of consumer rights : 1 ) Inv asion of privacy by using social media accounts to identify persons and organizations connected to the debtor, an d 2 ) I ndependently contacting those persons and organizations, requesting private information about debtor and the organizations. XXXX ) Threatening to continue sending debt collection related communications to 3rd parties that are not employers or relevant collection targets. Statu te : 15 U.S. Code 1692b - Acquisition of location information. Statute : 15 U.S. Code 1692c - Communication in connection with debt collection. These XXXX behaviors are a direct threat to the debtors ability to professionally network and move towards viable employment. [ BEGIN COMPLAINT ] My student loan, serviced by " Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation '' is in default due to an inability to make regular payments, due to challenges related to homelessness and unemployment. On Monday, XXXX XXXX , the apparent collections agency, " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '', contacted at least XXXX organizations that I have been engaged with in the last 8 months. In their communications, they identified themselves as a law firm requesting employment verification. They asked each organization for information not related to me, such as EIN and information about the organization 's whereabout s. One of t he organizations is a nonprofit organization I volunteer for, the other a company that I have taken sporadic interim projects for as a contractor. Neither organization employed me. I have not been employed since XXXX XXXX , XXXX . I notified XXXX . XXXX XXXX XXXX that they were violating my privacy and my rights pursuant to the FDCPA. In response, I received a secure email from XXXX . XXXX asking if I would communicate with " XXXX XXXX or another representative ''. I replied the same day that I would be happy to speak with anyone other than XXXX XXXX , who is the collections agent that invaded my privacy to begin with by contacting organizations listed in my XXXX profile, and as long as I would not be inappropriately threatened. I received no response to my offer to communicate. Then on XXXX XXXX , XXXX , I received a letter from XXXX . XXXX stating that they would commence wage withholding from my " employer '', listing the company that most recently contracted me on an interim consulting project. On XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX issued a " Notice Prior To Wage Whithholding '' that lists, despite knowledge to the contrary, a company that does not employ me as my employer. The contents of this notice are standard and legally binding, however the persistence in communicating with a third party that is not my employer with a debt-related communication ( in this place a wage garnishment letter ) constitutes ongoing harassment and a 2nd communication, specifically violating rules associated with 3rd party communications as stated in 15 U.S. Code 1692c of the FDCPA. Furthermore the situation is aggravated by a failure on the part of XXXX . XXXX XXXX XXXX to respect the communicated issues related to this debt : 1 ) That I have been discharged from employment in the last 12 months 2 ) That I was legally homeless in the last 12 months and own no assets including vehicle 3 ) T hat I would be willing to make a smaller payment, but not sign into a legally binding payment agreement while unable to certify regular income 4 ) That I have been denied unemployment benefits by the State of North Carolina and have evidence of this denial Since XXXX of XXXX , when I was terminated by my last employer, I have been working odd jobs and contract work while seeking employment again. By using social media to identify organizations I have volunteered for and completed interim contract work for, and then repeatedly contacting those organizations knowing that neither is an employer, XXXX . XXXX XXXX XXXX has violated my rights as a citizen and I ask that they halt this activity immediately.
09/30/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	FL 33133	Web
I'm writing on behalf of my wife, as I've been helping her pay back her student loans and believe additional/one-time payments are being misapplied by the loan servicer, both for Federal and Private Loans. I believe it is similar to the issues previously dealt with regarding XXXX XXXX where it was making its own elections on how to apply payments, allocations, etc, and not informing borrowers they should decide payment allocation. First and foremost, Great Lakes opted to provide three different loan " groupings '' of the loans, one a " group '' of federal loans, the other two, I believe were groupings of private loans. These " groups '' are indiscriminate of which school the loans were related to, or to interest rate. When I initially began helping her pay her loans, she had auto-pay set up where she would pay the monthly minimum ( which I don't believe even covered the interest, but that's not the subject of this complaint ), and I would make an additional monthly payment on her behalf trying to attack higher interest loans. I AM aware that the first payment of the month on a loan is attributed first towards interest, and then if the interest is satisfied, towards any additional principal. I do not dispute this. BUT, because of Great Lakes random " grouping, '' it treats each " group '' of loans as a single loan, EVEN IF I DESIGNATE A PAYMENT TO GO TOWARDS ONE INDIVIDUAL LOAN. This results in misapplication of my specified payment, attributing the overpayment ( or additional payment, extra principal, however you want to title it ) as being squandered towards the interest of loans with lower interest rates. Additionally, as part of this complaint, in adding to the confusion, Great Lakes does not permit a borrower make a payment toward one loan, but allows a payment be made only to a group, with assigned percentages, requiring the buyer to either make individual payments assigned 100 % to the individual loan within the group, or requiring multiple percentages be calculated, obfuscating the system. An example : On XX/XX/2019, I made an additional payment of {$9800.00} attempting to pay off one of the loans with the highest interest. This amount was slightly more than the balance to make sure over the 2-3 days it took to process, it covered additional interest. I logged into the system, selected the loan " group, '' designated the payment should be applied with an " allotment '' of 100 % to sub-loan " XXXX, '' and despite the extra payment to cover the interest, the remaining balance on the loan was still $ XXXX. Why? I logged in and looked at the payment, and instead of breaking it down as specified, 100 % to loan " XXXX, '' it took the payment and applied it to all sub-loans in the group as follows : XXXX {$16.00} to interest XXXX {$13.00} to interest XXXX {$7800.00} to principal, XXXX to interest XXXX XXXX to interest XXXX XXXX to interest XXXX XXXX to interest XXXX XXXX to interest XXXX XXXX to interest XXXX XXXX to interest XXXX XXXX to interest The same happened with multiple other payments. I contacted Great Lakes to discuss this with them. They cited the MPNs and " Federal Law '' indicating that the first payment of a month goes towards interest for a loan. Again, I do not disagree that when a payment is made, it first goes towards interest on that loan, but when I log in and specify a payment specifically to one sub-loan, and Great Lakes treats the payment as a payment towards a group of loans, that is wholly improper. Great Lakes does not get to arbitrarily " group '' loans to syphon additional payments away from the higher interest loans and distribute it to their discretion. Doing so, and disregarding a borrower 's intention to pay toward an individual loan as opposed to a group of loans costs borrowers hundreds and thousands of dollars by not allowing them to fully attack their higher interest loans first. I had multiple follow ups with Great Lakes and they indicated they " could '' delineate the loans, but that would complicate my credit report. That is an unacceptable response, and an unacceptable reason to ignore the designations of the borrower paying back loans in good faith.
01/04/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IA 527XX	Web
I make monthly payments of {$370.00} to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, automatically set to deduct on the XX/XX/XXXX of each month. XX/XX/XXXX I had my monthly payment deducted from my bank account. On XX/XX/XXXX I made a phone call to Great Lakes to make and excess payment on my account. I asked the representative if I could make a payment to completely pay off my remaining three loans sitting at 6.550 % interest. She stated that this would be no problem and that my payment would be {$2800.00} to completely pay off the three separate loans at the interest rate of 6.550 % ( loan # XXXX, # XXXX, and # XXXX ). The excess payment of {$2800.00} was taken from my bank account on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I received an email from Great Lakes stating, " Your Excess Payment Preference Has Expired. '' Due to the holidays I was unable to contact Great Lakes until XX/XX/XXXX. I called Great Lakes customer service on XX/XX/XXXX to question what had happened with my excess payment. They stated that my excess payment of {$2800.00} had not been correctly applied to the three loans ( loan # XXXX, # XXXX, and # XXXX ), and had instead only payed off loan # XXXX completely and partially payed off loan # XXXX and # XXXX. As of XX/XX/XXXX loan # XXXX still had a balance on {$110.00}, and loan # XXXX still had a balance of {$190.00}. I questioned how this could be as I specifically stated which loans I had wanted my excess payment to be applied toward. She responded that part of the excess payment had in fact gone to loans that were not those that had been request and that she would correct the problem and I would be able to see this correction within the standard 2-3 business days. I received a phone call from Great Lakes XX/XX/XXXX to which they explained that the excess payment of {$2800.00} had to first pay off my scheduled monthly payment of {$370.00} before any excess could be used towards the loans of my choosing. This confused me as I had already paid my schedule monthly payment of {$370.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. They said that it was my XX/XX/XXXX payment that had been deducted before any excess payment could be applied. I then asked if I was still scheduled to pay my XX/XX/XXXX payment and they said that I would still be expected to pay {$370.00} as schedule on XX/XX/XXXX. This in my eyes did not add up. While discussing this on the phone I logged into my online account at Great Lakes to look at my loans myself. It was then that I noticed loan # XXXX now had a balance of {$0.00} when just the day before XX/XX/XXXX it had been XXXX ( confirmed by a Great Lakes representative on the phone call placed XX/XX/XXXX ). I then opened loan # XXXX and saw that the balance was now {$300.00} when just the day before XX/XX/XXXX it had been {$110.00}. This was very alarming to me and it had occurred to me that a representative of Great Lakes that I had spoken to XX/XX/XXXX moved {$190.00} from loan # XXXX to loan # XXXX thus putting the loan balance of # XXXX to {$300.00} ( not correcting the error at all, just moving money from one account to another ). I believe that this is fraud. I never once authorized money to be moved from one loan to another. This is alarming to me that Great Lakes would make such changes to loans that were taken out separately, signed for separately and should never be combined or moved without consent of the holder. When I stated my concerns to the account representative from Great Lakes she said she was unable to see if money had been moved from one account to another. She stated that she could only see the current balances of my accounts and unable to see what the balances had been just one day prior. She danced around my questions and tried to make it seem like I was the one who was not understanding the situation. I am concerned that if this is happening now, how many times has it happened without my knowledge? How many times has this happened to other students? I do not agree with any of the practices that have taken place on the part of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX over the passed 7 days and I would like this matter to be looked into immediately.
07/03/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't temporarily delay making payments	CA 95841	Web	Servicemember
On XX/XX/XXXX, I started contacting Great Lakes about putting my student loan in deferment. I can not make regular payments and I am in the process of combining 5 student loans into a consolidation status. The consolidation process is long and complicated. Great Lakes it seems did not put my student loan into deferment. So, in XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Great Lakes on their website and with the following letter : This letter is to clear up the confusion with the status of my student loan. Please put it in deferment and keep it there until further notice. This letter will also provide the reasons for the deferment. I have been on the Great Lakes website where I tried to apply for the deferment. The website asked way too many questions which I do not have time for. I have too many problems and not enough time to fill in the blanks on the Great Lakes website. Here are the issues I am dealing with which qualify me for the deferment : My wife and I have five ( 5 ) student loans which we are trying to consolidate. This has been complicated and very time consuming. We will not make any payments to any of them until the consolidation is complete. Due to my time at XXXX and barely having the financing to graduate, we have accumulated a great amount of debt that we are still trying to deal with even to this day. Right as I was graduating, my unemployment benefits dried up and I did not have an income for a while. Due to this, we accumulated a great amount of debt that we are still dealing with : An IRS bill An EDD bill Paying 2 speeding tickets to a collection agency. Cant driveno job and then no money Pawn shop ( 4 pieces of family jewelry ) Chapter XXXX bankruptcy payments High cell phone bill High electricity bill Rent increase just recently All this means is that we barely live paycheck to paycheck, our credit is shot and we have aging cars that need a lot of repairs and due to our chapter XXXX bankruptcy, we cant get new ones. Both of our cars are barely running well, both need brake work, both need major tune ups, both cars have registration that is due in XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, both cars need tires, both have cracked front windshields and both have high mileage that increases by the day. Both need major interior work which cant be done without money. If for any reason one of our cars decides to break downwe do not have any money or any means to fix it. No car, no job, no money and we could very well be homeless. We are also in the process of taking care of our daughter who has just XXXX XXXX XXXX. She is in school with no income and we have been paying her bills and taking care of her. Things will be better for her once she gets back to school and can get an income. It has been tough taking care of her and keeping all the bills paid. We just recently had to deal with a {$200.00} overdraft on our checking account. A couple had to be paid which overdrew out account. Once payday hit, the {$200.00} was taken care of. But for a couple of weeks, there was no money and times were really tough. What this all means is we do not have enough to pay even our regular bills, have gas in the cars and food on the table. We barely make it from paycheck to paycheck. This will be this for quite some time until debts are paid off and our incomes increase. Our chapter XXXX bankruptcy is in effect until XX/XX/XXXX so we are stuck with it and stuck because of it in so many ways. So, the reason for this notice is to fix the missing information on your website that is not asked for. I dont have time to collect all the paperwork and information required to fill in the blanks on your website in the deferment section. Please keep my status in deferment and wait for our consolidation company to contact Great Lakes with instructions of our consolidation of all our student loans. Lastly, please update your website to allow more than 975 characters in the contact section for comments. 975 characters is nowhere near enough to get any points across. As near as I can tell, Great Lakes still has not put my student loan into deferment.
06/04/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Incorrect information on your report Account status incorrect	TX 75093	Web
My U.S. Department of Education account ( acct # XXXX XXXX reports late payments in XXXX which I dispute and disagree with. The student loans were in deferment after I graduated as I was unable to find full-time work at the income level i was accustomed to before the recession in XXXX . This prompted me to go back to school and obtain an XXXX in the hopes it would make me more marketable and increase my earning potential, however the economy still had not fully recovered. In XXXX I with not other choice I filed for Chapter XXXX bankruptcy which alleviated a lot of debt and also enabled me to relocate to XXXX , TX for a new job and more income in XXXX . I moved XXXX XXXX to XXXX and then again in XXXX once I was settled in TX. During this time my student loans were in deferment as I was not financially able to make the full payments. However in the time period between XXXX and XXXX the deferment ended and payments started, however I had not received any documentation informing me of this. Typically In the past I was notified the deferment was coming to an end and I would refile it, however this time I did not. It was not until XXXX or XXXX of XXXX I was finally called by the loan servicer and informed my account was delinquent and approaching charge off status. I told them the account was in deferment and that should n't be an issue, the person on the phone then said I see that tried to put the account back into deferment status, however now the balance needed to be current to do so. I asked how this happened and I could not get an answer, low and behold they did n't have my new contact information on hand even though I had filed with the postal service and informed my creditors. I asked why they never called me to notify me I could not get an answer. I then asked if this was reporting on my credit and affecting my credit, again I got the run around and could not get a straight answer other than we do not know what the bureaus report. How is that possible you 're the ones telling them what to report. Still no answer from the operator on the phone. I asked for confirmation on the credit reporting since this would incorrectly and negatively affect my credit rating. Finally, I was informed that the late payments would be reported but it was still not a direct answer the operator just stated that they were collecting the debt but that the original creditor would report the lates and they were not responsible for that. Again, I need to ask how you are not responsible for the error, the account is still with the original creditor, it has never been sold or changed. I offered to pull money from my XXXX and pay the account in-full if they would provide me a letter stating the account was never late and it was an error on their part so I could have the credit report corrected. I was informed they could not do that. In the end I had to make payment arrangements now that the account was in repayment status and I could not defer any payments or work out a payment arrangement at all until the account was current. Over the next few months I made double and triple payments to bring the account current. By the end of this time my new employment was stable and income was more inline with previous years so I have set the account up on a monthly autopayment. I would however still like the late payments to be removed, since the creditor failed to properly inform me the account entered into repayment status and never sent statements, letters or phone calls for almost XXXX months. I find this troublesome and disheartening that my credit can be impacted for their error. This has caused me to be declined for loans, and credit since this happened. All I would like is for the creditor to either correct the payment history with the credit agencies ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) or just to send me a letter on their stating this was an error on their end and the account was never late and then I will send that to each agency to be updated and corrected.
06/01/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Problem lowering your monthly payments	FL 33614	Web
For reference, this complaint involves all of my federal loans serviced through Great Lakes, and my attempts to renew my Income Based Repayment Plan. This began back around XXXX of XXXX, when I first tried to do my annual IBR renewal. For some reason, they said my renewal application could n't be processed online, and I had to mail in my application, which I did. After that, I waited weeks for my paperwork to be processed, but continued to receive notices that I needed to provide said paperwork. As my first payment date post-IBR approached with no word on the renewal, I called them around the end of XXXX or beginning of XXXX. They said they had received my paperwork, but it was n't due to be processed until after the first post-IBR due date in early XXXX, and offered a 1-month forbearance so I would n't become delinquent ( I could n't afford a non-IBR payment ). I agreed to this. Fast-forward a few weeks, and I still had n't heard anything about my paperwork being processed, and was still receiving e-mails saying I needed to provide more paperwork. So I give them a call back in late XXXX, and they tell me that they HAVE processed my paperwork, and it had been determined I would have a lower monthly payment on Pay as You Earn than IBR, and I had marked that I wanted the lowest payment possible, but before they could switch me over I had to pay a {$5.00} fee. ( NB : I had NEVER received this information in any e-mail correspondence, it was completely news to me! ) I was running really tight on money till my next paycheck, so I said I would call back closer to my first due date in XXXX to switch onto that plan. So, I call back right around when the XXXX payment is due, and pay the {$5.00} fee to switch onto Pay as You Earn. However, they said it would n't be processed fast enough to lower my XXXX payment so it was back to an income-driven level, and suggested yet again I put in for a temporary forbearance. I agreed to this, again, and said I would forbear until starting repayments on the Pay as You Earn in XXXX. Which brings us up finally to now. I check my total due in XXXX last week, and four things seem to be very wrong still with my account : 1 ) My total monthly payment is {$250.00}, which is much higher than I expected. My understanding has been that Pay as You Earn is calculated as 10 % of your discretionary income. My AGI for XXXX was only XXXX, and working the same jobs as last year with a slight increase in hours over the year, I expect my AGI to be somewhere around XXXX for XXXX. So somehow my discretionary income, according to Great Lakes, is either higher than my AGI will be, or at the very least calculated to be my total income! And needless to say, my gross income is not discretionary in total. ( And to be clear : I sent in current pay stubs for both my jobs with my renewal application. ) 2 ) The {$5.00} fee they had me pay to switch programs is not noted in the online documentation I have as a fee in any way. Instead, it shows up as just a {$5.00} payment toward a Direct Stafford loan. This seems to be at odds with what was described over the phone. 3 ) I still have a link on their web site under the " Things To Do Now '' heading labelled " View the status of your income-driven repayment application '' with what appears to be some sort of alert symbol. When I click on this link, I still see a message that says " We 've encountered an error processing your income-driven repayment application. We 'll contact you regarding next steps. Please make sure your contact information is correct. '' This is the same message I have seen on the site throughout this entire process, and whenever I 've called about it, the representatives I 've spoken to all claim that there actually is n't an error with my account. And yet, here we are. 4 ) My loans, which are all supposed to be on the same PAYE plan, have different due dates. XXXX of them are due XXXX XXXX, and XXXX are due XXXX XXXX.
12/25/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	IA 50315	Web
For years - seven to be exact - I have tried to resolve this issue with this loan company. I never attended the school they charged me loan money for, as I unenrolled after the first class once I realized I could not pass the health requirements to be certified as a XXXX. I did everything I was supposed to do but was told I was responsible for the loan - even though I never received the education! I was constantly called and harassed. Then they started offering deferments and at first I took one because they said I HAD to and then I stopped completely after the phone calls and emails would leave me in tears about threats of garnishments and they even went as far as to threaten to take my tax refunds but yet they never did either and just kept deferring the loans and even recorded a payment that I didnt make to restart the clock on the loan! Its for less than {$2800.00} total but they have destroyed my credit with over 90 late payments before they finally decided to send it to a collection agency with all the inaccurate information included - 6 months before it was scheduled to fall off my credit report and now something that would of fallen off my credit in XX/XX/XXXX - is reset to another 7 years - and on my credit report until XX/XX/XXXX! This is very small loan amount that I am not even repsonsible for and it costs me thousands in higher interest rates and denial of credit and they are like robots who investigate nothing and always come back with the same story - even though I never attended the school! I know they have broken FCRA laws and the only one who suffers is me! Please obtain whatever documentation you can - as Ive never gotten anything other than a email full of deferments that I never authorized and an auto pay they claim I agreed to but didnt - I was forced to give up my bank account information when the rep threatened me with a garnishment and they used it to make two unauthorized payments instead - that were returned and cost me {$33.00} each! Yet, they recorded a payment - and, thru out all of this - they DONT care I never attended the school and they should be going after the school who accepted the payments and not me - I wasnt there! I have asked to have these deleted from my credit report and they continue to provide the credit reporting with fradualent information - cause as I was told - I owe them regardless of not receiving the education because I was signed up for school and even though I knew that information they have relayed to me was false but Ive been helpless to fight it. They flat out dont care how this affects my life and I just want the bad reporting removed - it should not be on my credit report but now they resold it - and, its all the harassment all over again! Why sell a old loan - over six years old - when its set to expire and I had one customer service lady tell me they should of sold it years ago but because they kept deferring it without my consent - the loan sat with them until now. I feel like the reps must get some credit or make money for deferrals because why would such a small loan keep making the rounds and not get sent to collections until now? I even got a response back and they said they dont know why the credit companies are reporting my loan as OK and paid and then over 120 days late the next month and then OK and then 120 late again. Even the credit bureaus are confided! I need your help please to finally get this resolved - as I wish to be a homeowner and I can not - not with a payment history that they made up!! They can not validate anything but yet wont fix anything and the credit agencies dont investigate either - they just accept the misinformation without providing any documentation either. This is ruining my credit and affecting my and my childrens lives! I am scared to even attend any higher education to better myself because of this single experience over {$2800.00}! I need help!
01/03/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	IL 60193	Web
The company, which bought my federal student loans, is imposing hidden prepayment penalties on my extra monthly payments meant to pay off my student loans early. It is my understanding that prepayment penalties are illegal under the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act. The prepayment penalty has two parts to it. The first is that the date I 'm allowed to make an extra payment is in effect limited solely to my actual monthly payment due date. Specifically, if I make a regular monthly payment and then make an extra payment after the due date of my regular monthly payment, the company does not count my extra payment as " excess, '' but counts it as my next monthly payment despite the fact that I already have an automatically scheduled monthly payment for the next month. This is important because if it does not count as an " excess '' payment, then I 'm not allowed to direct the entire excess amount to my largest loan with the biggest interest, but rather the company gets to distribute the payment among all the loans ( like the smaller ones with less interest ). By doing so, the company charges me more interest in the long-run because I am not allowed to put the entire amount of my excess payment toward my largest loan with the largest interest and therefore end up paying it off longer and paying the company more interest than I otherwise would have. I have never received any written notice as to this limitation and only found out after numerous calls to the company connected to the fact that my extra monthly payments were not directed to my biggest loans with the most interest, but distributed ( contrary to my directions ) through all my student loans. To this day, I 'm still unable to find the clause explaining that this is how my extra payments should be treated and the company has not provided me with anything in writing as to this rule regardless of my inquiries. Further, the company employees have advised me that the only thing I can do, not to incur the extra interest for prepayment this way, is to make my extra payments on the same date as my regular monthly payment. This brings me to the second part of the prepayment penalty. Specifically, several times a year, my payment date falls on a weekend or holiday which is a non-working banking day. This means that even when I schedule my extra payment with my regular monthly payment, it does not get processed as an extra payment, but as the regular payment for the next month as it is considered as paid on the next working business day ( PS my automatic monthly payment gets processed on the non-working banking day retroactively, so the regular monthly payment is processed just fine ). Due to this practice, this also means that the company gets an extra day or two of interest out of me, which I otherwise would not have paid. In other words, on months where my payment date falls on a weekend or holiday, I am not allowed to make any extra monthly payments on my loans, otherwise I end up paying more interest as a penalty. The company has given me no answer so to this issue and advised me to continue making my monthly payments with my regular monthly payment and on no other days so the extra interest " penalty '' does not materialize. Finally, I would like to clarify that my extra monthly payments tend to be significantly larger than my regular monthly payments. Therefore, when I have made them prior to or after my scheduled monthly payment, they are counted as a " regular '' monthly payment and the company distributes them in a way that makes it collect more interest from me, despite my instructions to the contrary. Then when my lesser regular monthly payment is made, they treat that as an " extra '' payment, which they default to be distributed equally among all loans and not fully toward the biggest one with the biggest interest, so I still end up paying more interest than I otherwise would have.
03/08/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	DC 200XX	Web
This is a complaint against the Great Lakes Company. Better Business Bureau had specifically recommended reaching out to you with these concerns. Through my correspondences with this organization, I have been verbally lied to and assured on three occasions that proved to be false, and been told false written statements by this company by a Senior Executive, which was provided to the Better Business Organization. It was only after I had to involve In House Counsel at Great Lakes that they subsequently changed their story regarding how they had misrepresented my claim to the Better Business Bureau. The Background : There are multiple instances of the Organization putting unreasonable barriers toward a consumer being able to pay their loans. Notably, the Organization has a policy wherein they do not provide the contact information of customer representatives, and consumers are told that representatives do " not have access to e-mail. '' This is not the industry standard. Other student provides allow for electronic communications. And, as I detail below, as this company makes false statements and false verbal assurances, this is a company that should absolutely be required to have electronic communication as an option for student consumers. The Specifics : On XX/XX/XXXX, Great Lakes e-mailed me that my income-driven repayment was received. A month later, I reached out in XX/XX/XXXX for a status update, and was told that my payment schedule would be " generated over the weekend '' and be provided the next Monday or Tuesday. I was assured I would be able to pay my first bill in XX/XX/XXXX. The following week, I called again to check on the status of my application and when the payment schedule would arrive. I was again told that it would be " generated over the weekend '' and received by " early next week. '' The payment schedule never arrived. I again called the next week for an update on my application, and was told by the first customer representative that the payment schedule would be generated " over the weekend. '' As this had been the third time over a period of three weeks that I was told this statement only to then never receive the document the subsequent week, I asked to speak with her supervisor, XXXX ( XXXX ). XXXX informed me that he needed to do " research on my account '' because he had " no idea '' why they were telling me that the payment schedules would be generated. In his opinion, all of the representatives would need to get " talked to. '' I 'm not sure why three representatives would have responded with the same misstatements, but there are significant concerns with the training of representatives if they are telling consumers something that is not reflected whatsoever on the account. In a review of my e-mails, I am in receipt of the same exact e-mail from Great Lakes on three occasions regarding the company receiving my application for income-based repayment. On XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX, I received the same e-mail from Great Lakes, stating " We received your income-driven repayment application. '' I 'm not sure what is causing this extreme disorganization, but clearly the Office was in receipt of these documents by XX/XX/XXXX, and for whatever reason, it has provided me the same e-mail over the next two months. Their False Statements Provided to Better Business Bureau : Consumers - especially vulnerable consumers such as students - are generally unsophisticated when it comes to reporting the conduct of Great Lakes. What makes this story so concerning is how Great Lakes responded when I submitted the complaint to the Better Business Bureau. The initial responses from Better Business yielded no positive resolution, so the Director of Customer Support, XXXX, became involved when it was escalated and when I had written to the President of the Company. XXXX responded to the Better Busin
08/26/2015	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	OH 45255	Web
I attended XXXX University from XX/XX/XXXX - XXXX and have been making nearly $ 600/m payments ever since I left the school to Great Lakes / XXXX XXXX. Great Lakes is servicing my private loans through XXXX XXXX. I have been unemployed for a few months, but have continued to make my payments until this month due to lack of funds. My payments are due on XX/XX/XXXX, and I called Great Lakes on XX/XX/XXXX to request a forbearance or deferment. They gave me the info to do so on my federal loans, but advised me that despite being proactive, I needed to wait until I was 1 day past due on my private loans before I would be eligible for a forbearance. I called back to Great Lakes on XX/XX/XXXX and was told that I met all the qualifications for forbearance and was given a number to XXXX XXXX to call to have it placed on my account as they were only the servicer. I was asked how long I would need, and when I advised it would probably be until XX/XX/XXXX for sure before I could resume payments, she told me that would be fine. When I called XXXX XXXX, and incredibly rude woman answered and told me that XXXX XXXX only offers a 2 month extension, and they are under no obligation to offer me anything else. The issue though was that they will only offer it to me if I am employed - they have no options for those that are unemployed and can not make payment. I was told to call Great Lakes back to figure out what the issue was. When I called back, a rep named XXXX answered and gave me the exact same information about the forbearance and that I should call XXXX XXXX back and ask to speak to a manager. When I called XXXX XXXX, I spoke to a rep named XXXX who said there was no manager available. XXXX though was very helpful and explained that Great Lakes had incorrectly told me to allow my payment to go past due, causing my account to go delinquent, and that I could have applied for an extension before missing the payment. We did a 3 way call with Great Lakes where the conversation included statements where XXXX XXXX had told Great Lakes numerous times that this was not one of their programs, yet their system has not been updated, and they 've received many calls like mine over the last few months. I was escalated to another rep at Great Lakes where again they began speaking of forbearance 's that do not actual exist. When I asked about late charges and reporting to my credit even though I had been given incorrect information, they said there was nothing they could do to stop it. XXXX from XXXX XXXX offered to submit a 2 month extension request, but advised I would probably be denied since I do not have a steady income. He still submitted the request, but made me give a 100 % guarantee that I would be able to resume payments after the 2 months, even though I am still unemployed and have no current income. I am in disbelief that Great Lakes and XXXX XXXX have a level of miscommunication that would cause GreatLakes to give advice to a student to allow their account to become to delinquent to apply for a program that does not actually exist, and then not offer anything to help resolve the situation. I also can not believe that XXXX XXXX has nothing available for people who are unemployed and can not make a payment. When it came down to it, my only options were to make the payment, or let it go into default and eventually to collections where I would be assessed late charges, and collections fees ( which usually average around XXXX % of the outstanding balance, which in my case would be an additional $ XXXX I would owe ). If those are my only options, it will be the last time I ever do business with XXXX XXXX. Again, I was told to let my account go delinquent, and now am being told that should never have been the case. I would like to have the correct information and all miscommunications resolved for future students in my same scenario.
01/10/2017	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan	Improper contact or sharing of info Talked to a third party about my debt	WI XXXXX	Web
I have been trying to qualify for a student loan rehabilitation program. I am being forced to do this through XXXX even though they NEVER sent the 30 day notice. I have found this out-of-state Texas corporation does not believe it needs to follow the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. I have, in the past, gotten multiple calls per day. It is not possible, most times, to get back to anyone. When directly asked, their representatives will not acknowledge the are subject to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They are rude, sarcastic, and hang up when I call even though they know that it is very difficult to get hold of anyone. I should never have had to work with XXXX in the first place and I mentioned this in a complaint filed yesterday. Today, I received XXXX calls, XXXX at XXXX XXXX and again at XXXX XXXX. The first call in the morning left an inappropriate message on a cell phone that is provided to me by an organization I do some volunteer work for and specifically identified the call as being from a debt collector. They do not have a right to harass me by leaving a message that says they are a debt collector on a phone that is not a personal phone ( and they would not have the right to leave that message on my personal phone either ). The phone message specifically says to call back and ask for " extension XXXX '' yet their phone system does not allow you to access extensions. I promplty called them back as soon as I could. At XXXX the " operator '' ( their system does not allow you to ask for an extension and this operator did not identify herself -- it was a woman ) would not allow me to talk to anyone about the Fair Debt Collections Act and what I know to be a violation. When I restated why I needed to talk to a supervisor because a phone message was left that is not in compliance with FDCP Act, this person said in an extremely sarcastic and rude tone of voice " OH REALLY! '' and then immediately hung up on me. When I called back at XXXX XXXX and expressed concerns that XXXX phone associates at XXXX were harassing me by ( 1 ). Leaving information to a third party about my debt ( 2 ). Being rude, insulting, sarcastic & hanging up on me and I was also not allowed to talk to anyone about unfair and illegal practices. I called back a third time at XXXX. This time, I did not engage the operator as I have learned Performant has no interest in being helpful and complying with FDCP. I directly asked for a supervisor and was transfered to a XXXX XXXX 's voice mail ( I did not hear the woma n't first name ). I left a message specifically saying that I believe XXXX is harassing me and is out of compliance with Federal Law. I left a phone number and am now waiting to hear back from them. But the point is this : 1. I did not contract for their services and, like many filing complaints here, XXXX never sent the mandated 30 day notice. 2. Despite this, I have tried to work with them to qualify for a student loan rehabilitation program. 3. None of the reps I have talked to have been able to consistently explain to me how this works, so I do not even know if the program they talk about exists. They refuse to provide me any information in writing about a program they are saying will resolve my student loan problem if I make a set number of regular payments. 4. It is virtually impossible to get hold of a collector to help you even though they give you extensions and imply this will connect you to someone that will help -- this is not true and XXXX know this. 5. The people I can get on the phone will not identify themselves by name and will not even acknowledge they are subject to FDCP Act. 6. Virtually all the people I do talk to are abusive, sarcastic, & unhelpful. They call me multiple times a day even after they leave messages on voicemail -- inappropriate messages that illegally disclose debt
08/02/2016	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	CO 80015	Web
Great Lakes Loan is serving a private student loan I took out with XXXX. There are XXXX separate loans identified by " token '' numbers. There is XXXX token that has a higher interest rate than the other XXXX ( # XXXX ). In an effort to pay off the loan with the highest interest rate faster, I have been making extra payments. On the Great Lakes website, it states that my extra payment will be allocated to the loan with the highest interest rate ( after deducting any late fees, and interest on the other loan tokens ). Additionally, my statements indicate I may contact Great Lakes and allocate payments a particular way. Contrary to their representations, AND MY SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS, Great Lakes is not applying my extra payments in this fashion. Please see my loan payment history for the last 12 months. I made extra payments in the months of XXXX 2016, XXXX 2016, XXXX 2016, and XXXX 2016. Only the XXXX and XXXX 2016 extra payments were allocated correctly - ie. being allocated to the loan with the highest interest rate. I attempted to pay off the loan with the highest interest rate ( Token XXXX ) on XXXX XXXX via phone. I was instructed to contact Great Lakes for payoff instructions. I had the payoff amount ready to go - {$1000.00}. I was informed by the representative that my payment would not be allocated to token XXXX because part of it would be used to make my " monthly payment ''. After informing the representative that I had already made my monthly {$250.00} payment on XXXX XXXX, the representative informed me that my " billing cycle '' had changed, and that because I was in a new billing cycle, my {$1000.00} payment would first be applied to my XXXX monthly payment. I complained and spoke with Account Manager XXXX. I do not have XXXX 's last name. She confirmed what the representative had stated. When I brought to her attention that my extra monthly payments in XXXX and XXXX were allocated in the way I described, she informed me that Great Lakes made a change to the billing cycle on XXXX XXXX, 2016. Note : I DID NOT AUTHORIZE A CHANGE TO THE BILLING CYCLE. Additionally, I was not notified of such a change - a point confirmed by XXXX. I subsequently made an online payment on XXXX XXXX for {$1000.00} to payoff XXXX # XXXX. It was not allocated to pay off the loan. By unilaterally changing the billing cycle to where my payment is now due at the " end '' of the billing cycle as opposed to the " beginning '' of the billing cycle, Great Lakes has instituted a scheme to receive excess interest payments. Rather than extra payments being applied to the loan with the highest interest rate, Great Lakes has effectively " inserted '' an extra monthly payment which the loans need to be allocated toward first - thereby reducing the amount of money being applied to the loan with the highest interest rate. This results in extra interest being paid by the borrower. Not only do I believe this scheme constitutes fraud, but I believe it violates the terms of my promissory note. As of this writing, Great Lakes has not provided me a copy of the promissory note, despite repeated attempts to do so. Please note, XXXX indicated that I would need to contact Great Lakes for the promissory note. It can not possibly be true that the loan servicer can unilaterally determine what my " billing cycle '' is and then arbitrarily change it on a whim - without notice to me, or a description of the ramifications. I work as a XXXX for the XXXX. When we uncover schemes to manipulate customers to pay more money, we assess HEAVY sanctions against the perpetrators. I believe this arbitrary change in the " billing cycle '' violates the terms in my promissory note, and constitutes a fraudulent scheme developed by Great Lakes Loan whereby borrowers pay extra interest rather than allocating extra loan payments in the most efficient way possible.
04/06/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't decrease my monthly payments	CO 802XX	Web	Older American
With the downturn in the economy, I was faced with some tough decisions ; to plod along and hope things got better or to go to school in pursuit of a degree. I chose the later but with that decision came the need to access student loans, which have only increased personal stress because I 've reached a juncture of needing to finish with an XXXX Degree and then go onto to acquiring a XXXX Degree. I can not even afford to finish with the credits needed for the XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX, I was forced to make another difficult decision and I filed for Chapter XXXX Bankruptcy. Now, I know that Congress repealed discharging of XXXX, but, it is wrong that this government is making huge profits in high-interest loans from students who simply wish to better their station in life. We are taxpayers and in essence, make it possible for the government to loan us money we 've paid into the system in the first place. This government spends trillions in support of other countries and many of those countries ( like XXXX ) provide free tuition for those who wish to continue their education after high school. It is morally wrong for a country that spends XXXX dollars in funding the XXXX Military XXXX, taxpayer subsidies to corporations who outsource American jobs, the bail-out of XXXX XXXX at the tune of XXXX dollars, which to date amounts to close to XXXX dollars ... .all, again, at the American taxpayers expense.This government 's solution for assisting student 's with their debt? Determining their yearly income ( mine before taxes was around XXXX ) and basing a pay-back plan on that income. The amount I was told I would need to pay was XXXX per month. That would relegate me to XXXX per year in payments on XXXX, alone. My rent debt amounts to approximately XXXX per year. So ... .you can see that right now, before taxes, that would bring the total for just these XXXX debts to XXXX over a years time. I have to ask if our government has simply lost all sense of reality ( it certainly appears to be the case ), in which case you should get out of your taxpayer paid salaried political seats and join the real world. I am thoroughly disgusted in this government that I 've always defended. No longer can I defend a government that appears to be about serving party interests and pandering to XXXX XXXX rather than serving the people ... .you know ... .the XXXX %! Now, considering the total of just those XXXX debts ... .and take those amounts out of pre-taxed income, not considering any other living expenses ; do you not consider your objectives absurd. If not, you should, because you will be judged on you have grossly betrayed the American people in lieu of serving the dictates of your corporate master ; XXXX XXXX. I am sure my post will not be considered cow-towing ... which I am pretty sure is expected. But as elected leaders, and all tens of thousands of bureaucracies taxpayers make possible, is n't the term 'serving the people ' a fallacy? Should n't the term be ; 'taxpayers serving their government ' a far more appropriate term? Repaying this debt is going to be a major hardship. I am no longer a spring chicken ( sorry for the cliche ) but I continue to work hard. It grieves me to think that we come into this world with a relative few years to adulthood and then the remainder is serving our government without any of the perks we taxpayers have earned. Our government is rewarded for doing what, exactly? Yes, I am angry. I 've tried the positive energy route, to no avail. Stop punishing students and start rewarding those who excel in college with high GPA 's. My own GPA started out at XXXX and I ended with a XXXX. We students who are mired in debt need realistic solutions instead of the same old, very predictable responses from our elected 'leaders '! I 'm running out of characters, but I 've said what I need to say. Thank you.
05/19/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	MI 48212	Web
Great Lakes servicer/guarantor of several student loans mailed me a letter that requires me to clarify something regarding previous CFPB complaints. Originally, I contacted the FTC when erroneous fraudulent information by XXXX XXXX XXXX was reported to XXXX credit reporting agencies over several years. The year XXXX was particularly alarming and detailed for 13 consecutive months. Because Great Lakes had a servicer " XXXX '' that was committing fraud on XXXX student loan that same year, the identity theft forms mailed by Great Lakes not applicable to my circumstances. I therefore need to explain that Great Lakes ' ability to help me get the servicer to do the right thing was to no avail because it was XXXX in XXXX that had the decision-making ability to cause the problem. As a result of an XXXX credit report I received today, dated XXXX XXXX XXXX, Confirmation # XXXX, the address in XXXX was provided to virtually prove it was the servicer XXXX there, using XXXX computer system furnished the fraudulent data to the XXXX agencies and also was in XXXX and XXXX in discussions with my U. S. Senator ( surrounding the Government Shutdown ) and the liaison for the Department of Education over the XXXX-serviced account for which Great Lakes was a guarantor. Therefore, Great Lakes was frauded by their own servicer on this single loan which at the end of XXXX, did not allow me to reapply for another IBR form ( or any form ) due to XXXX actions. So I disputed my student and the credit card in the aggregate as a chain of events that affected my entire credit report as a whole. I am not complaining about Great Lakes per se. They were very helpful in XXXX and XXXX. It was not until today, seeing the XXXX address as the reinvestigation contact for the credit card account that I can finally connect the entire matter to XXXX. I hope this helps Great Lakes do an internal investigation into how XXXX mishandled this loan and affected the other Great Lakes student loans that were caught up in XXXX actions. The many CFPB complaints and XXXX responses are in attachments for which XXXX is among them. XXXX continued to lie even in the written responses to both XXXX and to CFPB and me. So that presents a stark contrast to the truth which I can prove. As Great Lakes knows, I submitted my IBR form on time and was approved. I could not reaapply in XXXX and XXXX is why. XXXX is a problem for Great Lakes because the 57 % default rate on all IBR forms is a massive failure that some servicers used as an excuse to gain immediate access to IRS reporting. My loan was the " sacrificial lamb '' to create the 57 % default to warrant that access agenda. This is not my fault not Great Lakes fault. Nevertheless, the credit reporting of Great Lakes accounts appear on my credit reports. I must include the request tobremove negative reporting because XXXX caused this mess. So any accounts affiliated with XXXX are accounts affiliated with fraud by both the refusal to accept my IBR form but also the credit reporting they conduct as both " XXXX '' from XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX anonymously. The year XXXX ties the fraud to XXXX and it XXXX address. Naturally, all this for no good reason. Had XXXX done their job in XXXX, none of the subsequent fraud would have taken place. I detailed all this in many CFPB complaints. This is quite an unfortunate mess. So I hope this results in Great Lakes accessing the original handwritten IBR form as given to XXXX. When doing so, see Great Lakes own IBR form. Thise two and the one I mailed to XXXX are identical. Both Great Lakes and XXXX approved both IBR forms in XXXX. Only XXXX - corporation - posed as a government agency rather than a servicer to XXXX XXXX XXXX - and refused the IBR. Months of disputes ensued. After the Government Shutdown, I lost time, in which negative reporting happened.
05/04/2016	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Can't repay my loan Can't temporarily postpone payments	MD 20770	Web	Servicemember
This is about XXXX and Great LakesXXXX I have been making regular payments to both for the majority of the past XXXX10 years, excluding periods where I received a temporary deferment or forbearance after school or to continue my studies. I am moving out of state to start a XXXX and care for my aging parents. I needed a forbearance for 3 months until school started as I would not have any income to make payments after I moved and prior to my new program. I contacted my lender 2 months in advance and asked what was available. Even knowing I would not have a job BUT that my income would resume ( I have documentation attesting that I have a salaried position beginning when I start my XXXX in the XX/XX/2016 ), they informed me that I would have to pay or have my credit downgraded. I asked about partial payments, interest only payments, and any other programs. They pleasantly informed me that there was nothing they could do. I have worked XXXX for ten years, getting paid much less than my counterparts doing work that is intended to assist those who can not help themselves. Even still, my credit is near perfect ; I have not missed or been late on payments ; and if I have an issue I have always contacted them to adjust payment due dates, etc. I have been a good customer and want to pay what I owe. The fact that I can verify my future income and have an excellent payment and credit history has not made a difference. Additionally, a couple of years ago I joined the military and was XXXX XXXX for XXXX months. Prior to and during that time, I tried to work with the lender to have my payments reduced, postponed or suspended while I was away. Eleven months later I received notices from my lenders that I was approved. I had continued paying up until that time because I did not want problems with the lenders or my credit because I had not heard from them. So my SCRA benefits were effectively unavailable to me. Now when I asked to use the time I was approved for that I did not get to use because of their unexplained delays, I am told that it is too late and I should have used it then. How is that possible? I can not use what you do not make available to me. I am not going to incur irreparable harm because of their failures. This is unacceptable. Even when I am entitled to assistance, they refuse to assist me! Something must be done. I do n't deserve to have my credit ruined because I want to support my parents and have achieved a milestone ( gained admittance to a Ph.D. Program all expenses paid with a salary ). While my situation is nowhere near as dire as that of others, I do not want to fail to follow through on my commitments. The crazy thing is, if this was a mortgage or credit card there would be options available to me. These same companies offer those services and options to me as a customer with a different product, but as a student somehow my needs and responsibilities are different. If I was of a different mind, I would let it go and never bother to pay them, knowing I have a job and a house and a car and can get around having negative credit. These backward and aggressive financial practices does not do the economy or our current and future workforces any good. We never should have bailed out these companies, especially since, when we need bail outs, ones that we can guarantee we can pay back, they are unwilling to help. As a taxpayer, consumer, and productive citizen I should get at the very least what these businesses get. There is no justice, no equality, no protection for me. Instead, my good service is ignored, my timely payment history is of no consequence, but my tax dollars are necessary to support institutions that do not support me. I request action. These businesses should not be allowed to operate if their practices are harmfully aggressive towards consumers.
10/28/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	VT 058XX	Web
I am currently out of work due to a XXXX and am trying to find ways to manage my debt. I decided to consolidate my loans through Great Lakes to lower my interest rate and also get my loans into a federal program in hopes of one day taking advantage of the service loan repayment program. On XXXX XXXX I received my XXXX Consolidation Summary from Great Lakes. The summary states my new interest rate would be 6.5 %, this was a weighted interest rate from all XXXX of my loans, however my loans through XXXX were at a much lower rate. Therefore, I sent them an email inquiring about leaving out my XXXX loans because I was getting a 3.75 % interest rate with them. They responded saying they did n't see a loan with that interest rate. I later found out that it is listed as 4.75 % through XXXX and the 1 % decrease is an incentive that XXXX offers for paying on time three years in a row. When I learned of this I contacted Great Lakes on XXXX via phone and spoke with someone regarding this interest rate and if they would honor this reduced interest rate. I was told to have XXXX send them the information and they would look it over. I then specifically asked if I should cancel this consolidation application until we got this information figured out. I was told that we had enough time, until the XXXX of XXXX. I then said, " Okay, because if the reduced interest rate is not honored I plan on leaving my XXXX loans out of the consolidation ''. I contacted XXXX the same day XXXX and they said they would send them documentation of my 3.75 % interest rate. I received a letter from XXXX two days later with what I believed to be a copy of the letter they sent Great Lakes. I then received an email on XXXX at XXXX am stating my loans had been consolidated through Great Lakes. I looked to see if they had reduced my interest rate and they had not. I had never signed anything or been made aware that they were going through with my consolidation. I called XXXX XXXX at XXXX and spoke with a gentleman who told me there was nothing they could do at this point and that it was not their responsibility to get in touch with me. I was very emotional. Not only are my student loans a huge financial burden, but now they had become a much larger one and I felt like I was tricked into this. With XXXX I felt I could trust them and they had my best interest in mind, and so far my experience with Great Lakes I feel taken advantage of and there " was nothing they could do about it ''. From there I contacted a supervisor by the name of XXXX at Great Lakes at XXXX and was told they had never received anything from XXXX and that because I never said to go ahead and cancel the application that there was nothing they could do about it. I stated that I was told I had enough time for them to review the updated information from XXXX and provide me with a new loan summary or make me aware that they would not honor the lower interest rate. I believed that I would have another opportunity to look over my consolidation before they went ahead and finalized. Again, I never signed anything. I told her my next step was to contact the Attorney General 's office for the State of Vermont. She said she would contact her manager and see if there was anyway to cancel the consolidation and she would email me, but that she believed there was nothing they could do. I then contacted XXXX and was made aware that they had sent me the only letter instead of Great Lakes and they apologized for any misunderstanding and were very helpful. I then contacted the Attorney generals office who referred me to the Dept of Financial Regulations who has referred me to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. At this point I am extremely frustrated that this could happen and hope it can be resolved, a 3.75 % increase is nothing I would sign up for.
11/22/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	TX 76137	Web	Servicemember
On XXXX XXXX 2016 I was notified by my HR department that Great Lakes Student loans for 15 % of my income. I immediately called in and even when I called in the automated system said yet again I do not have any loans with Great Lakes I pushed the prompt to speak with a rep who said I did n't have loans with them after she placed me on hold she told me it was with a different department. I called the number she gave and asked XXXX why the automated system said I had no loans with your company. She said because I called the wrong phone number. She advised that a letter had been sent I advised I never got a letter and I thought my loans had been transferred to the department of education since when I called prior the system said I had no loans with your company. She then told me there was nothing she could do. I advised I 'm on a rehab plan with the Department of Education she then told me that has no bearing on the current situation I 've been asked her is there a way to stop the garnishment because I can not afford it she told me that I could send them a income review sheet of which I did however after I sent in the income review she then advise me that her supervisor wanted me to send in my child support order and medical expenses now when I wrote the letter I never said I have medical expenses what I did say was that I have medical issues that cause me to miss out on work which means that I do not get paid when I miss out on work however she again told me that I needed to send in my child support order I asked her are you assuming that I have tried to support or are you asking she said that we need the child support order I told her that child support is not a guarantee form of income and can stop at any time that has no bearing on my finances because it is not a guarantee also I asked her why is it that I have to provide detailed documentation about my medical issues if I 'm telling you that I have these medical issues then unless there 's a policy telling me that I need to send in documentation for my doctor I do n't understand why she was asking probing questions however she did. After I ask to speak to her supervisor the one that will be reviewing my request of the stopping of the garnishment she did tell me that she does not take calls and that she will make a notation that I did not want to provide the information that she asked for I then proceeded to tell her I did not say that and that what I did say was I do not have what she is asking for her to assume that I have child support of which is not a guaranteed income even if I do have an order that that should not be considered because I ca n't guarantee that every month I 'm going to get that money every month even in the hardship letter I let them know that I one point I was working XXXX jobs but due to health care issues that I have I could not continue to work both jobs so I quit my XXXX job my question is why is it okay for your company to to have a system that misleads Borrowers when they have accounts with you but your system tells them that they do not so you would have borroers assume that they do not have an account I did ask so when was the last time anyone attempted to call me at the phone number that I have on file which is active I asked when was the last time someone tried to call me XXXX advised XXXX was the last time she seen so I 'm trying to understand what policies and procedures you have because at this point those are deceptive practices to have an automated system that does n't give accurate information leaving me open to garnishment when I could have easily set up a payment plan or rehab plan the same way I did with the Department of Education I feel as if the department handling my account does not want to help me can not account for the questions that they are asking me.
01/29/2017	No	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	AK 99508	Web
I have US Dept. of Education Stafford and Consolidated loans being serviced by Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation ( " GL '' ) under the Income Based Repayment ( " IBR '' ) program. I am writing because I have suffered significant economic harm due to GL 's recertification-related loan servicing practices. On XX/XX/2016, I received an email from GL, subject " It 's Time to Renew Your Student Loan Repayment Plan ''. 34 CFR 685.221 ( e ) ( 3 ) requires that this notification provide the borrower with a date by which the recertification information must be received, and the consequences if that information is not received " within 10 days following the annual deadline specified in the notice, including... the effective date for the recalculated monthly payment amount.... ". The email notice I received did have a date : XX/XX/2016. However, the effective date for the recalculated payment specified in the regulation was not included. In addition, there was no mention of the required 10-day grace period. Due to these omissions, this notice was not compliant with federal requirements. 9 days later, on XX/XX/2016, I received an email from GL ( " Keep Your Payment Low : Renew Your IDR Plan. " ). It does not mention any deadline or the consequence of interest capitalization. I did not receive any further notices from GL. To this day, I am still not sure what the actual deadline for submitting my renewal request. The fact that this email did not mention a deadline, given that it was my final notice from GL, the deadline was apparently imminent, and the financial consequences severe, is deceptive and unfair. On XX/XX/2016, I visited GL 's website and begun the recertification process. I was referred to student loans.gov, and continued the recertification process promptly and as instructed. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX Alaska time, I received an email from GL with the stating " you 're no longer eligible for a reduced payment because we did not receive your paperwork '' and that interest would be capitalized if not paid by XX/XX/XXXX. Two minutes later, at XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from GL telling me that " We received your income-driven repayment application. '' Clearly, GL had received my application when it sent the email saying that it had not and was therefore capitalizing interest. On XX/XX/2016, GL charged my accounts a total of {$7500.00} in capitalized interest. I was subsequently forced into forbearance because my payment increased by nearly {$1000.00} per month. I requested to keep making my previous payment while my paperwork was processed, but this was refused. As a result, I am in jeopardy of losing a qualified payment for the PSLF program along with the other negative consequences of forbearance. These loan servicing practices by GL are unfair, deceptive, and not in compliance with federal statutes and regulations governing the applicable student loan program. As a result, of this inconsistent, obscured, non-compliant trickle of information from GL, I became confused about how much time I had to renew. In fact, I still do n't know what my hard renewal deadline was. I have spoken with several people from GL over the past week about this. None have contradicted or disputed the content of the aforementioned communications, or the fact that they were the only communications I received from GL regarding renewal. The last person I spoke with was an Account Supervisor at GL named XXXX. I requested that GL reverse the XX/XX/2016 interest capitalization charges to my accounts, and that I be able to pay my previous XXXX payment while my renewal was being processed. She said she would do some research. A couple of days later, XXXX left me a voicemail that stating that I could contact the FSA Ombudsman about my concerns.
04/05/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't get flexible payment options	NY 11727	Web	Older American
Please read the following response that I sent you in response to your initial email & then explain to me how you expect me to pay back the loan??? " Dear Government : Thank you for your kind email. I would have gladly paid back this loan earlier was it not for the following facts : 1 ) : The course taught or was supposed to teach me XXXX. When I completed the course a year later XXXX was being taught & being used which meant that my studies in XXXX was a waste of time, money & effort. Furthermore it meant that I would have to spend yet another year learning XXXX, & who is going to pay for that??? 2 ) : When I graduated from university in XXXX I learned very quickly that it mattered not so much what I studied but where I studied it. I live near XXXX ( XXXX ) major hospitals : 1 ) : XXXX XXXX Hospital ; 2 ) : XXXX XXXX Hospital XXXX XXXX ; 3 ) : XXXX XXXX Hospital ; 4 ) : XXXX XXXX Hospital ; 5 ) : XXXX XXXX XXXX Hospital. Not one of the aforementioned hospitals have ever heard of the XXXX XXXX, the institution that talked me into taking the course!!! 3 ) : Since I am currently XXXX with XXXX XXXX I have to see an endless stream of doctors. As a matter of fact they are about the ONLY people I see these days!!! I have noticed that when they draft a script or notes, the computer automatically assigns XXXX & XXXX codes which means that someone is n't sitting in the backroom assigning codes from reference books. 4 ) : I always thought that a placement service served to place their candidates in jobs. I discovered that The XXXX XXXX did not & does not provide such a service. Their idea of such a service was to simply list them as a reference. 5 ) : Upon graduation I learned that voice recognition was being used in coding meaning that the system would assign codes in accordance with vocal statements of diagnoses. 6 ) : I registered for the course in the expectation of finding suitable employment upon course completion. The XXXX XXXX told me that there was a great demand for coders & that finding suitable employment would not be a problem for me. I later discovered that every job listing answered REQUIRED a 2-3 experience. How am I going to get the experience when no one is going to hire me because I do not have the required experience??? 7 ) : I completed the course in XXXX. It is now XXXX. Five years later! I have not profited in any manner whatsoever from my studies nor do I expect to as I have forgotten everything that I studied given the passage of time. I wrote to the U S Justice Department about this matter as I strongly feel that I was sold a bad bill of goods meaning fraud which, unless I am mistaken, is a felony, but they could not be bothered. Instead they sent me information on where to find a place to live, information that in no way whatsoever addressed my problem. Currently I am living on XXXX & XXXX. You would be correct in assuming that I have a chip on my shoulder, but who would n't given what I have described above? Having had to declare Chapter XXXX bankruptcy last XXXX that was partially fueled by not finding a job in XXXX XXXX & XXXX my credit is already destroyed. I dont think that you can destroy my credit more than it has already been. The other part of the Chapter XXXX was caused by debts incurred from XXXX XXXX when my late wife was diagnosed & operated for what later became on Friday, XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX hours XXXX XXXX XXXX. I was unable to work during that time as I did what I thought every husband was supposed to do by remaining home to care for her given that she required XXXX three weeks of every month. A death certificate will be submitted upon request as proof. I am sorry if I am rambling & sound like a XXXX boar, but I just wanted to give you the entire picture of the reason. ''
11/05/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	CA 93280	Web
Great Lakes is a deceiving liar, the problem first started in early XXXX of this year ( XX/XX/2018 ). I receive an email from them stating that the subsidies on my loans had been removed because I had reached my 150 % limit on my program. This was factually incorrect as I have just begun the 5th year of my 4-year program, 150 % of the program would be 6 complete years. I called them multiple times only to be told that they received all their information from the MOST RECENT school I was attending, and that they could do nothing to change it unless the school updated the information to the NSLDS. I called my school financial aid department and they stated, they had changed nothing and that my subsidy limit reported to the NSLDS still had 1.9 years left. I checked if that was true by logging in, and indeed it was true it was being reported that I still had 1.9 years of active subsidy from my most recently attended school, XXXX XXXX University XXXX. After, repeatedly talking to the Customer Service line and them not being able to do anything, I decided to post a complaint on XXXX. A few hours later I was emailed saying that the subsidies would be reinstated. After checking, I noticed that only one subsidy had been reinstated, I called Great Lakes Customer Service and was told that they were working on reinstating the rest of the subsidies, and that it would take 3-5 days to complete. After not seeing any results I called once again and was told that they were waiting to confirm the data from NSLDS before they removed the subsidies, they then called back and said that the subsidies would not be put back into place because I had two year schools reporting that I was part of 2 year program that had reached the 150 % mark. Now, keep in mind the U.S. Department of Education states that loan subsidies must be determined from the LONGEST MOST RECENT PROGRAM. This was further proven by great lakes themselves who attached a sheet on the XXXX complaint that stated the same thing, therefore themselves admitting it. They then states that the subsidy was only put back into place on my most recent loan because it was part of the new program, but as you can see on the pictures attached of the NSLDS database it shows that all loans are from the same XXXX program and it even gives you the remaining subsidy eligibility period which is 1.9 years. My subsidy limits should be determined by the LONGEST MOST RECENT PROGRAM being reported to NSLDS regardless of the other enrollments, this is stated by the Department of Education and was given to me by Great Lakes also. They stated that all their information is derived from what is being reported to NSLDS, and as you can see in the attached picture NSLDS is showing I have 1.9 years of subsidies left. I have gone above and beyond every time Great Lakes has given me an excuse of why my subsidies were revoked, every single time we get over the problem they give me a different excuse. It seems as if Great Lakes is working directly against my rights as a Federal government student loan recipient. Now lets say that I was enrolled in a two year program prior to XXXX, which I was not enrolled in PRIOR to but concurrently as you can see on the NSLDS picture attached. The subsidy would still NOT be revoked if I transferred to a longer program, the new program would be used to determine the new 150 % threshold and you can see that from the diagram attached that is a direct screenshot of the great lakes website stating so. Therefore, regardless of the situation there is absolutely no possible scenario derived from the proof attached and given that my subsidies should have been revoked. I do not understand how Great Lakes as a government loan provider does not understand this.
07/10/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	OH 44708	Web
Re : Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX WI XXXX XXXX. ) What my complaint is about? I was charged an unfair late fee of {$2300.00} on XX/XX/XXXX due to the deceptive practices and the mishandling of my account which could have been prevented if Great Lakes would have responsibly contacted me by mail as I requested, and let me know my income driven repayment plan was up for renewal. I called customer service countless times and complained that I only wanted contacted by mail and they assured me they would, and I would start getting statements by mail and then around my renewal date of XX/XX/XXXX the statements stopped coming as if Great Lakes wanted me to miss the deadline for my renewal on purpose so my account would go into default. I WAS NEVER CONTACTED BY MAIL AT ALL THAT MY ACCOUNT WAS UP FOR RENEWAL NOR WAS I SENT AN APPLICATION BY MAIL BEFORE MY RENEWAL DATE, and they 're statements state they will mail you a renewal application before your annual renewal date and they never did. I was never sent any letter or application of any sort that my account was up for renewal. On XX/XX/XXXX XXXX, an Escalation Specialist called me and said that they 're software automatically defaults all accounts to email unless the Customer Service Representative activates the account properly, which was an error made by Great Lakes ' Customer Service Repetitive to my account resulting in me not being contacted by mail as I requested. I even updated my mailing address by phone in XX/XX/XXXX and told the Representative to be sure I only be contacted by mail. Is n't it wrong to mail me statements and then stop them right at my annual renewal date and never send a late notice or anything!! XX/XX/XXXX, only after my deadline Great Lakes sends me an email informing me my loan was in default, and I called Customer Service ( XXXX ) totally upset, and she promised to mail me an application and stop my account from being delinquent, told me I would receive the application within a week, and get it back to them immediately, and I did on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter telling me I owed {$2300.00} in late fees, and I called Customer Service immediately and XXXX told me " Disregard the letter that the fee was not going on my loan because they had received my application it just had not been approved yet. '' I called Customer Service on back on XX/XX/XXXX and the rep told me the fee was still on my account and she did n't know why, so I asked to speak to a Supervisor and she transferred me to XXXX, he told me he would pull the taped conversations I had with XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX and if she told me that Great Lakes would take the late fee off my account that he would remove it and he would call me back in 3-5 days. On XX/XX/XXXX I called Customer Service and they transferred me to XXXX and he said, " Yes, XXXX did tell me that, but he was not removing the fee and that was final. '' he hung up on me and I called Customer Service back told them what happened and they transferred me to XXXX, a supposed General Account Manager, he told me inconsistencies regarding my account, told me I authorized email, which I did not, and said the fee would remain and that my only recourse was to go online and file a complaint. I told him I wanted higher management to call me back and on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX, an Escalation Specialist called me and said that they 're Customer Service software unless done properly automatically defaults accounts to be contacted by email and that is what happened to my account, but did not offer to remove the late fee. I AM REQUESTING THAT CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU LOOK INTO THIS MATTTER AND FIND OUT WHAT LAWS WERE BROKEN AND WHAT RECOURSE I AHVE AS A CONSUMER. THANK YOU!
04/29/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	SC 29651	Web
I would like to make a formal complaint against XXXX XXXX due to the many false claims they make to unsuspecting students who were promised job assistance, the use of predatory loans, and unsubstantiated statistics they claim students benefit while attending and graduating from their school. I attended the school and believe they committed fraud of the highest nature and request a formal inquiry into the school as it is a for-profit institution with many campuses marketing false claims throughout the US. I implore you to help others from making the same mistake I have in attending a school that bolsters its attendance and graduation rates creating undue hardship. I was told prior to attending that there was a XXXX % job placement with assistance from career center, however, no one knew how to help me and claimed it was my own responsibility. The school also reports having real experienced professors from the field, but they instead forced the students to buy a program that played tutorials. This was never discussed prior to going to the school. I would never have gone to an institution that teaches through straight videos. I think those who have been wrongfully subjected to the predatory loans should be dismissed on the wrongful merits this for-profit school claimed in its aggressive marketing campaigns. The student in question has suffered greatly as he was marketed heavily based on the conversations and documentation the school provided of their successful ways they find potential permanent positions for graduates. In reality, the burden to pay back the loans is greatly beyond the marketing, financial responsibility, and systematic breakdown of the education system in order to turn a profit on unsuspecting students attempting to obtain higher education. At this time, I owe nearly XXXX XXXX dollars in student loans for an education I have never been able to use. I searched for two years and was never able to obtain even a temporary position. XXXX XXXX marketed the idea of bettering yourself with obtaining a higher education degree with ease and ability to switch professions with extensive assistance from their staff. If I knew these claims to be untrue I would never have enrolled there. In a very serious manner, I have suffered severe XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX and feel I have taken away the future of my family 's financial security and well being due to this school. Here is a list of marketing tools the school uses, but failed to follow through : The most direct path to your new career - they give directions specifically how to get financial aid without giving any indication of the total amount. Career placement assistance - I was never given any assistance and even told towards the end of my tenor that it was my responsibility. No hidden fees - they forced students to purchase a XXXX program to follow through out the program, which was only Microsoft compatible. If you had a MAC, you were forced to purchase the Microsoft Office at XXXX dollars. Personalized service centered on you - I never met with one person to help determine my future. Instructors with real-world experience - We met once a week and all instruction was through lab tutorials/simulator. A list of improper acts perpetrated by XXXX XXXX : Using general statistics of earnings of graduates ; The availability of advertised programs ; The employment assistance the school provides graduates expressing a XXXX % placement of graduates from the XXXX XXXX program ; The school 's role in its private loan program, stating the loan pays for itself as they help you find a position giving you the statistics on how much XXXX graduates earn ; The nature, character, and quality of educational programs ;
10/26/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	LA 706XX	Web
Back in XX/XX/XXXX, my student loans with the U.S. Department of Education was handed over to Great Lakes Lender in the amount of {$33000.00} and some change. I was never contacted regarding this decision or even asked if I wanted a different option for my loans. To date, I have never received any loan/lending papers/statements from Great Lakes informing me of what/how they are handling my loan. I began repaying my loan and after almost 4 years, my principle balance has gone up to {$37000.00} as of today. ( no matter how much I pay over the amount due every month ) Upon reaching out to Great Lakes numerous times via email and phone. I have learned that they always have a different reason to tell you for why your balance has not gone down. I have a fixed interest rate at 5.375 yet they can not tell me exactly how much money has been paid to interest from one day to the next. I called on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to XXXX, she told me that she can not tell me how much I paid in interest with my XXXX payment of {$200.00} even though she told me that my monthly interest is {$170.00} and some change. I was told in XX/XX/XXXX, that in order to apply an overage payments to the principle that I needed to " allocate '' the percentage of the overpayment to be applied to the principle. So, for my XXXX payment, I did just that. I payed {$200.00} and allocated the overage of {$30.00} to my principle. To my dismay, the only amount of money they put towards my principle was {$4.00}. When I asked XXXX why, she said because I had to meet the interest first. But, I did. All {$170.00} for the month. She could not explain to me why the interest suddenly became {$190.00} for XXXX ... I then talked to a manager by the name of XXXX that had to put me on hold numerous times to be able to give me a solid number for the amount of money that I needed to pay each month to meet my interest obligation so that I would know how much extra I needed to pay to hit the principle. Her final answer was {$180.00} per month as of XX/XX/XXXX because it changes everyday according to her!! And that even if pay more than that, the overage goes towards " paying ahead ''. AND, that IF I am to pay extra, I have to do it on the due date. Because if I pay at any other time ( even a day after the due date ), that payment will go towards the next payment due NO MATTER WHAT I TELL THEM IT IS FOR. I then requested to have monthly statements mailed to my home. I found out that they do not mail out statements to customers. ( if I request something about my account from a bank they should be required to hand this over to me to show what I've paid into this ). I also requested an amortization schedule for my account and was told that they do not do that either. I researched online on XXXX and noticed that Great Lakes is doing this same thing to so many people. I truly feel like they are scamming customers and stealing money by lying about the interest and then NOT allowing the customers to apply any over paid monies to the principle balances. With a daily interest accruing on the accounts, how is anyone every going to pay off an ever growing loan? This is something that needs to be reviewed and investigated. I will be continuing to push this and will not stop until this company has been outed for what they are doing to people ( ESPECIALLY PEOPLE THAT DID NOT CHOOSE TO HAVE THEM ). I am currently working on finding a lender that is not a crook and actually works like a legit banking/lending service provider that is transparent with their services. I have kept all of my emails to Great Lakes asking them for explanations and reasons for these issues as well as all of my requests for papers/statements on my account.
01/17/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	DE 19973	Web
I took out a student loan through Great Lakes to help fund my schooling a few semesters ago. I am still in school and did not expect my loans to start until after i graduated. I am presently looking to buy a home and when my credit was checked by a mortgage lender in XX/XX/XXXX he told me I had a XXXX credit which did not surprise me since I have never been late on a payment and I am also signed up with XXXX XXXX to allow me to keep up with my score. A couple months ago ( around XXXX XXXX I received an email from XXXX explaining to me that my credit score had drop drastically so I immediately looked to see what had happened and it showed that Great Lakes had reported that I was XXXX - 110 days late on my payment that had dragged my credit score down to a low XXXX score. I called Great Lakes and asked why they reported that I had not paid my payment when I had never received XXXX. They proceeded to tell me that they had started sending my bills around XX/XX/ and I had not paid them. I then asked them to read me off the information they had for me in their system. They had an incorrect email address ( XXXXXXXXXXXX instead of XXXXXXXXXXXX ) I had never had the email address in their files since it was incorrect by XXXX number. They also had an invalid home address ( even though they claimed to have only billed me by email address anyway XXXX. I never received a phone call letting me know my bill was late they just reported me so I asked them to re-assess my credit score and I paid what I owed them. About a month later I received another email telling me I was a couple days late on another XXXX of their payments so I called Great Lakes again and asked them why they also had me late on my XX/XX/XXXX bill and the woman on the phone told me that had, yet again, that Great Lakes had sent the XX/XX/XXXX bill to the incorrect email address even after I had called XXXX plus days prior to correct it in their system. While I was on the phone I asked the woman about the credit re-assessment as well and she told me it was denied. I asked her why and she said " I do n't know that 's just what it says ''. I then went through XXXX XXXX and filed a dispute against the company reporting that I never received a bill and that they had incorrect information on file. About a month later the dispute had been completed and it said that my credit score would not be changed. The reason said " company being disputed against disagreed. '' I called XXXX XXXX to ask why they did not find Great Lakes in fault for the late payment and the woman on the phone told me that Great Lakes had informed them that none of my story was correct so XXXX XXXX pretty much took their word for it and completed the investigation. I then told XXXX XXXX my entire side of the story and asked them to re open the investigation. XXXX - 20 days later I received a letter in the mail saying that again they were not taking the late payment off. I do not even think they re opened the dispute. I looked over the detailed paperwork and it showed Great Lakes had " OK '' for the bill that was not even billed to me, according to Great Lakes, at the time under XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX and then reported me XXXX days late in XX/XX/XXXX when they claimed they did not even bill me until XX/XX/XXXX and I reached out to them in early XX/XX/XXXX so it again shows Great Lakes ' mistakes since it was impossible for me to be XXXX late on their bill in XX/XX/XXXX. None of these companies have helped me in anyway with this situation so I was hoping the CFPB could. I have had a perfect credit score until now and I would really appreciate if you could resolve this.
04/05/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	VA 22079	Web	Servicemember
http : XXXX? XXXX & XXXX & XXXX & XXXX & XXXX Imagine if one notice from the federal government could cause you to question your major life decisions. More than half a million people may have found themselves in that situation after a new legal filing by the Education Department. Under a program known as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, some student loan borrowers were supposed to be able to have the balance of their student loans forgiven after ten years of both on-time payments and eligible work in the public sector. Meaning, a qualifying nonprofit, federal, local, state, or tribal government. The program started in 2007, so the first debt was set to be forgiven this coming fall. Last year a small group of borrowers learned that their eligibility for the program had revoked. These include four people, all attorneys, working for the XXXX, the XXXX, and XXXX. Student Loan Debt Has Nearly Tripled In The Last Decade NPR Ed A New Look At The Lasting Consequences Of Student Debt Nonprofits like these are not 501 ( c ) 3 charities or foundations, so it may be ambiguous whether they fall under the law 's definition of " public service ''. But the four argued in a lawsuit last XXXX, joined by the bar association itself, that their status should n't have been revoked, certainly not retroactively. They had followed all the necessary steps to qualify for forgiveness. They 'd enrolled in the correct repayment program and filled out an Employment Certification Form with XXXX, which acts on behalf of the Education Department. That form certifies that borrowers work for a qualifying organization or a federal, state, tribal or city agency. It 's suggested borrowers file an ECF every year. On XXXX, the department responded to the suit, saying, " XXXX XXXX 's response to the ECF does not reflect a final agency action on the borrower 's qualifications for PSLF. '' Meaning, in essence, all those years that borrowers submitted certification forms, the department was n't making any promises about forgiveness. Technically, the department is only responding to the narrow question about whether this small category of organizations is considered public service or not. However, " The retroactive aspect of this filing reasonably causes people to be nervous, '' says XXXX, a senior fellow at the XXXX and a former Deputy Undersecretary of Education under Obama, where he was responsible for overseeing the program during its early years. Nervous is right. More than half a million borrowers have signed up for the program. So we put the word out to find out how they were feeling. We heard " frightened, '' " anxious, '' " uncertainty, '' " regret, '' " betrayed. '' XXXX, who works for a nonprofit providing legal services to the elderly in XXXX, Idaho, has about {$80000.00} in debt. Like many borrowers, she told us, " A lot of my life-planning decisions were made factoring the loan forgiveness into the equation. '' She says she turned down higher-paying jobs in the private sector, for example. " I would feel very betrayed, for both myself and my XXXX sons, if this program is taken away, '' she says. " I would likely end up paying on my loans until I was in my XXXX and would have no ability to save for retirement or to help pay for my children 's college. '' XXXX is a parole officer in Texas with about {$30000.00} in loans. " It 's horrible, '' he writes, " because I was really depending on that to move on with my life and I do n't know what I 'm going to do. '' Not only have many people made financial and career decisions based on the program, some told us they avoided gettin
11/10/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	AL 35020	Web
In XX/XX/XXXX, my loan was transferred to XXXX XXXX as part of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. When my loan was transferred, I was sent a letter indicating that qualifying payments from XX/XX/XXXX to the present would be applied to my account. Between XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, I made numerous calls asking when this would be updated. Each time I contacted the servicer, I was informed that my account was still under review. A few weeks ago, I sent an email to the vendor showing them the exact dates that my consolidation loan was paid and asked that they apply these payments as agreed to my account. Recently I was informed by the vendor that the payments could not be applied because my account was allegedly in forbearance from XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX. I immediately disagreed with this information and asked XXXX to contact the servicer on three way so that we can discuss this together and possibly provide a resolution. The vendor refused to do this and told me that it was my responsibility to have Great Lakes to update the information and provide updated status. I then called Great Lakes and thought I had this information resolved as agreed. The representative I spoke with told me that she would send me an updated status history that reflected that my consolidation loan was not in forbearance during this time. However, when I received the document, it read the contrary. I called Great Lakes again, spending hours on the phone and a representative asked me to send an email to the company and request a review. Instead of comparing my payment history and billing invoicing, the company sent me a messaging indicating that the information was accurate and no change would be made. I then called back and spoke with another representative who then explained that since I waited for a year to contact the servicer, that they would not make any corrections to my account. I made numerous attempts to explain to the vendor that I had no knowledge that the error was made until XX/XX/XXXX. I also explained to the vendor that they if my account was indeed in forbearance, than I should not have received invoices stating that I had payments due. My payment history reflects that I made regular payments as agreed. After making three years of qualifying payments, to find out that my consolidation loan was placed in forbearance without my knowledge or permission is very disheartening. I encourage all student loan holder to review your account yearly to ensure information is accurate. I asked Great Lakes to provide the recorded conversation or evidence that I made the request and nothing has been provided. For clarity, I have two loans that were serviced by Great Lakes. I placed my Stafford loan into forbearance, but I was very clear that I did NOT want my consolidation loan placed in forbearance and I continued making payments as agreed. I believe the vendor placed both loans in forbearance without telling me. The vendor indicated they mailed me a letter, but I explained to them that I was in the process of moving so I may have missed the correspondence. I further explained to them that they emailed me everything else, but I had no record in my email where such a correspondence was sent to me. I am asking that this information is researched thoroughly and either an update to my account is made or written proof is provided indicating the date and time that I called to request the forbearance on my consolidation loan, including the telephone number called from. I will be able to pull my telephone records with my cellphone provider to match this information.
04/12/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	IL 60462	Web
I am an XXXX and graduated from XXXX school in XX/XX/XXXX. That is paid for. I went back to school and completed my XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, and my XXXX in XXXX/XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. A year after graduation the alumni from my school had a meeting because there were no jobs, or extremely low paying ones, and way too high student loan debt. There was so much XXXX among all of us as this was not anticipated. Shortly after I graduated I tried a couple positions in XXXX. I found that I could not afford to have such low pay with such high debt. I gave up on the idea of working in XXXX ( what I went back to school to do ), and went back to working in XXXX. My loans have been consolidated, and transferred repeatedly to different loan servicers : XXXX XXXX, Great Lakes and XXXX XXXX among them. I owe 10 's of thousands more now than I did when I started paying on them ( I owe over {$150.00} ). I'm in the IDR program right now since about XX/XX/XXXX, and my current servicer is Great Lakes.I had inquired numerous times ( since XX/XX/XXXX ) to the loan companies, and was lead to believe that the PSLF program hadnt begun yet, or the person I was speaking to didnt know about it. I found out ( around XX/XX/XXXX) that the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program began in XX/XX/XXXX. Just prior to XX/XX/XXXX, I had cut my hours down from full time, at a XXXX position I worked, at a XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX . That is when I got into the IBR program with the goal of getting into the PSLF program. If I had been properly directed into the PSLF program, I could have applied for it in XX/XX/XXXX. I would have been eligible. I would have kept that my full time XXXX position ( or at least would have kept a position ) at the XXXX as well. My loans would be ( or should be ) paid by now. I needed a desk position because of XXXX problems, and geared myself toward one when I was seeking a new position. I never found one outside of that institution that was a full time XXXX position that would have qualified me for the PSLF program. Whenever my loans were transferred and I would call whatever loan servicer to make an inquiry about anything, it was as if my payment history was not accessible to them. No one was ever on the same page, I'd get a different response from every person I spoke to. I gave up a long time ago on trying to keep track of my payment history.I never got any information about applying to the PSLF program till I could have been 5 years into the program already, at that time ( in XX/XX/XXXX ). When it was time to reapply for the IDR plan in XX/XX/XXXX, I was asked if I wanted to be in the plan where the government pays half of the interest each month. Of course I said yes. Only when I went to reapply in XX/XX/XXXX did I find out, that as a result of accepting that program which is in the IDR plan, I was started over, and would be repaying for 24 more years. I spoke to a supervisor when I found out. I dont know his name. I filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General 's office stating that I would like my student loans forgiven. As if Id have been in the PSLF program since XX/XX/XXXX. Which I should have been. I received a response from Great Lakes with information about the PSLF program. It did not even address my complaint that I was repeatedly misdirected away from applying for it beginning in XX/XX/XXXX. Today I contacted XXXX XXXX Citizens Advocate who provided the contact info for Senator XXXX XXXX office. I called Senator XXXX XXXX office and filed a complaint against Great Lakes. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
05/14/2017	Yes	Debt collection Private student loan debt	Communication tactics Frequent or repeated calls	IL 61201	Web
I was contacted twice by Great Lakes Student L oans in XXXX XXXX XXXX . I can not remember the dates and times, but have contacted my company 's phone provider to provide these to me, along with the duration of the calls. I was told I would have this information soon, but have yet to receive it. On these events, I was asked to be identified by the caller, and they requested my social security number. On one phone call, I did provide my personal information, even though I told the woman on the phone that I do not provide personal information to non-solicited calls. I calmly and politely asked for her business 's mailing address. She refused to provide that information. I asked her repeatedly in a calm, patient manner, " what is the mailing address for your company? '' She instead began to berate me by telling me that I owed money to her company and she insinuated that she would deface me by contacting the references I provided on the loan. She refused to provide me her mailing address. After several minutes of her asking questions, and my insistence, she started to state her employer 's address. Then, as I was struggling to grab a writing utensil and piece of paper, she mistook the noise of the headset on my landline telephone to be noise or interference. This was a landline phone, of which there is extremely little noise or interference. At that point, she told me that she would no longer provide the address and promptly hung up the phone. She told me that if I would not take her seriously, she would hang up. I did not use profanity or attempt to upset the woman that called me. I simply asked for the mailing address. She refused to provide it. It is my understanding that any debt collector who is attempting to contact a customer by phone is required to provide a mailing address, if requested. I requested the mailing address, and the woman on the phone did not provide it. In fact, she took every possible measure in her power to not disclose it. She first evaded the request and also suggested to humiliate me and expose my financial issues to my references. Then she begrudgingly attempted to provide the information and found an excuse to end the conversation before providing it by telling my that the connection was not strong and took that excuse to end the conversation. On a another phone call from the same company, I answered the call, the woman greeted me and asked for personal information. I told her I could not provide my social security number or date of birth over the phone from unsolicited calls. I asked her for a call back number and she obliged. When I called the number and provided the extension she provided, I was connected and she asked for my name, and I provided it. She then asked for my personal information and then I asked her if I could record our conversation. She told me that she did not know if that would be allowed. I asked her if our conversation was already being recorded by her company. She informed me that it was. I asked her if those recordings were public record or could be requested, if asked. She told me she did not know if they could be requested and then put me on hold to speak with he r manager. Once we reconnected, she asked me to " have a nice day, sir '' and hung up the phone. I have made two attempts for information on the debt that I owe and still have no mailing address to send letters requesting more information. I ha ve attempted to record these conversations and was denied. I do not understand what I have done wrong. What should be my next step?
06/18/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	CA 93940	Web
As a XXXX I am allowed six months grace period when I am not enrolled in school. XX/XX/XXXX I withdrew from all my classes, and the grace period began XXXX XXXX. Then I began school again the spring semester XXXX XXXX at XXXX different XXXX colleges. Together the XXXX schools equaled XXXX units. As long as I am in XXXX units my grace period is not effected. I had XXXX units from XXXX school and XXXX from another That is XXXX units. XX/XX/XXXX I got a notice on my email stating that I need to start repayments. I called my loan servicer Grate Lakes and discussed this with them. The employee at Greak Lakes had me mail in XXXX documents, XXXX from each school. The documents were verification of enrollment. The employee also initiated an in school deferment. Then I checked my account at mygreatlakes.com and my account no longer said that I had any payments. So everything was okay. Then later on XX/XX/XXXX I got another email saying I have start paying back my loans. I called them again and they looked up that I had sent in the XXXX documents showing I was enrolled in XXXX units. So the employee at great lakes fixed it again and told me the computer system was not recognizing that I was at XXXX school and that they had to manually input my enrollment. So then the problem was fixed again and my account at mygreatlakes no longer stated that I had to start repayment. Then after the semester ended I got another email saying I need to repay. This is the third time. This time I called them and the employee said that they only had one of the documents I sent in, and that I can not get my grace period back and that my only option is to fill out a forbearance or summer bridged. I feel like this is improper action on their part because the first and second time I had this problem the employees said they received my documents, both of them. Then this last time they said they only had XXXX. Which is impossible because I mailed them both together in the same envelope, and if they had one then they had to have the other. And It was in their computer system the first two times and now its not. And they are saying I ca n't get my grace period back. I know I used up most of my grace period at the end of the fall semester when I withdrew but I should have a month and a couple of days left over. There was nothing I could do on my part to stop this. I did everything I could. I contacted them and called them and mailed in all the documents. I am entitled to my grace period. I did not make any mistake. And they need to do a better job of evaluating documents and filing their documents. In my opinion it is their fault because they cant even put two and two together and realize I am going to XXXX school. They are obviously not capable of properly delivering loan service. I feel like they are doing this on purpose so they can make me start payments. They should be required to keep all the documents they recive or then they should n't be able to have that many accounts. I asked them and they said they probably destroy all the documents and only have what is on their computer system. Someone need to validate everything they receive. They should have to sign a form just like everyone has to do when they get a package from XXXX. I should n't have to do what every they say. It is if they are making up their own policy and I have to follow it. I knew they were going to do this the second time it happened they delayed time until I was out of school then trying to say I am not in school. It is the end of the semester now and no one is in school.
08/09/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Need information about my balance/terms	AZ 85283	Web
XXXX/XXXX/16 Attorneys submitted a request to verify my student loan accounts with Great Lakes ( GL ). XXXX/XXXX/16 Attorneys called & XXXX confirmed the request was received & that GL needed 5 business days to apply the limited poa. XXXX/XXXX/16 Attorneys called to confirm the power of attorney ( poa ) had been received, GL needed the Poa to be submitted along with an " Agent Certification '' form ( ACF ), & Attorneys submitted the limited poa with the ACF the same day. XXXX/XXXX/16 Attorneys called & XXXX confirmed the poa & ACF was received & that GL needed 5-7 business days to apply the limited poa & ACF ( although it had already been 5 business days since sent on XXXX/XXXX/16 ). XXXX/XXXX/16 Attorneys called to confirm the poa had been processed & was told by XXXX, yes the poa & the ACF had been approved & they had sent their request to me ( I did not receive any documents from GL ) as my address was the XXXX on file. Attorneys requested the documents be sent again to their office & it was confirmed they need to do research before they could provide the documents to Attorneys ( even though they already stated they approved the poa & ACF. ) XXXX/XXXX/16 Attorneys called again & XXXX stated they were still reviewing the poa & ACF & conducting an investigation from the request on XXXX/XXXX/16, they stated they needed 2-4 weeks to finish the investigation. XXXX/XXXX/16, Attorneys called again to confirm the investigation had been completed & they could now get the documents requested to verify the account, GL stated that I needed to complete an " Information Consent Release '' form ( ICRF ) ( Attorneys sent this document to me & I returned it to them ). Attorneys received the ICRFon XXXX/XXXX/16 & submitted it to GL, along with the limited poa & ACF. XXXX/XXXX/16 Attorneys followed up with GL, in accordance, GL would take 3-4 weeks to process, they were told the poa needed to be notarized in order to be valid. When Attorneys, explained this is limited poa & also confirmed receipt of the " Information Consent Release '', GL again refused to send the information to Attorneys. They stated because the poa was not notarized they could n't send the information to Attorneys but only to the address on file, when Attorneys attempted to confirm the address on file, they stated they could n't disclose that information to Attorneys because they did n't have authorization to do so. Although, GL stated they were going to send documentation to the address on file, there is no guarantee that either Attorneys or I will receive the information as they would not confirm the address in their file & refused to even let Attorneys say my address in order for them to state yes or no. It is absolutely ridiculous that GL refuses to talk with my Attorneys & provide documentation to them, when they have put every effort into getting GL the forms & information they have requested. It has been months & we are only looking to get information about the accounts, because it has been years since I paid them & I no longer have the records. We need to know the balance on the account, as well as receive the signed contracts. It seems unbelievable to me that it has been such a hassle to confirm the information appearing on my credit report & that any student loan company would n't know that if an attorney is involved, not to just send the documentation to an Attorney 's office, especially since I have signed 2 different releases ( limited poa & GL " Information Consent Release '' ) clearly I want them to communicate with Attorneys.
07/08/2017	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	FL 33703	Web
I have refinanced Federal student loans which were being serviced by XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NY XXXX ). The loan was three tiered. My current monthly payments under the second tier were {$310.00}. I received a letter from XXXX post marked XX/XX/XXXX informing me that my loan was being transferred to a new servicer Great Lakes ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, WI XXXX ) effective XX/XX/XXXX. I made my last payment to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I called XXXX the following week to request a copy of my loan file ( including payment history, a copy of the promissory note and loan terms ) and was told that they would not comply with this request. I received welcome letter from Great Lakes on or about XX/XX/XXXX that was dated XX/XX/XXXX. This letter provided a loan balance and stated that I would receive a billing statement with account details before my first bill was due to them. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a billing statement from Great Lakes in the form of an email to an address that I had never provided to Great Lakes or agreed to use for purpose of receiving bills from XXXX or Great Lakes. XXXX had my email address on file but provided me paper billing statements per our agreement. The Great Lakes email-billing statement said that {$51.00} was due on or before XX/XX/XXXX and that payment could be made through mail, telephone, or online. The telephone and online payment method suggestions in the email contained embedded links rather than an actual site address or phone number. On Saturday XX/XX/XXXX at approximately XXXX, I returned to the Great Lakes email and clicked on the pay by phone link contained therein. It took me to a webpage informing me that no operators were available to take my call on this payment due date. I then clicked on the pay online link, which took me to a webpage that forced me to agree to terms and conditions with which I DO NOT AGREE ( including receiving all future billing statement by email ). I obviously had no choice but to click an agreement box in order to timely pay my bill. Additionally, I was required to make a payment of {$360.00}, rather than {$51.00}. This is an amount higher than the {$310.00} that I was obligated to pay to XXXX or the Great Lakes billing statement amount of {$51.00}. No rationale was provided on the webpage for the discrepancy in payment amount. Lastly, the site would only allow me to post my payment on XX/XX/XXXX and not the correct current date of XX/XX/XXXX. This site simply forces the user to adopt their posture by limiting other options on the payment webpage. I have collected all of the documents to support this complaint, as well as a video of my interaction with the Great Lakes website. I can provide these exhibits by USPS upon CFPB 's request. Unfortunately, I am unable to scan the items to add as attachments to this complaint. My concerns are four fold : ( 1 ) I do not agree to accept notices from Great Lakes by Email ; ( 2 ) My payment should be effectively dated XX/XX/XXXX so that no additional interest or penalties apply ; ( 3 ) I want copies of my full loan history, the loan terms, and promissory note ; and ( 4 ) I want a statement of the corrected billing amount and the return of any overpaid principal and interest. It should be noted that the above described scenario violates p provisions of the FDPA and Florida Statutes Chapter 559. Please feel free to contact me by phone ( This offer is to the CFPB and not Great Lakes ) for any additional information.
10/28/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	MD 217XX	Web
I have a federal Stafford student loan srevised by Great Lakes. I have the loan set up on auto pay and I have never missed a payment or been late for a payment. The online dashboard for my account shows me the amount I pay every month, how much I have left to pay ( principle and interest ) and my when I will be done paying off my loan. I have not changed payment plans or done anything that would change the last date of my payment. The site has consistently listed my last payment as XX/XX/2019, less than three years from now. I recently actually tually looked at the numbers on my remaining loan, the amount I pay every month and the last scheduled payment according to XXXX XXXX and something was off. Based on my calculations, I would still owe money on my loan after XX/XX/2019 So I called Great Lakes to get clarification. I talked to a customer service rep and he initially was very dismissive of my concern and assured me the last scheduled payment date was correct ( XX/XX/2019 ). I insisted that he listen to the breakdown of my math, at which point he put me on hold ( twice ). He came back on the line and confirmed it seemed wrong and that he would have to make a report and it would take time to get clarity. I asked when my last payment would actually be a difficult he said : " I do n't know. '' I explained that I had relied on the information they had given me as my loan servicing company to budget for major life decisions, that I had actually thought it would be possible to speed up paying off the loan when I thought that it had less than three years left on it. I got married this summer, and we are trying to plan our financial future including when to buy a house and when we can start a family. We had made calculations and goals and time lines for all of those things based on the false information Great Lakes had given me about when I would be done paying my loan. He basically said he did n't know what to tell me. I asked if Great Lakes would honor my last payment being on XX/XX/XXXX since it was their fault they had given me false information and he said no I 'd have to pay the loan even if they gave me wrong information upon which I relied to make material financial decisions. I asked to talk to a supervisor. The supervisor I talked to also seemed annoyed and dismissive. She said she did not know whether the last several scheduled payment date was correct and that it would take at least three to five business days to know. I asked how such a big mistake could happen, she said she did n't know know and that it was just a mistake. I asked whether mistakes like this were happening on a systemic level and expressed concern for others, even more financially vulnerable than myself, that relied on information like when they would be done paying their loan to plan out their financial lives only to learn they were planning in vein because they would have to pay the loan for years longer than what they had planned for. I am a responsible borrower and I have upheld my end with paying back my loan. How can a business whose job it is to service loans provide false information upon which borrowers rely and have no Consequences? Is this even legal? I think Great Lakes should be liable for any money still owed after what they told me was my last payment date. How can they get away with giving consumers false information upon which they relied to make financial and life Decisions? Where is the recourse?
12/11/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	MO 63026	Web
My husband 's student loan was sold to Great Lakes in XX/XX/XXXX. They stopped sending us paper bills and when we missed a payment, would then send us threatening notifications of our negligence. Once I received a paper bill ( after 2 requests for one ), I promptly paid it. A few days later, I received a threatening letter in the mail stating due to my negligence, my credit could potentially be harmed as I had not paid my bill. I promptly called on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke with XXXX who said my payment was processed, then returned. He was not able to tell me why the payment was accepted, processed, then rejected. He suspected the address of the payee was changed ( unknown to me ) recently and this may be causing the issue. XXXX said he would look into this further and would get back with me within 3-5 business days. 2 weeks later, I had not heard from him so I called Great Lakes again. This time ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I spoke with a supervisor named XXXX. By this time I had received another bill, adding a {$9.00} late fee to my balance due. XXXX claimed that due to my error or my bank 's error, the payment was sent to an address in XXXX ( which she claimed was the DOE ). Here, she said the DOE attempted to figure out which loan vendor I was trying to pay but could not and sent the payment back. I questioned her as to why the payment would then show as initially credited on my husband 's account if they could not determine who I was trying to pay. I assured her I manually entered the address for payment as it appeared on my statement. I asked for a guarantee my payments would be properly credited moving forward and to reverse the late fee. She refused so I ended the call and contacted my bank, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. There, I spoke with a woman named XXXX who said there was never an XXXX address on my account and indicated the payment was made in a purely electronic manner, eliminating the need for a physical address. On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with my bank again, who assisted me in phoning Great Lakes. This time we spoke with XXXX, who identified himself as an account manager. After XXXX ( my banking representative ) described to him the error code, and electronic payment mode, he continued to argue with her and state it was mailed to a physical address in XXXX. He stated he was not sure why XXXX and XXXX responded the way they did on the initial calls. He stated he was going to " email them '' ( I am not sure who at this point ) to figure out the problem. Repeatedly, XXXX and I asked what we could do to make sure future payments would be processed correctly ( we double checked the account number and address, which XXXX said were correct ). XXXX was not able to tell us how to proceed. I asked XXXX to have this issue resolved, I would need to know my future payments would be credited properly and I would need the late fee reversed as this has been proven multiple times not to be my fault. He replied he can not do those things at this point and has guaranteed a call back today. I asked him his suggestion on next steps if he fails to call me back, like XXXX had and he again assured me he will call me back today. Regardless of the outcome I am certain I am not the only person who has had issues with fraudulent documentation by this company. I hope you are able to investigate them. I can be reached at XXXX and XXXX.
08/10/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't get flexible payment options	IL 606XX	Web
I received a letter from XXXX XXXX, in response to my letter to the XXXX. I am contacting you again because of the concerns I have with the interest rates on federal student loans. I am currently on the IBR plan with the government lender Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX, however ; I do not understand how my interest rates are so high considering these are federal loans. I have been paying my loans for the past 3 years on the IBR plan at $ XXXX/month, however ; because the large debt I have and the ridiculously high interest rates my loans continue to go up close to $ XXXX/month. It makes no sense to me to " help '' students by placing them into the IBR plan, yet continue to tack on over {$1200.00} in interest a month which exceeds my monthly payment. I ca n't afford to make the full $ XXXX/month payment, so yes the IBR plan is the best option for me at this time but from my understanding it 's supposed to be helping not hurting me in the long run. I originally took about {$160000.00} for my XXXX in 2012, and over the past 4 years while continuing to make payments my loans are at {$200000.00}. How does anyone in our government think this is even ok to be doing to people such as myself. You are making money off of borrowers in the most unethical way possible. The mortgage companies are giving loans to borrowers at a 3 % interest rate, but yet I am still being pounded with a 6.8 % interest rate. We continuously hear that the government is doing everything they can to help people drowning in debt, but we have yet to see anything like that. Again dropping the interest rates would help significantly. XXXX, a private lender, has a program called the interest rate reduction program that dropped my interest rates from 7.5 % to 3 %. I have been told that XXXX determines the interest rates on federal student loans, and if XXXX is all for helping people like myself how have they not done something about the interest rates for people that are paying their loans? Dropping the interest rate from 6.8 % to something around 3 % would help my family and I significantly. If my monthly payment of {$870.00} either went towards the principal or even STOPPED the monthly interest and placed my loans at a standstill this would help myself and probably a majority of the borrowers across the country who drowning in debt as well. Again I know the IBR plan is helping me now, but what happens 25 years from now when my loans have increased to {$400000.00} and I get taxed on that. I will owe close to {$70000.00} in taxes even after paying {$250000.00} over the 25 years. The government will be making {$150000.00} off of me alone, at this point I am better off quitting my job and continuing to stay on the IBR plan and only owe the {$70000.00} at the end. You give people like me no incentive to go out and become successful because it would be easier to sit at home and not pay a dime to their loans. I was not raised like that and have been driven to become successful, so why not help those that are doing something about it? XXXX thing we can all agree on is the student debt crisis is out of control, and only XXXX has the power to help not only those entering college but also people like me trying to dig themselves out of the debt. So please I ask you to take this letter seriously and do something to help.
03/14/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	FL 32168	Web
I currently have federal student loans serviced by Great Lakes. I am enrolled in the Pay As You Earn ( " PAYE '' ) repayment plan. On XX/XX/2017, I received an email ( as required by the Federal regs. ) notifying me that my application for the PAYE repayment plan needed to be renewed. The email stated " You need to submit your application by XX/XX/2017 to renew your income-driven repayment plan. '' I gathered my information, and submitted an online application on XX/XX/2017. My wife had to co-sign, so she submitted her signature on XX/XX/2017. Because our financial circumstances had changed since our last enrollment in PAYE, I needed to submit verification of my household income and a signed paper application. I called Great Lakes on XX/XX/2017, asking where to deliver my application materials. I also asked the customer service representative about interest capitalization to make sure my interest would not be capitalized. The customer service rep., and later, her supervisor, both informed me that ( 1 ) my actual renewal deadline was XX/XX/XXXX ( not XX/XX/XXXX ), ( 2 ) the date of XX/XX/XXXX indicated in the email, reflected my real deadline of XX/XX/XXXX plus a " grace period '' after the renewal deadline, which is apparently a policy of Great Lakes, ( 3 ) internal processing time for my application was 12 business days, and ( 4 ) even though I had submitted my materials well before either deadline, if Great Lakes was still processing my application when the deadline ( XX/XX/XXXX ) passed, Great Lakes would capitalize the accrued interest on my loan. I have never received any correspondence from Great Lakes indicating that my actual renewal deadline was XX/XX/XXXX. I have a significant loan balance for XXXX level education, so this interest capitalization is of significant value. The supervisor also told me that I " could '' be a " potential candidate '' to have the capitalized interest removed if all of my information was received by XX/XX/XXXX, but that this was discretionary, and I would have to call back to request the removal after the interest was already capitalized and I was effectively un-enrolled form the PAYE program. During this time, I would not be responsible for the increased payment, but Great Lakes would capitalize XXXX dollars of interest on my loans - even though I had submitted all of the required information approximately two weeks before the deadline date given in their email ( XX/XX/XXXX ) Given the similar complaints in the recent XXXX case, how can these policies and Great Lakes ' communication practices be legal? They do not appear to even comply with the federal regulations regarding the required notice for my re-enrollment in the PAYE program. On it 's face, their email states that my application must be " SUBMITTED '' by XX/XX/XXXX. These practices are patently deceptive, predatory to consumers, and are strikingly similar to claims made by the Plaintiffs in the XXXX case. As I understand their practices, an applicant in my situation could submit a re-enrollment application after XX/XX/XXXX, but before XX/XX/XXXX ( the date stated in their email ), the accrued interest would be capitalized, and the application would not be a candidate to later have the capitalization removed. This practice can not be allowed to continue.
04/13/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	AR 71730	Web
RE : Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Collection Support I feel like this Company, in question, has improperly mismanage funds through my employer, XXXX, since XXXX, XXXX and also taken my XXXX Federal Refund of and XXXX State Refund of without my knowledge. In addition, they have combined some of my loans without my consent. To my knowledge, my student loans are still being service with XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, TN XXXX and maybe under deferment. According to written statements from XXXX XXXX XXXX, my account is in good standing. Current balance is {$0.00}, Past due balance is {$0.00}, Regular monthly payment {$0.00}, Interest rate is 2.33 %. I recently received these reports from Great Lakes and found out that The Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Collection Support, is charging an interest rate of 18 %. I contacted Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on Tuesday, XXXX XXXX, XXXX and spoke with XXXX. When I started to ask questions about the interest rate and money taken from XXXX 's, my employer, and combining my loans without my consent, XXXX became furious and hung- up the phone. I proceeded to call back again and someone answered and the phone was hung-up a second time. I then called back a third time and spoke to XXXX. XXXX proceeded to tell me he could place me on a " Rehabilitation Program '' to stop the wage garnishments. He further explains to start the program, I would need to pay a fee of {$890.00} and my payments a month would be around {$5.00}. I immediately thought to myself, this does not make sense. Because they are already taking money from my pay check on a weekly or monthly basis and they have already taken my Federal & State Refund without my knowledge or consent, so why would I need to pay this outrageous fee of {$890.00}. What is wrong with this picture? My question to you is ; How did Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX acquire my loan from XXXX XXXX without my knowledge? How are they able to legally take money from my pay check and Federal & State Refund? Should I have received a letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX? In addition, Great Lakes have combined some of my loans without my consent or knowledge and why are they charging outrageous fees? Why I am still getting updated information from XXXX XXXX regarding my loan? Has Great Lakes broken laws under the " Fair Debt Collection Act? I need further investigation into Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX - Collection Support- regarding their Unfair Practices. I am raising my XXXX years old daughter and because Great Lakes Collection Support has taken money from my pay check since XXXX, XXXX, and to top it off also took the Federal & State tax refund, this has caused a strain in my income and emotional distress. I would like for you to further investigate these findings because I have written proof from XXXX XXXX that they still are servicing my loan and it is in " Good Standing '' In Summary ; Due to questionable, improper & unfair practices, may or may not be complying with the " Fair Debt Collection Act '' from Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX on acquiring the student loan from XXXX XXXX, charging higher interest rates, and combining some loans without my knowledge or consent. We ask for a full investigation into Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX Practices.
09/01/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	CA 94116	Web
After making timely monthly minimum payments to Great Lakes for over 2 years, I made an extra payment in the month of XXXX 2016 of {$100.00} toward a specific loan in my loan package. I received a confirmation message to my Message Center on XXXX.org acknowledging that the payment would be applied to the specific loan as requested. Shortly thereafter the payment went through - except the {$100.00} was applied across all loans in my loan package, with a whopping {$2.00} allotted to the specified loan. When I called about a week later to resolve this issue - an issue brought to my attention only because I thought to check the Payment History page of my Great Lakes account - a Great Lakes representative told me he would submit a ticket to have the payment reverted and applied to the correct loan, but that it would take 5-7 business days to be resolved. When I called 8 business days later, having received no update from Great Lakes, a different representative told me there had been no such ticket made, and then began to suggest clearly invalid reasons for why there was actually no problem from their perspective. All this despite the fact that Great Lakes had already verified in writing that my payment was supposed to go to the specified loan. I asked to be connected to another representative, who told me that the payment would now be reversed and re-allocated when my next automatic monthly payment was processed on XXXX XXXX. I asked this representative for some sort of confirmation that this would indeed take place, owing to my steadily declining trust in Great Lakes after the last couple of phone calls. He assured me he would send me a " custom e-mail '' to confirm this new supposed fix scheduled for XXXX XXXX, but that it would take " 1-2 business days. '' At this point I was feeling a strong sense of deja vu. It does n't take 2 days to send an e-mail. But 2 business days later, not only have I not received said e-mail, but this last representative has also failed to answer any of my phone calls or return my voicemails. At this point, my confidence in this issue actually being resolved in XXXX is virtually nonexistent. And even in the unlikely event that my issue is resolved, Great Lakes ' behavior in this matter is, to my mind, tantamount to fraud. At every step of the way I 've been misinformed, misdirected, or otherwise placated, without any sort of resolution to my issue, the cause of which lies squarely with Great Lakes. It 's become painfully obvious that Great Lakes representatives are trained not to try to fix problems, but to make up bogus reasons - " the catch '' - for why debtors ' payments are n't being applied the way they should be. Worst of all is the fact that I now feel actively discouraged from paying my loans. How can I trust that if I make another payment toward my loans, Great Lakes wo n't simply take it and apply it elsewhere, in other words, lie to me again? I 'm reaching out to CFPB in the desperate hope that Great Lakes can be held to some form of accountability. I 've held up my end of our bargain ; it 's not too much to ask that they hold up theirs and do their one job, taking my hard-earned money, correctly. Any assistance you can offer is greatly appreciated.
10/05/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	CT 064XX	Web
I have a consolidated student loan ( U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Balance {$250000.00} ) serviced by Great Lakes, that was under an Income-Driven Repayment Plan. I use auto-payments, have never missed a payment and have always re-certified when notified to do so, on time. However, this year, Great Lakes failed to meet their federal requirement as a loan servicer to notify me of a recertification deadline approaching and send me an application and instructions regarding documentation. I did not receive an email notification, or a letter in the mail, or any other correspondence regarding this. Further, there is nothing about recertification in the message center on Great Lakes ' customer portal, despite all other important notifications being located there. As a result, I missed a recertification date of XX/XX/XXXX. I only became aware that the deadline passed when I logged into the website XX/XX/XXXX because I had my own personal reminder to check on recertification status in XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX was the date of my first payment after recertification and my understanding is that recertification occurred every 12 months, not 11. I had no way of knowing that my recertification application was actually due on XX/XX/XXXX, and was never notified of the approaching date, or that I was late. When I realized I needed to re-certify, I immediately completed an application on that day, XX/XX/XXXX. I received a notification via email from Great Lakes that my application was received on XX/XX/XXXX. Today, XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email notification from Great Lakes that unpaid accrued interest had been capitalized, added to my loan principal, resulting in a nearly {$60000.00} increase in my principal. Upon receipt of this email, I called Great Lakes Customer Service and spoke to a " supervisor '' - XXXX - at extension XXXX. She alleged that a notification to re-certify was sent on XX/XX/XXXX, that it was the only notification that they send, 99 days prior to the date of recertification. Aside from being incredibly unethical and questionable in terms of motivations to only send one notification 99 days ahead of a recertification deadline, I never received this notification. I contend it was never actually sent. I maintain a record of all important emails from my servicer, with special attention to recertification applications. I can produce these as needed. When I asked for her to provide me with proof it was sent, she could not do so. When I asked her why things like tax form notifications and other important notifications were in my customer portal message center ( see attached ), but this alleged notification to re-certify does not appear there, she did not have an answer. She repeated to me that she could not do anything because the " capitalization is a federal requirement. '' As an attorney and borrower, I feel that my rights are being violated by this servicer. I requested a review of my account and loan be taken immediately, pursuant to the guidelines established for disputes in these matters. She informed me that she would " call me back in a few days once it is reviewed. '' I requested that the results of this review be put in writing, and she did not respond to this request.
08/27/2018	No	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	False statements or representation Impersonated attorney, law enforcement, or government official	VA 24018	Web
I had a federal tax return offset to pay for an outstanding student loan. I first contacted XXXX to get payment history bc I disputed the amount owed. They agreed to send my records in regard to the loan via mail. They informed me that they were only the servicer of my loan but it was held by a company called " Great Lakes '' and provided me with this phone # XXXX. I called the number provided and spoke to a representative for great lakes. They could provide me no more information than XXXX could. It was at this point that the situation became legally problematic. I asked the rep why a federally subsidized loan was being held by a private company. She said that they weren't a private company. I replied, so Great Lakes is a government agency? She said yes we collect student loan debt for the federal government. I replied ok, but you are a private company collecting debt. She said no, we are a nonprofit contracted by the government. Again I pointed out that being a contractor still makes you a private company. I mentioned the truth in lending act and how presenting yourself as a government agency when collecting a debt is a crime. She said she didn't understand that and stated that they are a 3rd party agency contracted to collect federal student loan debt and asked if I needed anything else. I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was first offered to have someone call me back. I asked to instead be connected and I would wait on hold. The supervisor picked up almost inmediately and I explained the situation. They were silent on the other end of the line for an extended period. I asked if someone was there, and got a reply of yes what else can I help you with. I said it seems like your representative needs some training on regulations bc they are presenting you as a government agency. He again tried to make a vague claim of government agency. I asked him the same questions about the private nature of the company as I had to the rep. I explained that presenting a private company as an agency of the govt is a crime and the fact that both a rep and a supervisor presented it that way made me believe that they are intentionally ambiguous about this fact and that was a bigger problem legally. He told me that he wasn't a legal expert and I could take that up with their legal department. I asked to be connected to their legal department and was hung up on. If it was just a poorly trained rep who made a mistake I would understand and chalk it up to a need for better training in regards to the relationship between the company collecting federally subsidized debt and being a government agency. However the fact that a supervisor also tried to present it to me that way and disconnected my call when I asked to file a complaint with the legal department makes me believe that their policy is to willfully make the people from whom they are collecting debt believe that they are a federal agency. I have a background in XXXX and have held an XXXX license I'm very aware of the law and what constitutes a willful violation. My concern is that this is a purposeful policy intended to deceive and relies on debtors ignorance of the position a collector is in.
06/18/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IL 60586	Web
I have contacted Great Lakes Servicing repeatedly over the last year, asking for assistance in determining the monetary forgiveness amount in my eligibility for the Federal XXXX Loan Forgiveness program. Studentaid.ed.gov specifically states to direct all questions relating to XXXX Loan Forgiveness to the servicer of the loan. XXXX XXXX qualify for {$5000.00} in federal forgiveness, while XXXX XXXX who XXXX Math or Science can receive {$17000.00} in federal loan forgiveness. My previous co-worker, XXXX XXXX, also a XXXX XXXX science XXXX, directed the same exact question that I have t ( are we XXXX or XXXX XXXX ) to his loan servicer ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) and received an immediate response. XXXX XXXX was able to complete the federal XXXX application and was awarded forgiveness of {$17000.00} in XX/XX/XXXX. I have attached a copy of the email response from XXXX XXXX XXXX stating that XXXX was eligible for the {$17000.00} forgiveness amount because he XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX grade in a XXXX district. I worked for the same XXXX district as XXXX from XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ). That district wants to certify me as XXXX science on the XXXX Loan Forgiveness federal application because of the email from XXXX XXXX XXXX. My current district ( XXXX XXXX ) of which I have XXXX XXXX and XXXX grade computer science/stem classes for the last 4 years, is not sure how I should be certified on the federal XXXX Loan Forgiveness app, so you see, I can not consult my chief administrative officer for an answer. I have been filing complaints against Great Lakes for over a year as I am unable to complete a XXXX Loan Forgiveness application without their clarification. I have not received any assistance or solutions from Great Lakes. Instead, they continue to accrue interest on my loan and state, we have not received a completed XXXX loan application. I have received numerous contradictory responses from Great Lakes over the course of the last year. Their most recent response " Great Lakes is unable to determine whether you qualify as an XXXX or XXXX XXXX. Your Chief administration Office must certify your qualifications. As of XX/XX/XXXX, Great Lakes has not received a XXXX Loan Forgiveness Application from you. '' I can not complete a XXXX application to send to Great Lakes until they make the determination of XXXX or XXXX XXXX, just as the other federal student loan servicers are doing for their customers!! I called the Ombudsmen group to dispute the latest response from Great Lakes, just a few days ago. The Ombudsmen rep directed me to the Illinois XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, claiming that the state should decide my eligibility. I have included the email I received from XXXX. The State can not determine eligibility in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX because it is a federal program! The State has its own program but I can not apply until the federal application has been processed by Great Lakes. I can not complete and submit the federal application to Great Lakes because I XXXX at 2 XXXX over the course of the last 5 years and neither XXXX is in agreement with the federal classification of XXXX or XXXX science.
03/02/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	FL 34142	Web
I believe Great Lakes intentionally misapplied my monthly payment. I have XXXX XXXX Loans. I XXXX Tokens/Loan types. I am currently signed up on an extended level monthly plan of {$870.00}. The {$870.00} payment I make each month is more than the amount of interest that the accounts accrue and thus, should cover the principal accrued for each month, with some left to go to principal. It was my belief that the {$870.00} would be applied among the XXXX tokens, with the amount first going to each token 's monthly accrued interest and any excess towards the principals. On XX/XX/2019, I made my {$870.00} payment for the month of XX/XX/2019. However, when I reviewed how my payment was allocated on my online account, I saw that Great Lakes did not allocate it properly to Token XXXX. I owed at that point in time about {$22000.00} on Token XXXX. From XX/XX/2019 to XX/XX/2019, I accrued {$130.00} of interest on Token XXXX. Yet, of my {$870.00} monthly payment, only {$18.00} went to Token XXXX. That left {$120.00} of unpaid interest on Token XXXX. Great Lakes reallocated the remaining {$850.00} towards the other XXXX tokens, and applied {$450.00} of it to Token XXXX, although that token had only accrued about {$220.00} in interest that month. I am very concerned that Great Lakes is not allocating my payment to cover all the monthly interest accrued on Token XXXX. As stated in the beginning, my monthly payment of {$870.00} is more than enough to cover the interest accrued monthly on all XXXX tokens. It is also my understanding that my monthly payment would cover the interest accrued monthly on all XXXX loans. I am confused and perplexed as to why Great Lakes would not apply my payment to cover the interest accrued for Token XXXX. I am concerned going forward, because if they are not applying my monthly payments are not going towards all the monthly interest accrued for Token XXXX, then that interest will accumulate and it will be harder to pay it down in the future. It is my belief that Great Lakes intentionally misapplied my payment. On XX/XX/2019, I made a second monthly payment of {$5000.00}. The second {$5000.00} payment was suppose to go straight to the principal of XXXX XXXX. It was my intent to pay {$870.00} as my monthly payment ; the {$870.00} would cover the monthly interest accrued for all XXXX tokens, including the {$130.00} of accrued interest on Token XXXX. Afterwards, I was going to make a second payment of {$5000.00} to that would fully go straight to the principal of Token XXXX. I was allowed to do that as long as I made my required payment of {$870.00}. Instead of applying my monthly payment of {$870.00} to all the interest accrued on the XXXX tokens and then applying the full {$5000.00} to the principal of Token XXXX, Great Lakes applied only {$18.00} of the {$870.00} to Token XXXX. It then used {$120.00} of the {$5000.00} to pay the remaining monthly accrued interest of Token XXXX, and then the remaining {$4800.00} went to the principal of Token XXXX. I believe Great Lakes is doing this because it is intentionally trying to delay me from paying down my principal.
10/31/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NH 032XX	Web
My loans went into repayment in XX/XX/XXXX. I applied and was approved for an income-driven repayment ( IDR ) plan in XXXX and made regular payments on that plan. I was informed mid-summer XXXX that I would need to re-certify for IDR. I was given a deadline of XX/XX/XXXX to complete the re-certification. I completed the application to re-certify my IDR plan on XX/XX/XXXX. I received a message from my loan servicer in my online message center on the loan servicer 's website on XX/XX/XXXX. It said " You're Approved for an Income-Driven Repayment Plan. '' It also said that I would " receive your payment schedule detailing your repayment terms, scheduled monthly payment amounts, and due dates 45 days before your first payment is due. '' Today, XX/XX/XXXX I logged in to my loan servicer account portal and one of my loans had a payment amount of over {$1000.00} due XX/XX/XXXX. All other payment due amounts had been for {$60.00}. That loan is on autopay and if the full amount was taken out of my bank account it would overdraw my account. I immediately called Great Lakes - my loan servicer and asked them to explain why, despite the approval for continued IDR, I had a payment due of over {$1000.00}. The representative responded that my IDR application had not been processed until XXXX and had only been approved on XX/XX/XXXX. She then told me that because the application was processed after the XXXX deadline that the payment had increased but should eventually go back down. I was then chastised as she explained " this is why we tell people to be sure they fill out their re-certifications on time. '' She said in her system she could see that I had filled out the application on XX/XX/XXXX but could not explain to me why the application was not approved until XX/XX/XXXX. She also did not have a copy of the message that I received and could not explain why I had received a message which apparently misrepresented that I was approved as of XX/XX/XXXX. She also could not tell me when I would get a new pay schedule. I then asked to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor explained that my new IDR application could not be processed until twelve months had elapsed from when I started making payments. She said this was why my re-certification application had not been processed until XX/XX/XXXX. She then said that payment schedules " generate over the weekend '' and that my payment schedules could not generate until after the 12 months had elapsed, the application was approved, and then the schedule generated on the weekend which could happen this coming weekend, XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX or even next weekend XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX. This is obviously not 45 days before my " first payment '' on the " new '' IDR is due, XX/XX/XXXX. She apologized that she could not provide any payment amount information at this time and could not account for why I was told that payment schedules would be provided 45 days before the payment was due. At this time all I know is that I am approved for an IDR Plan but I have payments due on XX/XX/XXXX and I do not know how much I owe on that date.
12/06/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NY 11222	Web
Hi CFPB : I am a " client '' of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and in the five years I have been out of XXXX school, I have repaid roughly {$25000.00} on {$69000.00} worth of student loans through a consolidated loan held by Great Lakes. {$20000.00} of that was paid to interest, and just {$4000.00} to principal. According to their website, I still owe more than {$62000.00} a mere five years after graduating from my program. In other words, in just five years since finishing graduate school I have been charged my fixed 6.12 % interest rate to the tune of the down payment on a house, without touching the principal which is still generating a high monthly interest. The issue was that Great Lakes misadvised me about the type of repayment plan I should be on, and for five years I was paying below the minimum required to avoid accruing additional interest on a graduated repayment plan. I wrote to them and spoke by phone for years with people at Great Lakes who assured me that this was not the case, and could n't explain the discrepancy between what I had paid and what I had borrowed. Unfortunately and conveniently for Great Lakes, their website only displays payment history as follows : " Your payment history shows up to 12 months of transactions and only includes transactions since Great Lakes began servicing your loan. '' But they should have these records. I am currently paying {$900.00} a month to try to pay down this loan, which is why I 've managed to pay {$4000.00} toward the principal. Otherwise Great Lakes would have had me on a plan paying only interest for who knows how long? When I checked today what the minimum payment would be for their " graduated repayment plan '' it still said my payment would be $ XXXX/mo. This is less than the amount of interest that is generated on my loans, meaning I would be effectively underpaying an amount that would eventually lead to a pay off. Their graduated plan is a total scam, and I 'm sure I 'm not the only person who has fallen into this trap. I 'm just glad I realized it five years in rather than 10. That said, their mis-representation and mis-consultation of my case has cost me dearly -- and if I were to stay on the $ XXXX/month graduated plan their current calculator tells me it would cost over {$72000.00} in interest alone, meaning my total pay off amount would be roughly three times what my initial loan amount was for. Through multiple phone calls and emails, I never got a straight answer why my payments were not deducting from interest ( i.e. why the principal kept growing even though I was paying what they recommended I pay each month ). Great Lakes is not looking out for people like myself who took out federally subsidized student loans directly from the federal government and then got wrapped up into their money making schemes. I believe this should be the subject of a class action suit, and that many people like myself would stand to reap substantial reimbursements. Please feel free to be in touch if you agree. Thank you for your time and attention and your willingness to help.
02/25/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	CA 91406	Web
Hello, My complaint is with regards to my payments on 3 of 6 accounts I have with Great Lakes loan services. I am currently on deferment and I am aggressively paying towards decreasing the interest and principal on 3 unsubsidized loans I have with Great Lakes. These loans are named XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXXXXXX and XXXX XXXX. Unfortunately, I do not have a record of the amounts owed for each of these accounts prior to making my first payment on XX/XX/XXXX ( below ), so I do not know if the money was allocated as I had authorized. On XX/XX/XXXX I authorized the following payment with clear acknowledgement from the representative of how the money was to be allocated with verbal read back : XX/XX/XXXX payment confirmation # XXXX of total payment of {$1000.00}. {$960.00} towards interest on tXXXX XXXX with {$34.00} towards principal on XXXX XXXX As of XX/XX/XXXX the balances for each account was as follows : XXXX XXXXXXXX Total Balance : {$6000.00} [ Principal Balance ( {$5400.00} ) + Interest Balance ( {$610.00} ) ]. XXXX XXXX Total Balance : {$8700.00} [ Principal Balance ( {$8700.00} ) + Interest Balance ( {$12.00} ) ]. XXXX XXXXXXXX Total Balance : {$4100.00} [ Principal Balance ( {$3800.00} ) + Interest Balance ( {$240.00} ) ]. OnXX/XX/XXXX I authorized the following payments with clear acknowledgement from the representative of how the money was to be allocated with verbal read back : XX/XX/XXXX payment confirmation # XXXX of total payment {$1100.00}. {$870.00} towards interest ( XXXX XXXX : {$610.00}, XXXX XXXX : {$12.00}, XXXX XXXX : {$240.00} ). {$320.00} towards principal ( XXXX XXXXXXXX : {$200.00}, XXXX XXXX : {$120.00} ). OnXX/XX/XXXX I logged on to my account to see if the authorized payments had processed and found that the allocation of money was arbitrarily allocated. As ofXX/XX/XXXX the balances for each account was as follows : XXXX XXXXXXXX Total Balance : {$5600.00} [ Principal Balance ( {$5400.00} ) + Interest Balance ( {$190.00} ) ]. XXXX XXXXXXXX Total Balance : {$8200.00} [ Principal Balance ( {$8200.00} ) + Interest Balance ( {$12.00} ) ]. XXXX XXXXXXXX Total Balance : {$3800.00} [ Principal Balance ( {$3800.00} ) + Interest Balance ( {$3.00} ) ]. Nothing was paid towards principal on XXXX XXXX, which should have been {$120.00} as I requested as well as my request to completely pay off in full all interest ( {$610.00} ) on XXXX XXXX as of XX/XX/XXXX. Instead, {$470.00} was allocated to XXXX XXXX, which is not what I requested and {$40.00} was allocated to XXXX XXXX, which was also not requested. I was told over the phone that there would not be a problem fulfilling my request because there were no restrictions on the way I chose to allocate my payments. I purposely requested to pay the total interest accrued on the three accounts ( XXXXs XXXX, XXXX and XXXX ) in order to avoid any underlying complications. The way Great Lakes has distributed the money was unauthorized and causes confusion and frustration in determining the progress towards repaying my school loans.
07/21/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	VA 221XX	Web
My daughter is on XXXX XXXX with the XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX. This complaint relates to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, the servicer of her loans, which the XXXX has helped pay off through the XXXX XXXX loan repayment program ( LRP ). As a recruitment incentive to encourage my daughter to join the XXXX, the XXXX promised to pay off up to {$65000.00} of the Stafford Loans and PLUS Loans that she and I took out to pay for her undergraduate education. On XX/XX/XXXX of this year, Great Lakes received a payment of approximately {$9000.00} from the XXXX XXXX LRP. This was the XXXX XXXX 3rd and final annual payment, my daughter having completed her third year of XXXX XXXX in the Spring. The simple task for Great Lakes to carry out, as I explained to them clearly and repeatedly involved 2 easy steps : First, pay off the then-outstanding balance of my PLUS loans for my daughter. After several phone calls, Great Lakes finally got that step correct. Second, I directed Great Lakes to apply the entire remaining amount of the XXXX XXXX payment to my daughter 's account for her own Stafford Loans. Great Lakes has not yet done this and now flatly refuses to so. Instead, they first applied the remaining amount to 2 other accounts of mine that are clearly not eligible for LRP payments ( they are for my daughter 's siblings ). Then, even after multiple phone conversations with them, and written instructions to them, Great Lakes applied only about half of the remaining amount ( instead of all of it ) to my daughter 's account and RETURNED the rest to the XXXX, somehow believing that the XXXX had overpaid them by that amount. Great Lakes did this without notifying me that they were going to do so, let alone getting my agreement to do so, and in direct contradiction of the instructions that I had repeatedly given them and that they had explicitly agreed, in multiple phone conversations, to carry out. When Great Lakes advised me that they had erroneously returned these funds to the XXXX, they also asserted that they would try to stop payment on that action, but they advised me a few days later that they had been unable to do so and that, at that point, there's nothing whatever that they can do because ( in essence ) they're too big and too complicated to do something as simple as correcting an error that they, and they alone, had made. They refuse, for example, to even contact the XXXX to get this situation rectified and they insist that our only recourse is for us to ask the XXXX to make another payment to Great Lakes ( with no guarantee that they would apply that correctly either ). This seems outrageous and indefensible to me, particularly in light of the clear and simple instructions that I provided Great Lakes on multiple occasions, and their repeated assurances that they would apply the XXXX XXXX payment correctly. I have talked to at least 7 Great Lakes employees, including 1st and 2-level supervisors and a so-called military affairs " specialist '', and it is clear to me that further conversations with them would be pointless.
04/18/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	FL 33458	Web
( 1 ) Excess payment seems to be applied incorrectly across two loans. I have been registered for the standard excess payment allocation since graduation, XX/XX/XXXX. However, a substantial fraction of excess payment has been applied to the principal of the lower-interest rate loan for several months. Numerical context : - Autopaying $ XXXX/mo since XX/XX/XXXX. - Total Scheduled Monthly Payment is $ XXXX/mo. - One loan with period beginning XX/XX/XXXX, disbursed $ XXXX@ 5.96 % fixed, according to NSLDS student data extract ( not available from Great Lakes or from master promissory note ) Scheduled Monthly Payment is {$43.00}. - One loan with period beginning XX/XX/XXXX, disbursed $ XXXX@ 5.59 % fixed, according to NSLDS student data extract ( not available from Great Lakes or from master promissory note ) Scheduled Monthly Payment is {$280.00}. The Scheduled Monthly Payments by individual loan seem like they might be reversed. Regardless, assuming they are correct, the changes to the individual loan balances - and total account balance - do not reflect the rules for applying payments to individual loans ' Scheduled Monthly Payments first, then excess to the loan with the highest interest rate. ( 2 ) Servicer claims that statements prior to XX/XX/XXXX can not be provided. I have bank statements showing transactions paid out to loan servicer monthly in XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX and every month after. Having these statements will be important for verifying that early payments were applied correctly. Actions taken : * Set up spreadsheet model of monthly payments to trace calculation in statements provided online by Great Lakes. Confirmed monthly interest figures within a few dollars ( possibly related to date alignment ), but totally unable to reproduce reported changes to statement balances resulting from excess payments using loan terms, including master promissory note and my NSLDS student data records. * Contacted Great Lakes call center to inquire about ( 2 ) and ( 1 ). Initial representative was unable to explain ( 1 ) and admitted he had no idea how to justify from my records, and asserted that statements were not generated for account status before XX/XX/XXXX and therefore not retrievable. Requested to speak to supervisor. Supervisor asserted that a " split factor '' applied to individual loans made within the account when Scheduled Monthly Payment is applied. Supervisor refused to provide " split factor '' and insisted that it was possibly available in Master Promissory Note, but would not identify where it is derived. In fact, it is not available in Master Promissory Note. If I use the Scheduled Monthly Payment amounts for each year 's loan individually, provided in NSLDS student data record download ( MyStudentData.txt ), I still find overpayments towards the low-interest loan. * Contacted NSLDS by phone. Was advised that CFPB was involved in litigation against another student loan servicer for similar behavior towards borrowers repaying loans early, and recommended I contact CFPB.
03/27/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	MI 48192	Web
To Whom It May Concern, As of XX/XX/2019 I've been actively trying to seek information and resolve the discrepancy with my student loans. I recently XXXX and noticed an error with my subsidized loans. Out of five of my subsidized loans, I've lost subsidy on four. Though, I did not reach my subsidy limit on amount of loan nor time of program completion. I reached out to my loan servicer to understand why subsidy was lost and to report the issue. And though I was given reasons why I could've lost subsidy, none were applicable. I was told to contact the Department of Education by by servicer 's customer service. After speaking to the Department of Education, I was told to contact by educational institution. After contacting my institution by phone, I was told to contact my servicer because, " they did not have control over taking away my subsidy, the servicer 's do ''. Again, I contact my servicer, but request to speak to a manager. I am told by a manager from my servicer to contact my school again because, " they do not have control over my subsidy and just go by whatever the school reports. '' I continued to make multiple in person appointments at my school 's financial aid office. Speaking with the financial aid officers we've made claims with both the XXXX and XXXX. Even with verification from the financial aid officer 's manager that the school reported my correct and timely program completion, both departments couldn't figure out how the error occurred. I even asked a financial aid officer if I could please have the email from his manager stating that the school reported my program information correctly, I was told he would asked if he could later on and never sent it. Even after emailing him for any updates, I received no response. I've also spoken with two ombudsman ( one from Great Lakes ) that have told me to again contact my institution. I've also tried to contact a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, but was advised to contact my school. Even after in-person appointments at my school, I'd get email updates stating the faculty still didn't understand anything. After numerous visits to my school to get an answer or any type of update, I was sadly told that the more I emailed or made appointments the more I was wasting time because if they, " knew anything, they'd tell me. '' At this point, I am greatly disheartened and have desperately tried anything I could do to resolve the issue. My subsidy has been lost and interest has continued to accrue for 3 years now. It wasn't supposed to even start until XXXX of this year. Every specialist I've contacted agrees there's an issue with my account, yet no one has resolved it or taken accountability. After graduating, I just wanted to pay off my loans to prevent accrual. I took out so many subsidized loans to avoid accrual because I can not afford tuition on my own and as a XXXX XXXX XXXX who has worked multiple jobs to afford schooling ; I just want anyone to hear me and help take better action on this matter. Thank you
04/24/2017	No	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	GA 30328	Web
I am on an IDR plan. I have tried several times to get Great Lakes who is servicing my loan to explain how they are charging me interest and explain why my balance keeps going up instead of down each month. They are charging me interest for the entire year up front on the loan. On top of that they are charging me per diem interest based on the year 's worth of interest and my " new '' principal balance. I have now figured out that what they are doing is charging me up front for the interest. They set aside that interest amount and all of the payments I make go towards that and only that interest. Nothing I pay extra goes towards the actual per diem interest accruing. I figured out how much interest I should be charged on the per diem rate and paid over that amount for a month to see what happened. My total balance due and total interest due still went up. Each month they are charging me interest on top of interest. To be clear - my current principal balance is {$77000.00} which would be an estimated $ XXXX interest for the entire year. They are charging me the interest up front so that there is no way possible for me to pay it down or off. They have been doing this since I started the IDR and it 's just compiling the interest on top of interest. I had no idea. I 've contacted them several times to figure out why my total balance just keeps going up each month. They have tacked on thousands of dollars worth of interest I had no idea was accruing. And it goes up each month instead of any amount getting put towards the actual per diem rate. Even at the {$77000.00} balance a per diem rate would be less than {$400.00} for the month. I have a spreadsheet that I use to figure out how much interest I should be charged, but since they have put the interest up front for me to pay I would have to pay over {$5000.00} in one month to get the interest for the year paid off and then they are still charging me interest on top of that amount. I want my loans either serviced by someone honest or refinanced so that the actual amount I owe is put in place as well as any additional amounts I pay going towards the principal balance due. This is crazy. I am working an extra job to pay down my loans and they keep tacking on interest that I will never pay off. At the rate they are charging me interest my loans will have a balance of over {$200000.00} within the next 10 years. The original loan amount was {$63000.00}. Great Lakes is making it impossible for me to pay off my loans or even come close to getting them paid down. I do n't have an extra {$10000.00} to pay towards interest in one year. They are using the IDR as a way to make sure that they get all their interest and fees up front. For the month of XXXX and XXXX I paid over the interest per diem amount on my calculated interest per loan and nothing went to principal and they added additional interest to my principal amount due. They show my balance due now at well over {$83000.00}.
03/24/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	IN 46530	Web
Great Lakes Student Loans has been servicing my federal loans for several years now. I have been making large, timely monthly payments for the past two years. At the beginning of XXXX, with enough money saved up, I decided to pay off my smallest federal student loan. I called Great Lakes customer service and woman explained to me that I would have to make an online payment, but that she would make a " note '' in my file for how the payment should be allocated to the smallest loan to pay off the balance. She told me this would take XXXX5 business days. I checked one week later and my payment had been allocated equally among my XXXX federal loans. I called the Great Lakes customer service department again where a woman explained that sometimes it can take up to 10 business days for this to be allocated correctly, but that it would be allocated to the correct account going back to XXXX XXXX. I checked this morning and saw that while Great Lakes had allocated my payment to the correct loan, they had taken out my monthly payment from the large loan payment made on XXXX XXXX, despite the fact that my monthly payment was not due until the middle of the month. I called the Great Lakes customer service department AGAIN, when a customer service rep tells me that we ALWAYS have to make the monthly payment PRIOR to making ANOTHER payment to pay off a loan. Not only had this not been communicated to me EITHER time I called, Great Lakes informed me that this " monthly payment requirement '' is counted by the MONTH and NOT the billing cycle. So, even though I had made a $ 500 monthly payment in the middle of XXXX, since I wanted to pay off my loan on XXXX XXXX, I would have had to make ANOTHER {$500.00} payment in XXXX in addition to the {$4000.00} payment I had planned to make to pay off my loan. This is high way robbery of students who are working hard to pay of their loans ON TIME and AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. It is n't enough to not " communicate '' these necessary pieces of information. In order to FULLY pay off the loan, I was forced to pay ANOTHER {$360.00} TODAY. I expected so much more of a company that is servicing federal student loans. This is absolute XXXX that I have to call a company FOUR times to properly apply MY payment to the appropriate loan. Meanwhile, making hundreds of dollars of interest in the " confusion. '' Great Lakes MUST change this. Students should be allowed to pay off the balance of ANY loan at ANY time and not jump through rings of fire to do so. They need to change their website so that students can select which loan they want to pay-off and give them the capabilities to do so. Great Lakes needs to apparently TRAIN its customer service representatives so that they know " key '' pieces of information like the calendar month payment requirement. It truly is unbelievable how difficult this process was and all I was trying to do was pay-off the balance of XXXX of my loans. Great Lakes should be be ashamed.
09/06/2017	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	False statements or representation Attempted to collect wrong amount	NY 11967	Web
After 11/2 of years ( XX/XX/XXXX ), I did n't know about endorsement and I decided to take over the XXXX XXXX here in US. I paid cash as I go {$17000.00} because of non-, matriculate. I had an emergency about my kids back home that I have to quit school to work longer hours for family matters. After 3 years of my children arrivals in the US, I always wanted to upgrade my XXXX XXXX and I did started but suddenly on XX/XX/XXXX I started to received annoyed phone calls 7 days a week and letters from multiples debt collector agencies to collect loan payment for XXXX for the past of 5 years. They stopped harassed me finally for a while when I told them that I reported them to the consumers affairs. On XX/XX/XXXX, I could n't perform the jobs I used to do and I decided to go back again for XXXX XXXX. Since on my teen age I have a passion for beauty, health care and singing. I did applied on line for financial aid and I paid {$7500.00} for the application and they send me a report therefore when I go to the school to register for the program, the financial aid secretary have to re apply for the financial Aid and I had told that I had a grant and Pell grant.. Unfortunately, On XX/XX/XXXX I received a negative report account using my personal information as the account number from Great Lakes debt collector agencies of {$950000.00}. The programs at that time was {$10000.00} plus the kit fees was {$60000.00} plus {$10000.00} for a total {$11000.00} that I paid my kit 's fee and the registration fee. I have a grant of {$5600.00} as I had been told I also had a Pell grant that I did n't know the amount. And when I tried to find out of this early debt collection and why the Great Lakes international borrower debt collection back on XX/XX/XXXX using my personal identification instead of a loan account, the director of the school and the financial aid secretary after each one referred me to an another, each one replied that they do not have any idea but they will investigate. Therefore I never know about the Pell grant amount because I always wanted to know about why I had been treated unfairly and I did believed they fraud me to collect the previous untruthful and unlawful debt from XX/XX/XXXX wrongfully otherwise I will have a loan account assigned. After I talked to them and have update from me then there is an account and the number is XXXX I did contacted this international agency and set a monthly payment until I determined that was unfair as I promised. It was n't a discussion but I was investigated the debt. my last name was misspell, personal identification reported as account #, multiply different address agencies and names so that prove it may be an untruth account. therefore I wanted this account be investigated and delete accordingly. XX/XX/XXXX this account was paid in full and XXXX balance from credit bureau agencies. I declared and demand justice from unlawful activities. Please feel free to investigate
09/23/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't temporarily delay making payments	MN 55337	Web	Servicemember
I am writing this letter as a complaint against both XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and The XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for violation of the SCRA laws. I took out student loans from XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX and XXXX for a combined amount of {$21.00}, XXXX. When I joined the XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, I sent notice to all my financial lenders a form indicating I was going into XXXX XXXX. I was on XXXX XXXX in the XXXX from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. I am enclosing the official form ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) as record of the dates. During that time, I was also XXXX to a hostile environment ( XXXX XXXX ) for the dates of XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ( Letter attached ). With the SCRA laws, my payment were to be deferred 180 days after my separation date of XX/XX/XXXX ( approximately XX/XX/XXXX ). However, in XX/XX/XXXX I received notice from the MN Department of Revenue that they kept my state refund to apply to my debt. I also received a letter in XX/XX/XXXX that the Wisconsin Department of Revenue kept my federal tax refund of {$1000.00} to put towards my debt. This is when I started contacting Great Lakes. Great Lakes is claiming they never received notice of XXXX XXXX or the request to reduce interest on my loans. They sent my loans to the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX who sent my debt to a collection agency stating I was in default. Numerous phone calls to try to resolve the issue did nothing. They would not accept my XXXX XXXX XXXX and did not want me to send them the forms to show I was on XXXX XXXX. I finally wrote to the US House of Representatives for assistance on XX/XX/XXXX. They took my information and paperwork and wrote to the XXXX XXXX XXXX on my behalf. The response from the XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( attached ) indicates they were going to pull my account back from collections, refund my tax refunds, remove my loans from a default status and return the loan to Great Lakes so I may work with them. It is now XX/XX/XXXX and of the above actions, the only thing that has happened is the refund of my tax refunds. My credit bureaus are still showing default and the loan has not yet been returned to Great Lakes. This has caused me financial difficulties in trying to apply for other VA loans and get approved. My expectation is that my loans reflect the 6 % or lower APR that was to be applied throughout my XXXX XXXX status, deferment that was supposed to take place and the 0 % for the time I was in a hostile environment which was then to be deferred for 60 months. In addition, I want all negative credit bureau reporting of default or collections to be removed and the trade line from the XXXX XXXX XXXX to be deleted since they were sent to them in violation of the SCRA. Any compensation that would apply due to the violations of the SCRA laws are also expected, up to and including waivers of monies owned and fines and/or citations to Great Lakes.
05/17/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't temporarily delay making payments	MT 59714	Web
This complaint is against Great Lakes Student Loan Servicing. I have a Parent Plus loan with Great Lakes. My daughter makes all the payments. She pays {$50.00} a month as agreed. The payments are automatically withdrawn. She has not missed a payment in the past 18 months and we expected that by now this would be back into repayment status and out of default. I am seeking to be a first time home buyer. I can not get a mortgage until my credit report shows the default is removed. My daughter has been in contact with Great Lakes over the passed year asking how to get this loan out of default, but she was told only by paying it off in full. I didn't believe this to be such a harsh truth. I contacted Great Lakes onXX/XX/XXXX and asked how I could bring it out of default status. I was told that it can not come out of default except to 1 ) pay it in full or 2 ) consolidate it. I do not have the {$19000.00}. ( The original loan is {$16000.00}, but they have added fees ). Thus I have requested a consolidation from XXXX XXXX, where my loans are. I work for a non profit and I have my loans all consolidated- some that originated with Great Lakes. I asked Great Lakes why this loan was left out, and the response was that I never had any other Great Lakes loan. ( I had my own, plus another of my daughter 's consolidated that were Great Lakes. ) XXXX XXXX is very helpful and is expediting the processing of the consolidation on their end. It's just a matter of Great Lakes responding to the request. I called Great Lakes again today ( XX/XX/XXXX ) to request that they expedite on their end so that my loan can be removed from Default so that I may still get the opportunity to purchase a home. ( I have a window of affordable opportunity that is rare. ) The loan counseloXXXX was not concerning herself with assisting my request. She acknowledged that the XXXX XXXX consolidation request had been received, but it might not be processed for 90 days and if I didn't agree to a payment today that I could get my wages garnished. Her concern was to get me to pay {$70.00} payment today. I reminded her that my daughter 's automatic payment {$50.00} comes to them on the 23 every month. The representative insisted that I make a payment of {$70.00} today and implied that if I did not that I was not being cooperative therefore they would have to take action. I asked to speak with the Consolidation department but she said, " They are behind closed doors and no one gets to speak with them. '' I had to hang up because I felt harassed and not reaching resolve. It seems that Great Lakes is trying to hold on to the loan for a few more months to collect " {$70.00} of interest that is accruing each month. '' This is serious predatory lending especially if they request a garnishment of my wages when I have applied for a consolidation out their servicing.
01/03/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	NC 27360	Web
I am currently enrolled in a XXXX 's program at a school where I received a XXXX 's ( this is important ). I already have an up-to-date student loan that I make auto-payments for each month. I decided to pay for my XXXX 's out of pocket. There was an opportunity to XXXX XXXX next year and my Advisor told me to apply for FAFSA to see if I qualified for a scholarship for that program. I knew I would not qualify for FAFSA, but he told me to fill it out anyway as a step towards the Scholarship application. Next, I logged onto my account online for the school and there was a disbursement of over {$10000.00} for each semester this year. Luckily I did not have my bank account information loaded, so the funds were not deposited into my bank. However, they were showing online for the school as a, " refund '' - an unsubsidized loan. I sent in an email on XXXX declining the loan - per their instructions. After some struggling, the school corrected the issue on their website. However, a check was sent to me on XXXX. I shredded it and looked online and found that the loan amount for this semester has been tacked onto my student loan through Great Lakes Borrower. It is showing that I owe this amount, plus interest, and a {$100.00} fee. This is baffling to me, how they have the ability to add this to my bill without any confirmation or agreement. I never asked for this loan. I never signed a paper agreeing to receiving it. I only applied for FAFSA as a step to apply for the Scholarship. Per the school 's Financial Aid Office, I signed a Master Promissory Note in XXXX. This means that they do not need to discuss loan disbursement with me for each school year. It is supposed to make things easier on students. However, I graduated in XXXX - this should cause that note to expire. According to XXXX, because I signed this note back then, it is good for 10 years - despite the fact that I already graduated and have started a completely different program. I am confused as to how they can do all of this without a signature or approval, and I am afraid that it may be showing on my credit. I am going through the steps to get the money taken off of my student loan account, but I need to make sure this does not affect my credit. This is not something I asked for. I have lots of emails for correspondence to show that they did it without my permission and that it should have been taken care of. This could have been resolved with a simple email asking if I wanted the loan or not. Instead, it was processed. A check was sent to me. It was added onto my current loan along with fees and interest. I 've had to file two complaints for the loan company and now the school. There have been countless emails among the staff and myself. This situation is baffling. Please let me know if you need more information. Thank you for your time, XXXX XXXX
11/11/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	TX XXXXX	Web
Based on information provided by XXXX I sought to seek enrollment as a fulltime student at the XXXX university to pursue a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Based on expected cost & information provided states tuition & fees ARE NOT billed at the cost per credit hour of {$600.00}. In addition, pre-generated predatory loans with XXXX though Great Lakes Borrowing based on Truth in Lending Act includes fees for the school application of which was previously settled months prior to enrollment. Total amount billed with Great Lakes include Cost of course/ fees for classes I as a student never enrolled, gained education, or scheduled. Transcripts of prior courses were provided and approved by the institution before enrollment for credit adjustment to decrease original loan amount for cost of transferrable credit. While enrolled as a Full-Time student all Department of Education Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Scholarships were applied to Tuition. It was advised if I wish to obtain additional funding for expected living/outside expenses private loans were required, as additional funds received by University would deflate institutional awarded scholarship that is non-cash redeemable. With intensive recruiting by agent XXXX XXXX, there was an urgency to begin classes sooner than expected as all documents were secured with appropriate departments. Special structure of program allows access to classes taken online until arrival at the XXXX. After speaking with several other students who were not aware of the process it was determined many students originally failed the online introductory XXXX credit hour course, which is designed for campus resulting in {$1800.00} pay to retake fee. Lack of independent accounting practice as done by XXXX and XXXX XXXX, has afforded XXXX to negatively impact student & parent consumers credit with students who are billed {$45000.00} for courses and a negligence to mention approximately {$17000.00} unmet need with Department of Education as expectation of private loans by parent plus or cosigner are to meet student living arrangements. After addressing wishes to suspend having loans billed as I would not be attending classes XXXX XXXX continuously billed Great Lakes from XXXX with out approval. XXXX XXXX, XXXX I received an email stating XXXX XXXX University reconciled records to determine a XXXX Refund Check was due in the amount of {$1.00} from loans disbursed to the University by Department of Education from Fiscal Year of XXXX for expected associate cost of obtaining a education while attending classes XXXX hours a day 6 days a week. Many students ' graduates and those who were forced to withdraw due to lack of XXXX XXXX funding are stuck with the burden of poor quality education, un-transferrable courses and erroneous loans unable to make payment or obtain gainful employment.
07/13/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	CA 95827	Web
All my student loans were consolidated on XX/XX/XXXX according to XXXX./XXXX by XXXX, now known as 'XXXX. At no time ever after/post my XX/XX/XXXX consolidation did XXXX. ', now known as 'XXXX ' or did any other lender that my loans were sold to i.e. Great Lakes contact me, inform me, or make any attempt at any time to offer me other types of loan payment options, transfers or payment types ( a loan payment option*does not include a deferment ) . Additionally, all the above lenders nor did the any agency of the federal government ever inform me post XXXX of the passage of legislation related to the P.S.L.F. ( Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Today, XX/XX/XXXX @ XXXX Hours I called XXXX who took over XXXX. XXXX and I explained my predicament, and their representative 'XXXX XXXX replied, " We or XXXX. never informed our borrowers of the P.S.L.F, or payment options related to that! ". I have already applied, and been denied for the P.S.L.F. twice that I do qualify for as I have never missed a student loan payment, made over 120 payments, worked for a not for profit for over 10 years in a full time capacity. I also qualify for the new T.E.P.S.L.F. ( Temporary Expanded Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program, and am working with my Congressman XXXX XXXX to resolve this. I have authenticated the XXXX over over XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX over my XXXX XXXX XXXX. Not getting my student loans forgiven is a disgrace. ( I have attached no documents because their are none and nothing to submit-'XXXX ' or did any other lender that my loans were sold to i.e. Great Lakes contact me, inform me, or make any attempt after/post my Consolidation of XX/XX/XXXX at any time to offer other types of loan payment options, transfers or payment types ( a loan payment optiondoes not include a deferment ). Not informing me of the passage of the P.S.L.F. in XXXX, or engaging me as a borrower with any kind of basic information or options related to qualifying for the P.S.L.F. is a violation of fairness in lending, a lack of transparency and full disclosure, unethical, and well kind of tricky. An average and reasonable person would simply let their borrowers know of such changes or new programs that affect their student loan borrowers, it's simply an appropriate, fair and courteous response. It's crystal clear that 'XXXX '' now know as 'XXXX ' through their 'failure an omission to act ' didn't want to fairly and appropriately serve their borrowers, because if they did they would have simply done what an average citizen would have, and that is insuring all of the borrowers were treaty with fairness, clarity, respect and full legal disclosure of all that may effect them. Congressman XXXX XXXX 's office will be acting on my behalf you can also correspond with them as well as me.
11/30/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Problem lowering your monthly payments	UT 84116	Web
During the time my loan was scheduled for repayment in XXXX I was having to defer my payments. The problem came when the state of Utah ORS ( office of recovery ) was coming at me for XXXX XXXX When asked to submit my bills to adjust the amount to be payed, they would reject my student loan as a legitimate bill. I spoke with my lender Great Lakes borrowing service and they said that ORS cant do that because it is a federally backed student loan, I replied I KNOW. Great Lakes says that I will have to put them in deferment. After they set the rate of XXXX XXXX I was able to find a higher paying job and once again they raised my XXXX XXXX and again excluded the student loan as a bill I had to pay. I asked ORS why this was and the replied : most men do not pay it when allowed as a bill so policy says that it should not be considered. I spoke with Great Lakes again and the says well you will have to put it in deferment. I wanted to fix my credit including my student loans so I began working a lot of overtime to try to get ahead and ORS raised my XXXX XXXX. And cause I showed that I can make more money on a regular basis as if I had a 2nd job. XXXX XXXX goes up, Great Lakes says I have to defer payments. Now in XXXX I am finished with XXXX XXXX they can not come after me for it anymore. So I start working with student loans again and work into a repayment program. They come back and say my little {$19000.00} student loan is now up to over {$60000.00}. I felt abused by the system cause I should have been able to repay it. So I decided I was not going make {$650.00} monthly payment because it is not a bill according to the State of Utah. Student loans are now garnishing my checks and say that my {$19000.00} loan is now {$100000.00}. This whole process has not been fair. I feel my loan servicer should have stepped in to assist me with states absurd reasoning that it was not a bill. If anyone owes this bill it should be the State of Utah because they would not allow me to repay it at a time when it was manageable and took any excess money I could gather to use for XXXX XXXX of XXXX children. By the way my ex was the adulterer and I left and went to better myself for me and my children. I could never get on my feet financially. I had to have roommates to even afford a roof over my head. I lived in XXXX, CO most of that time. There was a much higher cost of living difference, but state of UT would not recognize that either. I feel that I have been punished for bettering myself for long enough and would like to see my student loans forgiven for attending a school that no longer exists. As a matter of fact the school instructor says it wouldnt matter if you didnt repay your loans cause they could take your house, car and taxes but they can never take away your education,
04/04/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	WI 53051	Web
I received my yearly bonus from work and wanted to pay off the remaining {$740.00} of one of my student loans. I went onto the website and turned over the money from my bank account. I waited several days, waiting to see this money come out. Although the money instantly comes out of my bank account, making it impossible for me to make interest on it, Great Lakes always drags their feet for 4-10 days so THEY can continue to make interest off of me. I submitted {$770.00}, which is {$35.00} more than what was 'owed ' ( see attached ), because their is ALWAYS some conniving and deception when dealing with these people. After the typical days of waiting to see the money, already taken from my account, be applied to my loan I noticed that not only did they not use my money as instructed but, they arbitrarily left {$180.00} on the loan I told them to pay off. So they robbed my yearly bonus, refused to let me pay off my loan, AND are collecting interest on it as we speak!!! I contacted them stating that I ; 1. ) Have screen shots of what they've done 2. ) Have bank statements showing them taking this unaccounted for money ( my yearly bonus ) and 3. ) Have read and understand their " Excess Payment Policy ''. I stated all of this up front to try and expedite my dealings with them as their default stance is to always claim a lack of intelligence/understanding on my part. I'm done arguing with these people month after month and waiting around for them to do something about the CONSTANT " misunderstandings ''. There is no misunderstanding. I have all the paperwork to show they are lying and purposely misdirecting money in order to keep loans active, even AFTER I SEND THEM THE MONEY TO PAY THEM OFF. I'm not XXXX, I understand perfectly well, what they do is NOT complicated, and I should've reported them earlier when it was smaller amounts of money and not an entire year 's worth of regular over time to have my bonus robbed from me and then being called too XXXX to know how to give my money to them properly. I sent them the money to pay off loan # XXXX. There is NO MISUNDERSTANDING. Then, I got an email from XXXX in Borrower Services Department stating ; " The first {$260.00} from your XX/XX/XXXX monthly payment were applied to cover your remaining monthly payment. The remaining {$500.00} was applied to the loan token of your choice. '' This is SO far off the mark that she could not have possibly even looked at my information. As you can see attached, my monthly payment came out on XX/XX/XXXX, as it does every month, and it is for {$270.00}. There is no money " left over '' from my monthly payment, that doesn't even make any sense. Then, on XXXX, they took my 2018 yearly work bonus, which she does not even mention in the email, and disappeared it.
10/30/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	WV 263XX	Web	Servicemember
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WV XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX COMPLAINT AGAINST : VIOLATION : Great Lakes FAIR DEBT COLLECTIONS PRACTICES ACT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX LIABILITY SECTION XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX ACCOUNT NUMBER : XXXX CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTIONS BUREAU, I am reaching out for some help. Here is my complaint. Great Lakes is in violation of the FAIR DEBT COLLECTIONS PRACTICES ACT ( FDCPA ). I have requested that Great Lakes provide me with an original version of the Master Promissory Note in its complete and original form for a debt that they claim I owe them. I have requested this item via certified mail with return receipt, fax with receipt, email, and phone calls. My first communication was sent on XXXX. They have sent me a copy of a signature page with a signature that looks like my signature, but I do not recognize the document nor do I remember ever signing it. The rest of the document is missing. Great Lakes cant find any of it except the page with the signature. Basically they have one sheet with a signature and no pages with any identifiable details on it. They are trying to make me pay them over {$7000.00} with a promissory note that is missing sections A-D and has no identifiable data with it or any terms to an agreement. They refuse to send a letter of deletion to the bureaus even though they do not have a complete contract and the paper that they do have, does n't have any details like address, DOB, Social Security Number, Name of School Attended, Loan Amount, ect. They only have a page with a signature. I am asking for help because I feel like this business has violated the FDCPA by not providing sufficient documentation and not removing the account from my credit report after I have sent various requests in several forms for them to either provide sufficient proof of the debt or remove the account. Instead they have decided to stick to their guns and claim that the page they sent me is sufficient proof. I have sent the page of the promissory note that they sent me. They have told me that they do not have the rest of the contract. I spoke with an attorney today and showed them the document and the attorney told me that the page they sent me is a legal document but it would not hold up in court because it does n't have any information or terms. I have repeatedly asked for the rest of the document and they have repeatedly refused to do anything. I have a ton of documentation of my conversations with them in the form of certified letters, fax, phone, email, and etc. I have attached just a few to give you an idea of what I 'm dealing with. Please help me resolve this matter and clear my name and my credit worthiness. If you need anymore details, then please ask. Thank You, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
11/16/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Account status incorrect	FL 33319	Web	Servicemember
Company Name : Great Lakes Company Type : Private Year Founded : XX/XX/XXXX Phone : ( XXXX ) XXXX Website : www.mygreatlakes.org Stafford Loans U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Payment Reference Number : XXXX I have two student loan providers Great Lakes and XXXX. And Great lakes is horrible. I am completely dissatisfied with Great Lakes. I have both a subsidized and unsubsidized loan at a higher interest rate. I am writing this complaint to warn CFPB and other students who have loans or any associations with this company. Make sure to document " everything. " There is some serious unethical practices going on with this company and someone needs to make them accountable for what they are doing to consumers. They are not competent to manage any data in regards to loans. This is ruining my life, I lost the house I was in contract to buy right before it closed. Now I am stuck, and someone else bought the house it took me 2 years to find! My credit went from XXXX to XXXX.. 300 point drop form a 90-180 days or more past due DELINQUENCIES I Filed disputes with Credit B 's and I even called on XX/XX/XXXX and speak with the agent XXXX XXXX XXXX and the supervisor XXXX Ext XXXX I also emailed her. she looked into the account and could n't explained why my old account ending in XXXX from XX/XX/XXXX was still showing up as negative when I have a new account ( XXXX ) thats positive and paid as agreed she also advise me to dispute the old closed negative account which I explained to her I did multiple times and its still there. I only hope is to file a complaint to get those late payments or entire old account removed. I have been making all my payments and understand it is my responsibility to pay my loans. This is seriously effecting my life, already lost the house, now my car is breaking down, and can not get approved to get another one because of these late payments. The late payments were reported on XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX on all three CB '' s as serious delinquencies. I currently have an account that I 've been paying on time for 12 or more even when my account is in forbearance I still call in and make a payment. The dates are listed below. XXXX ACCOUNT NUMBER : XXXX XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX XXXX- ACCOUNT NUMBER : XXXX XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX XXXX- ACCOUNT NUMBER : XXXX XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX
08/30/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	OK 73069	Web	Servicemember
I had issues with this loan, which honestly my credit score at the time should have NEVER even been approved it was a shock to me and my spouse. I kept the loan in deferment as long as I could while waiting to see about the lawsuit with XXXX XXXX and also was talking with Great Lakes about my XXXX. My loan came up last fall and when I would call Great Lakes they would refer me to another number and the next thing I know I am getting 5 to 20 calls a day mostly recorded about student loan debt. Around mid XX/XX/XXXX I sent my first XXXX request via US mail as I did not have a computer. The phone calls got so bad that I really cant answer my phone for fear that most are scams. They look like cell phone numbers. My understanding was everything was kind of in limbo because of the hold up on the XXXX XXXX XXXX. and it could take even a year. I had checked the box to have collections stopped etc. In XXXX I receive notice that my XXXX checks are being garnished over {$200.00} a month, my credit score dropped, and we were getting ready to purchase a home using my husbands VA loan but can not because they put me in the XXXX system. Thinking my application was pending the long XXXX system I never saw this coming. I wrote the XXXX and received a reply XXXX XXXX. They claim they sent me notice in XX/XX/XXXX. This is not true at all. I most definently would not have missed that. I do not think the USDOE understood my letter as really their response made no sense to me and really all they did was point fingers back to servicers and the XXXX. I redid the XXXX application on line XXXX XXXX. I wish I had kept track of EVERY conversation and communication I ever had. I personally experienced and was vocal about XXXX XXXX from the start, I experienced a good portion of the complaints proven against them in court myself. These were actually reasons I only ever attended the school after seeing one class into my second session that it was NOT going to be better. I have a HUGE issue with the government letting this loan go in my name at the time when they were already aware of what XXXX XXXX was doing and my credit at the time was beyond terrible. Furthermore they have made it impossible to take care of it. Great LAkes points me to USDOE, USDOE point me to Great LAkes or a XXXX servicer. I am XXXX but I am not listed as permanent and I have not filed for XXXX relief. I don't understand why this has gotten to this point. I want the garnishment stopped and the loan off my credit and out of the system. It is way more than myself that this effects. The government knew this school was defrauding me when I enrolled in the summer of XXXX. My intention was to try to better myself and it has done nothing but the opposite.
04/08/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	TX 77067	Web
Good day, Due to the fact that I have to take care of my mother, home expenses and bills, I have not been making payments or consistent payments to my student loans. The money that was being used to make payment on all loans has now been for my mother, as we live together, care and well being as she does not work. My mother is currently attempting to appeal her XXXX which was stated by the law firm that took on her case as a 18-24 month process as she has been hospitalized with her condition for 16 times within 3 1/2 years. We are currently waiting for her doctors to set up a date for one or both of her XXXX XXXX. I attempted/currently attempting each month to make payments to My Great Lakes which the total owed to them is {$30000.00} as of this date, XX/XX/XXXX. I put whatever I can on it when possible as I am no longer eligible for forbearance according to their website information system. Also, I have XXXX XXXX which is {$790.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX student loan for {$95.00} a month. When I talked to a representative vial phone call from XXXX XXXX, the gentleman stated that I may not be eligible and that he would submit my information in which time a representative will be emailing me the decision. These has not been paid for 3-4 months as my mother health has been an issue for going on four years now and I have to take care of her and her portions of the bills as we were partnering on all bills for many years. In addition, the issue with repayment originally stemmed from the complaint I submitted from XX/XX/XXXX stating that we did not get properly educated with the constant swapping of instructor whether in beginning of the semester, mid-term, etc. We were also misled financially and job opportunity wise. This is part of the exact same reasoning XXXX XXXX XXXX were shutdown immediately in XX/XX/XXXX. This was 6 months after I filed my complaint. I must admit that I did not originally call the Administrative Director over the campus but once my case was closed I then attempted several times to call the Administrative Director with no success and by that time the news of XXXX XXXX closing had already happened. I am nowhere close to a good financial situation as I have already did the first step to officially filing bankruptcy by completing the Certificate of Counseling through XXXX XXXX XXXX. Even still, I do not have the {$1800.00} ( {$1500.00} for hiring lawyer and {$330.00} for filing documents ) to even follow through with that. I am also sure that my income tax will be garnished and feel like I am at a dead end. My head is spinning in some ways I do not know what to do and need some kind of assistance or relief.
05/24/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	SC 290XX	Web
XXXX called me on my cell phone and left a voicemail saying they were " returning my call regarding student loan forgiveness. '' They called on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX in the afternoon. I called the number suggested : XXXX on the XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX, since I had recently inquired about the teacher loan forgiveness program to my loan service provider. I called and was transferred to XXXX XXXX of the National Student Aid Care program who said he could help me register for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program until I could qualify for the XXXX Loan Forgiveness Program. He knew about both programs extensively, my exact loan amount, my interest amount, how many loans I had, my current monthly payment, and that I had recently come off of income-driven repayment. He asked to verify my identification by sending a 6 digit code to my email address, so I went to that email ( which he knew ) and read him the code that was sent. I later realized that email was a request to reset my password on my Federal Student Aid account. He changed my password after the phone call. He asked about my address, income, family size, mom 's number and address, aunt 's number and address, and many charming, personal questions. He sounded very knowledgeable and helpful. He said he could get my loan down to $ XXXX/month for 4 months and then $ XXXX/month for 120 months until my loan would then be forgiven if I had served as a teacher for that time. The monthly payment would change as my family size did. Interest would also not accrue during this period. He said he needed an account and routing number from my bank to have on file until I could get him my mom 's new account info. He knew what bank I was a member of. It was not until I was in the midst of signing and reading an e-contract sent to me that I realized the {$790.00} of the first four payments would go to him and his company, not my loan balance. Then, when asked if I could talk to my mother before finishing signing, he said I should go ahead and sign because I could cancel the program at any time. I was not comfortable with this, looked up the number, and realized it had to be a scam. I have filed complaints with the Federal Student Aid program, report this to my loan service provider, frozen my bank accounts, changed my Federal Student Aid information, added a verbal password to my loan account, and put an initial fraud alert through XXXX. I will also contact my local police and see if any further steps need to be taken. Please DO NOT hesitate to contact me for further information. I have all of the supposed addresses/numbers/faxes of the company/man, and I have the emails he sent to me.
05/28/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	WI 535XX	Web	Servicemember
I have been out of school and paying down my debt for a couple of years. I decided to switch how my payments were applied and paid off a vehicle that was very close to being paid off. On XX/XX/XXXX I looked at my student loans, and because of what my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX billing statement said at the time I decided to adjust what I was paying. My statement said that I was paid ahead by {$4300.00} and my next required payment was not due for 14 months. So I changed my payments, while continuing to pay {$100.00} per month to continue my paid ahead status. When I was completed paying off my vehicle, on XX/XX/XXXX my balance had not changed so I didn't think anything of it. My statement said that I was still paid ahead by nearly {$600.00} and I didn't have to make a payment until XX/XX/XXXX. So I started back up making payment well above my required amount to further reduce this debt. But after a few months of making these payments, not a single dollar was reducing the debt. They were applying to accrued interest and nothing off the principle. But 4 month later on my XX/XX/XXXX billing statement ( while they were not applying any to principle ) I was paid ahead at {$1000.00} and didn't owe a payment until XX/XX/XXXX. Not only did they not disclose the payment were being charged to accrued interest, they did not give me updated statement balances, and they held my money that I had paid and didn't apply it correctly. This company is acting fraudulently and in bad faith to not only me but I would venture to guess Thousands of consumers who are using them for their student loans. If they are telling me I am paid ahead, that money should have been used to cover any accrued interest, and or been applied to straight principle. If they are saying I do not owe a payment, how is it that I can still be charged interest? I have reached out to Great Lakes and was treated very rudely by both the customer service agent as well as her supervisor. I submitted a XXXX XXXX XXXX complaint and got a canned response, not even answering my questions or concerns. I demand action be taken to fix this issue because the American consumers are being gutted by this company who is not handling payments in the correct way and not being truthful in the amounts of debt owed. They " hide '' the true balance which gives consumers a false narrative of their account. This is extreme bad faith and needs to be corrected. I would like my account reviewed and any fees credited back to my debt. I have recently gotten so sick of dealing with this company I am refinancing with another company to get away from these unfair and deceptive practices.
05/11/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	OH 450XX	Web
To Whom It May Concern : I am not writing to dispute the accuracy of the way my loan or the payments of the loan have been calculated, rather the appalling results of how the account 100 % benefits the lender and leaving the consumer ( me ) treated extremely unfairly. Below is an explanation of why I feel this way. I finished my school education in XXXX and shortly after consolidated my student loans with Great Lakes Borrower Services. At that time my balance was {$68000.00} and today ( nearly 12 years later ) my balance is {$76000.00}. You would think I have not made any payments and the result of that is fees Etc. increasing my total loan amount, but that is far from the case. My first few years out of college I did struggle to find a decent paying job that would allow me to make payments on my account but I did what I could and asked for deferments when I knew I just could not make the payments. I asked for assistance on the loan amount, but none was ever offered nor provided so I would have to defer my payments until I felt I could start paying again. At times I would pay small amounts just to make some sort of payment. Whenever I came into a bit of money I would try and make larger payments to also reduce the loan amount. I finally was able to get on my feet and start working a decent paying steady job and making my payments every single month so here is my main complaint. I have not paid very close attention to my loan balance since I knew I had to pay on it a while, but recently looked at what I currently owe and I about had a XXXX XXXX . Over the course of my loan I have paid {$31000.00}, but STILL ow e {$76000.00} on a {$68000.00} loan! Seriously! I did some research on my account and notice that out of the {$31000.00} only {$1700.00} has gone towards my principle! Also, during the time I kept expressing concerns about not working and trying so very hard to pay what I could I was hit with thousands in interest charges! So somehow I have paid bac k ~45 % of my loan, but still owe ~110 % of the loan! How is this even legal? At this point I am not even sure paying the loan is worth it or even an option since the more I pay the more I owe. I understand the concept of borrowing and paying interest, but the way this whole thing has worked out it seems like this is taking advantage of consumers not only when they are at their worst, but also at their best. At a minimum I would hope that the institution would waive the {$9500.00} of interest charges they hit me with while I was struggling to work and asking for assistance. I thank you for your time in reviewing my complaint.
08/19/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Need information about my balance/terms	TX 75068	Web
On XXXX XXXX FFEL loan serviced by XXXX XXXX XXXX disappeared from XXXX website including historical payment and interest paid. Called XXXX on XXXX XXXX and was advised loan was resold back to guarantor Great Lakes Education. Next day XXXX XXXX, luckily I observed email from Great Lakes requesting payment due in 9 days when monthly payment was previously accepted for XXXX by XXXX! [ see attached ] Both XXXX & Great Lakes failed to send any prior written correspondence informing of future change in creditor, loan balance, amortization schedule, payment amount, how last payment would be applied, or where to send future payments. Without personal vigilant proactive awareness, I would not be aware of a change in this debt ownership, or balance details! I called Great Lakes and their rep informed me they only send digital notification for account issues and the responsibility to notify change in ownership should be from XXXX. Great Lakes website had outdated contact information for me except for my email address which was the only contact that was still valid. How do I know their balance calculation is correct without any written correspondence to confirm??! In my recorded call to Great Lakes, their rep also advised me to ignore the statement due date while they try and " figure it out '' despite interest accruing each day. I can not just ignore a payment request and hope they " figure it out ''. XXXX advised me that Great Lakes should have notified new change in ownership while Great Lakes points blame at XXXX. Both servicers are not legally handling this migration correctly and giving no valid proof of debt. I request Great Lakes send me an amortization schedule to validate the transferred loan amount, the calculated interest, payment calculation, and historical payment information. Great Lakes advised me they do not provide amortization charts which I feel is a violation of my FDCPA and TILA rights. The loan has already accrued new interest while I am in dispute. Great Lakes has tried to redirect me to the statement balance which is NOT a VALIDATION of debt pursuant to 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 ( b ) of the FDCPA. To recap, I am asking these lenders to validate the original debt by providing original written bearer of instrument of original loan documentation, provide full method of verification of origination loan balance principle, interest amortization disclosure, and fees for this debt up to and including the transfer to Great Lakes. I also want transparent information how my XXXX XXXX payment was applied to the loan balance prior to the XXXX XXXX loan transfer.
12/30/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IL 60153	Web	Servicemember
My balance should be less than $9,000 they charge me the wrong interest. They have not resolve this matter. Great lakes and XXXX college XXXX XXXX XXXX The begin and end dates for all terms. The enrollment status during each term as either half-time or full-time. Please note, we cannot accept part-time as a valid status. An authorized officials name, title, signature and signature date. This documentation can be returned by email to the address listed below, uploaded through the forms section of your mygreatlakes.org online account, faxed to telephone number XXXX, or mailed to: Great Lakes Borrower Services XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX Upon receipt of at least half-time certified enrollment verification from your school, your request for deferment will be evaluated, and you will be advised of any change to the status of your account. If necessary, the deferment will be applied retroactively to the date you began attending at least half time, as provided by your school. We hope the information provided is helpful. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact our Borrower Services Department by telephone at XXXX XXXX (Please note that some calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes), or by email at XXXX. Sincerely, Complaint Resolution Team Original Message From: "XXXX XXXX" Received: XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX CST To: "Great Lakes Borrower Services" Subject: RE: School and financial aid : I'm currently in school or going back to school, and I want to know why I'm getting billed The did already On XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, "Great Lakes Borrower Services" wrote: Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. If you were still attending school as of XX/XX/XXXX. Please have your school send us a complete enrollment history, which should include all of the following: The beginning and end date for all terms (month/day/year). Your status during each term, specified as either a full or half-time student (we cannot accept part-time). The name, title and signature of an authorized school official. If you still have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. [XXXX XXXX\|tel:XXXX] or [XXXX XXXX\|tel:(XXXX] TTY XXXX Monday Friday XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Central time Residents of CA, CT, DC, IA, MI, NC, OR, and VT: Under the law of these states, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc
02/18/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	NJ 07042	Web
This is the second time I have requested a reduction in payment from Great Lakes and received a notice 2 months later that my payment was over {$100.00} more than when I submitted. It turned out the first time XX/XX/XXXX they lost my paperwork. I had to reapply, all the time the interest continues to build.I am having this problem with Great Lakes again. I contacted them very upset. The agent took my information, saw my application sitting in the system and did something to cue it. Again, interest still adding up. I received a phone call from someone who identified themselves from Great Lakes who offered me a year payment of {$1400.00} per month which was lower than the {$1500.00} I was paying. This was a major expense and many times left me without money to pay utility bills and buy food. In XXXX, XXXX my husband had a XXXX XXXX. His company outsourced their tech services and the technicians were picked up but at a cut of {$10000.00} less in their salaries. I contacted Great Lakes again in XX/XX/XXXX as I was not able to make the payment. The agent asked me if I thought of submitting a reduction in payment application or whatever it is called and I told her that I did that last year, but the effort and annoyance only yielded me {$100.00} less, barely. She gave me an estimate over the phone based on the information I could provide which was significantly lower than what I was currently being asked to pay. I had the paperwork of everything she used to get the estimate, so my numbers were accurate. Again, I submitted my information and on this past Friday received notice from Great Lakes that on XX/XX/XXXX my payment would be {$1500.00}. I sincerely believe Great Lakes is intentionally causing significant interest accumiliations on my student loan account. As it is, my account has swelled significantly since dealing with them. I am so disgusted with them. No company can be this inept and continue to operate millions of dollars. How much has their inability to process my request cost me, twice over, in interest costs. The fact that I have another student loan separate from this one allows me to receive a reduction. I am not even able to complete my doctoral work because I have taken my all of my classes less 1 credit which I need when I defend my research findings and need to finish my dissertation but the student loan system does not allow a stop on your loan if you don't take two courses. Now XXXX College is requiring you to be enrolled to defend your proposal and I can't afford with my student loan payments. I hope CFPB can help me to acquire doable solution.
03/31/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	NY 132XX	Web
We have decided after paying off my husbands student loans to make extra payments on mine to pay them off quickly with less interest. We went on the mygreatlakes.org website to pay a {$400.00} extra payment. My husband noticed pretty quickly that the website was not set up in a way to find " important '' repayment information. He tried to find out what my different loan interest rates were and I said, " no it is just XXXX loan ''. He has had more experience with these matters and informed me that there were actually several loans which would have different interest rates. He could not find them so he used the search function entering " my interest rate '' ... which did not lead to the interest rate. Now he was irritated and motivated to find them, which he did finally find them under a tab that was titled " Student Loan obligation Statement ''. With that completed we went on to make our extra payment on the highest interest rate loan. After going through the entire online payment process he realized it did not allude to nor give an option to pay the loans separately nor identify any of the interest rates. Frustrated he called them and asked how he would go about paying on XXXX loan? We were informed that you can not do it online ; we have been in other online websites for student loans which all show interest rates and give the option to apply your extra payment as you see fit. To apply the payment to a specific loan we had to call in and ask them to do such. Then he asked for email confirmation that this conversation had taken place and they were going to apply the money as requested. She said no we ca n't give you any confirmation you will have to call back in a couple of days to find out if it was done ... unreal. Another item to think about is that if you make any payment, although their website states how it is applies, there is no way to confirm or verify what was done with your money. There is no history or tracking of monies applied only monies paid ; talk about a lack of accountability to the customer. I am afraid that mistakes happen and errors can be made ... we, the account holders, should have full disclosure of all MONIES paid and how they are applied rather than a payment. My husband has the knowledge to see these things, but most I would say, including myself, do not. It would be nothing for this company to take advantage of us since there is literally no way to see or dispute anything they do. At best this is poor design, management, and oversight ... at worst this could be criminal. We have pics of the sight to show our claims if needed.
07/14/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	NC 28803	Web
My issue is regarding excess payment allocation. Great Lakes Educational Loan Services is the servicer of my Stafford loans. I have 4 Stafford loans in total, each with a different interest rate. The highest interest loan is called " Loan Token 330. '' My monthly payment date for these loans is the XX/XX/XXXX of every month. In XX/XX/XXXX, I paid my monthly payment via autopay on XX/XX/XXXX. I also wished to make an excess payment in the amount of {$800.00} toward Loan Token 330. I called the Great Lakes customer service phone number on XX/XX/XXXX to make the excess payment. Great Lakes customer service was closed on XX/XX/XXXX due to the XX/XX/XXXX holiday, so I was not able to reach customer service. Great Lakes customer service reopened on XX/XX/XXXX, so I called on XX/XX/XXXX to make my excess payment. The customer service representative promised over the phone that my excess payment would be applied to Loan Token 330 only, and promised it would not be applied to my XX/XX/XXXX monthly payment. I logged into my Great Lakes online account on XX/XX/XXXX and saw that the excess payment was applied to my next monthly payment, instead of being applied to Loan Token 330 only. I called Great Lakes again on XX/XX/XXXX. For the first time, Great Lakes customer service explained to me that an excess payment must be made on the monthly payment due date if it is to be applied to a particular loan, and not to the next monthly payment. This information is not available anywhere on the Great Lakes website. The Great Lakes website states that an excess payment will go toward the next monthly payment first, but it does not state anywhere that the excess payment must be made on the monthly payment date to avoid this. Furthermore, I was told conflicting information during my phone call on XX/XX/XXXX : Great Lakes customer service told me that the excess payment would apply to Loan Token 330 only. During the call on XX/XX/XXXX, Great Lakes customer service told me that an " exception '' would be made for my payment, because they were closed on my payment due date, and because their customer service told me incorrect information on XX/XX/XXXX. The " exception '' would fix my excess payment so that it would go toward Loan Token 330 instead of my XX/XX/XXXX payment. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Great Lakes again and was informed that the " exception '' did not go through and my excess payment would remain applied to my XX/XX/XXXX payment, rather than to Loan Token 330. I want the CFPB to help me get my excess payment applied to my desired loan.
06/25/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	CA XXXXX	Web
Good afternoon, This is in regards to the fees from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX University from the Spring and Fall of XX/XX/XXXX which I did not attend. In Fall of XX/XX/XXXX I transferred from XXXX to XXXX. It was my first time attending a private college and I was working full-time. Unfortunately, I was working as a XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and the XXXX was going through a high turn-over and was under new management. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX were unable to work with my school schedule and I had to drop out mid-fall semester XX/XX/XXXX. I never returned to XXXX. However , XXXX XXXX and I had email correspondence prior to the beginning of Spring XX/XX/XXXX Semester in hopes of returning. I had added courses in that attempt. XXXX XXXX advised me that I would not be able to attend the classes I selected because I did not have the prerequisites ( XXXX courses ). I followed up with a phone call at the time as well. I was then unable to drop these classes that I could not take because there was a hold with the health clinic due to vaccinations of the XXXX shots. I did not have the money to pay for these vaccinations. I am now in XXXX dollar debt because of this situation. I called several staff members of the XXXX system asking for help to clear this. Some replied others never did. I was able to get a female advisor in financial aid to assist me somewhat. I was told that I needed to come up with proof in order to remove these fees from my XXXX record/credit. The proof was that I show XXXX that I notified someone of my work changes in schedule. I have spent the last three years trying to resolve this. I have sent them countless emails to advice they are charging me for classes I never attended and that I could not drop these classes due to the holds on my records. I am unable to access emails from XXXX XXXX and other professors discussing the fact that I will not be attending and emails from XXXX XXXX XXXX on campus stating I had a hold on my records. These emails were erased from my XXXX email account as time goes by. XXXX XXXX has helped me but Great Lakes is stating that I owe XXXX approximately XXXX dollars. I did not attend Spring XX/XX/XXXX. I do not understand why the teachers would continue to bill if I was not there for the first day of class as I was told that I did not have the prerequisites per XXXX XXXX. I have forwarded you all the emails I could find on my personal email account to support what I am saying. Please help me. Thank you for your time. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX regards, XXXX XXXX
05/24/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	MO 64118	Web
Like many Americans, my wife and I have been paying student loan debt for the last 17 years. During the consolidation process in the XXXX 's our loans got locked in with 7.8 % interest rate, even though some of the loans had lower interest rates we figured it would be easier to manage the loans. After the consolidation process-I was paying between $ 500-600 dollars a month on my student loan but because of the 7.8 % interest rate and several forbearance periods on the loans, the initial principal balance kept growing out of control. Besides the interest growing out of control it was also hard to keep track of who was servicing the loans. The loan servicers kept changing for both my wife and I, from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX to XXXX to Great Lakes, etc. we were not able to keep track of the payments we had made and the manner the loan servicer was applying for our payments. Each time the loan was sold or taken over by another servicer, they only showed the amounts from the time they received the loans and did not easily include past loan info from the other servic er ( s ). At one point a l ump sum payment in the amount of {$5000.00}, to my wives loan was completely applied just to interest and we saw no real drop in the amount owed. My wife and I suffered a tremendous loss during the financial crises of XXXX . Our savings and business were practically demolished. It was at this point, I reached out to my loan servicer and asked if I could negotiate a lower interest rate for the student loans, but I was denied. I was told that since we had consolidated a few years earlier, we could not reconsolidate and there were no other plans or income repayment opportunities. My only recourse was forbearance or deferment. I realize there are a number of income repayment plans now available and that works for new student loan borrowers, but it does n't do any good for older student loan borrowers that got trapped during the financial crises. Most our loans are loaded with interest and without the ability to renegotiate. Why is it that most banks got close to 0 % interest loans to pay down their debt during the financial crises of XXXX - XXXX , and y et US Citizens with student loan debt were not able to get refinancing and debt relief for whatever reason and were only provided with options that increased our debt load, and is keeping us tethered to unreasonable interest rates, unreasonable length of time for paying said debt and directly affecting our ability to purchase a home or property.
06/10/2015	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	CO 80525	Web
This complaint concerns a private student loan held by XXXX and serviced by Great Lakes. I began paying on this student loan in XXXX XXXX. From XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX I made every payment and additional payments worth about {$5500.00}. I made additional payments because of my plans to get a XXXX ; by making payments ahead I hoped to avoid making payments while enrolled as a XXXX student. Before describing the substance of this complaint I note that I had another student loan which I paid entirely during the XXXX period. I was scheduled to begin graduate school in XXXX XXXX. In late XXXX I called Great Lakes to ask about deferment. In particular I wanted to know if my best option was to go onto deferment or wait until the time in which I was paid ahead ( at this point, about XXXX years ) was over and then go on deferment. I explained that I was enrolling in graduate school and wanted to avoid payments if at all possible. The customer service rep explained that I should go on deferment and any period in which I was paid ahead would simply be begin at the end of my deferment period. In other words, after deferment I would still have roughly XXXX years in which no payments were required. In XXXX of XXXX Great Lakes informed me that I was out of deferment and I would have to resume making payments ; they explained to me that the payment clock resets after deferment and any time in which I was paid ahead is nullified because of the deferment. The customer service rep I spoke to in XXXX had apparently provided me with bad information ; I had been told my " paid ahead '' period would begin after my deferment ended but now, according to representatives at Great Lakes, this is not the case. I am in the curious position of being paid several years ahead on a loan yet simultaneously having monthly payments. Because I am still a XXXX student I struggle to make the monthly payments ( I should be done within XXXX months to a year ). I feel that this situation is largely the fault of Great Lakes. I was told bad information by a customer service representative in XXXX the thousands of dollars that I paid ahead have all but vanished now. Great Lakes has been non-responsive to my requests. I have been unable to contact anyone in the company besides front-line employees. I believe that because I am paid ahead on my loan by XXXX dollars, and because Great Lakes has given me bad information, I should be given a period of time in which I do n't have to make payments or perhaps I can make reduced payments.
07/24/2017	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	OH 45424	Web
On XXXX XXXX, 2017 my wages began to be garnished without any prior notification written or by phone. I had no idea who it was that was garnishing my wages, but after searching I found out that it was Great Lakes Financial. After discovering this I got in contact with them. They told me that in order to stop the garnishment I needed to send them last years tax information. I sent in my tax information on XXXX XXXX, 2017 but I also informed them that it was not an accurate representation of my family 's current situation, as we now had an additional dependent in a XXXX XXXX and also that my wife was no longer a full time worker but a part time worker and that she had been on XXXX leave for 4 months ( XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX) and had received partial pay during this time and no pay toward the end of the XXXX leave. They never took this into account during there calculations. On XXXX XXXX, 2017 I set up payment plan for my student loans. It was discovered that I met the financial requirements for hardship at XXXX XXXX monthly payments. They did n't tell me that even with me making payments that they would not remove the garnishment. XXXX XXXX, XXXX I submitted more financial information and how the wage garnishment was effectively putting my family of XXXX in to red to the company, to which they acknowledged but said I would have to continue to pay the hardship rate of XXXX XXXX monthly for 5 payments and continue to have 15 % of my wages garnished. The company said that even though my family was in hardship they would not remove the garnishment. I do n't understand how it is that my family qualifies for hardship but is still be expected to pay for the loan and have wages garnished each pay check and survive. It has become a struggle to even afford baby formula and we are falling behind on our bills. I feel that I was mislead especially in the beginning of the process and given incomplete and incorrect information, Great Lakes seemed uncaring of the financial situation my family is in, even going as far to say that in order for them to address the situation i need to send them an eviction notice. I understand that i am responsible for the loan and I plan to repay it. If I had received notification I would have addressed this issue sooner. I feel the stain that has been put on my family by the current payment is n't sustainable and is unnecessary. I also filed a XXXX ( XXXX loan forbearance form ) which I should be covered under but have n't gotten a response.
03/22/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	MD 21784	Web
On XX/XX/2019, I requested a new payment schedule change from my borrower, Great Lakes. The change was approved, and I entered my new payment schedule. However, after, I noticed that my " paid ahead '' status was now gone. Upon contacting my borrower, I was informed that a change in payment schedule results in a forfeiture of any " paid ahead status. '' Nowhere during the process of requesting this change online was this mentioned. I requested documentation of where I might find such information on two different occasions ; once on XX/XX/XXXX, again on XX/XX/XXXX, and finally on XX/XX/XXXX. Today, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received the following response : Thank you for your patience. I apologize for any frustration this may have caused. After review of our website, I too was unable to find any information regarding the paid ahead status during repayment changes. A request has been submitted to update the website to provide more information regarding the effects on your paid ahead status during repayment changes. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! To rectify this situation, we have reinstated your previous payment schedule as requested and you can continue to take advantage of your paid ahead status. You are currently paid ahead {$1500.00}. As a reminder your next auto pay withdrawal is scheduled for XX/XX/2019 in the amount of {$260.00}. Please note that you can view all of your account details online at any time by using the following steps : Log in to your account at our website, mygreatlakes.org. Click on My Accounts in the Navigation Bar at the top of the page. Select Account Summary from the drop down-list. Click the Account and Loan Details link in the Account Summary section. Click on Choose an Account to view the individual account specifics. You can also order a full account statement using these steps : Click My Accounts in the Navigation Bar. Select Student Loan Obligation Statement from the drop-down list. Click Printer-friendly View. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX Department Supervisor Great Lakes Educational Loan Services , Inc . ( XXXX ) XXXX or ( XXXX ) XXXX TTY XXXX Monday Friday XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Central time Though the issue has been rectified- I am concerned as to how this practice has adversely affected other borrowers, and the procedures/ policies Great Lakes has followed in revoking other borrowers ' " paid ahead '' statuses.
07/04/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	MO 631XX	Web
I briefly logged into my XXXX email after not being able to login for some time. I was given notice that my student loans were due before proceeding on to the income based repayment site to setup a new arrangement. I already had an arrangement in place, yet the following information showed up in my XXXX email, which I did not have access to, this University is presently under investigation regarding its environment and allowing it to be hostile to students and new information was sent to the Attorney Generals Office regarding their collection practices, before and after they were attempting to force collection efforts for an amount that was not factored correctly : CURRENT INFORMATION AS OF XX/XX/2017 Total Amount Due {$1400.00} Total Due By XX/XX/2017 Past Due Icon Your account is past due. Please see your billing statement for more information. This bill has 2 accounts : Stafford Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Payment Reference Number : XXXX Stafford Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Payment Reference Number : XXXX This payment, along with a {$5000.00} payment is set by the school for repayment. I recently just filed for unemployment benefits and may be working soon, as well as returning to school, however MANY efforts to force repayment have been occurring, along with efforts to force homelessness, impoverishment and inability to return to school have been gathered. I recently attempted to work with the school, and advised them, I could not speak to them regarding the debt owed while the investigation was going on as it would be a conflict of interest. They had called on a Monday and again on Friday ( Friday is when I shared this information with them ) after the two calls, I finally was able to login to my account and noticed extra charges on top of the ones that were not supposed to be added, as I never attended the Summer Session, also when I did attend the school I did not receive the services I was paying for. The reason that the services were not provided were some of the matters being brought up in the OCR and Missouri Commission on Human Rights investigation. These issues have been made aware to the Attorney General during the times when the school reached out for payment. An update to the Attorney General website is pending, as we acquired a confirmation number upon the most recent visit and will provide more updates, if no other case number has been assigned.
12/16/2019	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem Their investigation did not fix an error on your report	NY 12180	Web
Over the years I have disputed the way the Department of Education has been reporting my information. Loans taken out in XX/XX/XXXX, -XX/XX/XXXX with 36mo terms would have either become delinquent in first year or been paid in full by XX/XX/XXXXor aged off credit report in 7yrs of first delinquency. They are reporting first delinquency in XX/XX/XXXXas a means to keep on my report an additional 7yrs. They waited till the last moment to maximize the damage to my credit. Passing loans also does not make it a new loan or debt. Because multiple servicers have passed much of the information can not be verified. Loans taken out in XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX were sent to Great Lakes borrowers. Great Lakes has informed me they do not have record of who had loans prior or information about payment history. How is it possible to enforce this debt when chain of custody of these loans can not be verified? Both Great Lakes and Department of Education are reporting one loan in 3 ways. The department of education has split it in 2 and reporting as separate loans. They also claim I took out nearly 100k in student loans. I went to XXXX college not an XXXX XXXX XXXX to be a XXXX. What lender would give a young adult XXXX to go to XXXX college? A lender would not give a buyer 3 times a car value for purchase. It is not reasonable to believe I received this much. Both the lenders and schools have been unable or unwilling to show evidence I actually received any disbursements. I am unsure if my signature was used to falsely obtain loans I did not recieve or if signatures were forged. Each time I have disputed with credit bureaus or directly no changes are made except to increase balance. Even the number of loans they are reporting is inaccurate. According to the nslds.ed.gov website there are 11 loans yet reporting 15 on XXXX. Confirmed not another servicer. I believe there are duplicates. I have also requested proof of signatures and certification of debt. The only response I have received is a copy of master promissory note with an electronic signature. Not one hand signature to prove loans received. Master promissory note does not give dates, amounts, disbursements, interest rates or any financial information whatsoever. Truth in lending act states they are required to be forthcoming with this information. I want this information removed from my credit report as it has adversely affected my life and even cost me a job offer.
02/10/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	VA 22401	Web
About XX/XX/XXXX I began working toward filing a request for an IDR plan with Great Lakes Borrower service. They had contacted me regarding an upcoming payment to be made in the amount of {$1000.00}. This is far more than I can afford right now so I went onto their website to attempt to file for an IDR. I was told I qualified for an income driven repayment plan and was directed to studentloans.gov where I began to process my request. Part of the way through that application it sent me to irs.gov where I encountered my first problem. There was some problem with the irs.gov form submitting my information. As it was only a few weeks until my due date, I did not wish to rely on paper mail. So I called Great Lakes, figuring I must not be the first person with the problem. The person on the phone did not even let me finish explaining my problem before telling me just to download the app. She said that if I submitted my request on the app I could use images of my paychecks as proof of income and not have to worry about issues with the irs website. Wonderful. So I downloaded the app and submitted the requested documents, proof of payments over the last 90 days. The service told me that my documents had been accepted and that if they needed additional information to finalize my IDR plan request they would contact me. Today, the day BEFORE my payment was due, I logged in online just to ensure that everything was properly set up, only to discover that Great Lakes had never finalized my IDR, or perhaps they did, their website is so misleading I'm not sure, and they are already processing a payment for {$1000.00}. I was told that my lDR payment would be about {$120.00}. I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX, there is no way I can afford to pay over a thousand dollars a month for anything, let alone a loan which will qualify for forgiveness after 10 years of payments. I tried to contact Great Lakes, somehow they are able to process my payment on a non business day but are unable to answer the phone. I feel as though they have on their website, on their app, and through personal communication attempted to mislead me about what I needed to do to re-new my IDR. I have submitted a complaint with them as well, requesting a refund on the incorrect and early payment or that this payment be applied toward future payments. They are a horrible service, and if it is possible for me to finance my loans through someone else, I would like to do that.
11/27/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IA 50263	Web
I scheduled a payment on XX/XX/XXXX for XX/XX/XXXX, knowing I had my first payment due XX/XX/XXXX. I also set up automatic payments the same day and saw that it said they could take a few days to set up and that if I had a payment due within 10 days, I would be responsible for making it. As the terms and conditions didn't state that the automatic payment would pull regardless of if the payment had already been made I thought things were fine, and didn't think anything of the confirmation email I received stating the first due date for the auto pay would be the XXXX as I knew the payment would be in process shortly. Then on XX/XX/XXXX they pulled a duplicate payment for the payment due XX/XX/XXXX, and I was unaware of this until I went to pay another bill and realized my account balance was shockingly low. I called customer service who told me for the first time that the payments pull no matter what and I needed to skip an automatic payment etc., and when I asked for a supervisor the line was disconnected. I called back and was able to be connected to a supervisor named XXXX employee number XXXX, and he stated that the terms clearly indicated that the payment would be pulling regardless, and I stated they didn't he then read some terms to me that again didn't explicitly state that it would pull even if the regular payment had been satisfied, and said that there was no reason it had to say this. Every other bank has to clearly disclose if they are going to be pulling the payment regardless of it being satisfied before the payment due date. He told me the payment pulled XX/XX/XXXX satisfied the XX/XX/XXXX payment but it would still pull a payment XX/XX/XXXX unless I cancelled the Automatic payment. I just received an email this morning stating my automatic payment would be made soon which leads me to believe the XXXX payment was not satisfied. But I was also told that in order for them to refund the payment to me it would take 30-45 days, which is astronomical and unfair. I'm adding a copy of the terms and conditions documents provided through the automatic payment sign up so you can see it. It specifically says " if you have payments due on any of your loans, you are responsible for manually paying your scheduled monthly payments until you are notified that your Auto Pay request has been processed. '' this implies that they will only be pulling the scheduled monthly payment that is due.
12/06/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	TX XXXXX	Web
I will try and make a long story short but basically, I have paid off my student loan in full upon graduation, and for whatever reason the loan still shows I owe money and it continues to grow interest of course each day. When I first discovered this, I tried resolving it with the parties involved and to no avail have I gotten anywhere with these people. Upon graduation in 2011 my father paid my student loan in full, he was at my apartment and asked me to call right then and get the payoff amount because he was going to write a check for the balance that day. I called and was given the payoff amount and my Dad wrote the check for that amount, I then placed the check in the mail to them. I have attempted phone calls, emails, faxes, and postal mail and through dealing with either no response or no return call or email reply and lousy customer service when I finally did get a reply the first one was basically yep you owe the money in question and the last reply ( which I have attached the document ) was basically telling me I owe it because of a time frame in when the check was received. Well first off, the letter stated that I requested a payoff amount via on- line well that is not true like I mentioned above I called them on the telephone my father was sitting right next to me and was writing a check for the balance that 's why he said get them on the phone right now, so I can write the check and pay it off. I would n't have asked for a payoff amount and then wait 4 or 5 months later to send them a check that 's insane. My father is a witness to all this and my father is a hard-working honest man and lives life morally right. The bottom line is I paid the amount of the loan off way early and however they chose to allocate it is their problem and or wrong doing. I would not have asked for the pay off balance if I was n't going to pay the loan off in full the day XXXX called. Obviously, they have gotten their files disorganized and their information mixed up and they need to hold themselves accountable. I guess they are upset because they couldnt gain interest on my account due to the fact I paid it off early before it could draw any interest which I am sure not many people are fortunate enough to do. They should be ashamed trying to suck what any money they can from struggling students in the world just trying to further their education and better their lives and future.
09/04/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	SC 29464	Web
I am recently widowed with a XXXX year old and soon to be delivered XXXX XXXX. Great Lakes is my student loan servicer. I submitted a payment for approximately {$140000.00} for my student loan payoff which was received on or about XXXX XXXX, XXXX. The payment was cashed and funds withdrawn from my account. The payment showed as processing on my online system as of XXXX XXXX, XXXX. On XXXX XXXX, I contacted the servicer because the payment was still showing processing. I was told it can take a few days but interest would no longer accrue as of the date received - XXXX XXXX. This past week I followed up again because an auto draft payment was processed and the larger payment was still outstanding. I was told the payment was sent to the incorrect place and that it was being " processed '' to return the funds. All the while interest was still due and accruing. Now I completely understand that if I sent to the wrong place that is an issue I need to deal with but I followed up with my servicer to see if there was a problem. When I spoke with an agent she said they knew on XXXX XXXX the payment was not made to the correct place but it can take 30-45 days to have a new check issued to me. As of XXXX XXXX, the payment was still showing as processing on my online system and a new " check '' was still being processed to return the funds. However by cashing my check the servicer converted those funds and took title to them. If it was sent to the wrong location there was no need to cash my money and then keep that money for now 30+ days. Had the check not been cashed I could have had the payment voided by the bank and reissued to be sent to the correct location. But now the servicer is saying that even though I followed up and was given false information I must pay the loan interest for this entire month! How is that right they can take my money for 30 days, preventing me from earning interest on those funds, while at the same time charging me interest when they told me the payment was just being processed. Again if the servicer had not cashed my check and again taken title to those funds I would have been alerted to some issue and been able to rectify this easily and quickly. But not only did they cash my check and take my money, the servicer gave me false information preventing me from being able to minimize my exposure to additional interest charged on my loans.
06/21/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NY 11218	Web
I went to XXXX XXXX at XXXX in XXXX and XXXX school year. Graduation was in XX/XX/XXXX. I took out 6 loans via XXXX. They were 2 Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loans 2 Federal Subsidized Stafford Loans 1 Fed Direct Grad PLUS Loan For roughly $ 55K total The loan rates varied between 6.5 % -8.5 % - which I was told would be able to be refinanced as they were too high and that was not true. After school, those loans were sold to different companies, all of whom I had to chase down to figure our where/how to pay my bill. The different companies were XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Over time, I paid of 2 of the loans as well as paying monthly payments. I think that's all and then I was contacted by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( which no longer exists ) and swindled into consolidating into 1 loan - they said it would lower interest and put me on a PAYE to lower payments as I was struggling living in XXXX trying to make them. Unfortunately, that was also not true, my percent is 7.75 % ( 7.5 % with auto-pay ) and while I have a PAYE, my balance continues to grow and is now 41 % HIGHER than I borrowed. It feels like a black hole. I have repeatedly asked for a way to lower the interest rates and I have been told that only an act of Congress could do that. Additionally I have verbally and in writing ( via their website ) requested that payments could be applied to the principal. They said no, only when interest is done, later they contradicted by saying that if I paid more than the minimum payment, I could direct that to be applied to principal. I just submitted an excess payment and specified that it should be applied to a loan section with less interest and a lower amount and they refused to do so, holding it as " pending '' until the next billing cycle and then not applying it where I specified. I am infuriated and fed up with being taken advantage of. I have asked for a copy of my Master Promissory Note, my servicer told me I had to go to the studentloans.gov site to find that - there is no record of it there, when I emailed to ask where it was the studentloans.gov site told me I had to ask my provider for that. It seems no one can produce my Master Promissory note. I have also asked for a complete record of my accounts what I have paid who as I am trying to determine what I have actually already paid as my balance NEVER GOES DOWN. Please advise.
02/10/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	CA 90027	Web
XX/XX/XXXX, Great Lakes told me that my student loan payment was jumping up from {$270.00} a month to {$560.00} a month because I made a few thousand dollars more than the year before. That would be the payment under income-based repayment. I called and asked why my payment was almost doubled considering I only made a little more than the year before, and no one could give me a good answer. I asked if there were other options, and they said that I could pay {$5.00} to apply for the PAYE program. While this was going on, I had also hand-written a XXXX-page letter explaining that I could not afford a $ XXXX monthly payment, asking for a reconsideration of this amount. I faxed them this letter and mailed it to them. When I called again to check on the status of my application, I was told that I was not eligible for the PAYE program. I asked why I was made to pay a {$5.00} application fee if I was never eligible. I did n't get a good answer but was told that I could apply for the REPAYE program to get my monthly payment down. To make a long story short, I keep getting emails and letters that my income-based application is in process and that my $ XXXX monthly payments will begin on XX/XX/XXXX. I have called them probably a dozen times by this point to ask again and again for the status of my REPAYE application, and I keep getting the run-around. Every time, it 's a different story -- '' We need a paycheck stub. The application is still in process ( after several weeks ). Your payment will be {$560.00} a month. '' I have given them all of the information they need to make a decision on my REPAYE application, and yet it always seems to be in process. I even asked to speak to a manager last time who said she would make a note to rush my REPAYE application, only to get another email from them about my income-based repayment. I 'm tired of constantly calling them and getting the run-around. I feel like I am being pushed to make a payment I can not afford -- a payment which has no justification based on my income -- or pushed into forbearance where my interest will continue to compound and accrue. I am trying to pay off my student loan in earnest. I need a straight answer from them with regards to my REPAYE application. I need a lower monthly payment than {$560.00}. I 'm not sure where that number comes from. Can CFPB help, please?
07/05/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	CO 80237	Web
My payments are being allocated incorrectly. I'm almost {$10000.00} ahead of schedule and when I make an excess payment I select to have 100 % of the excess payment go towards my loan with the highest interest rate. I assumed that when I make that payment it would first pay off all the interest for all loans in the account and then pay the remaining balance towards the specified loan. However, when I looked at the payment it paid principal and interest to all loans in the account. For example, on XX/XX/XXXX I made a payment of {$1000.00}. I specified that I want 100 % of the funds to go to loan token XXXX. And my default excess payment preference is set to 100 % of the excess to loan XXXX as well. Below as you can see only {$690.00} went to the loan I specified which is 75 % .. XX/XX/XXXX Payment {$1000.00} Principal - {$920.00} Interest - {$73.00} Late Fees - {$0.00} Balance - {$25000.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$29.00} Applied to Interest {$8.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$2900.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$37.00} Applied to Interest {$8.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$3700.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$8.00} Applied to Interest {$1.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$830.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$47.00} Applied to Interest {$10.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$4600.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$690.00} Applied to Interest {$13.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$2100.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$47.00} Applied to Interest {$12.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$4700.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$17.00} Applied to Interest {$4.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$1700.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$6.00} Applied to Interest {$1.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$610.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$18.00} Applied to Interest {$5.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$1800.00} Applied to Loan Token XXXX Applied to Principal {$19.00} Applied to Interest {$6.00} Applied to Late Charges {$0.00} Unpaid Principal {$1900.00}
04/29/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Improper use of your report Reporting company used your report improperly	CA 90026	Web
I recently saw the director on XXXX XXXX and it gave me the motivation to state my experience. Here it goes. I graduated with a XXXX and went into a XXXX XXXX / XXXX XXXX under a paid grant service agreement because I 'm working in XXXX XXXX .I h ave to work for 2 years for every year I went to school ( not sure if this is I had a loan during my XXXX , but still was in school so it was in forbea rance. Stafford Loan, OWED Current Principle : XXXX Current Accrued Interest : {$1700.00} Total Balance : {$56000.00} Estimated Interest Accuring Monthly : XXXX Estimated Accrued Interest when your forbearance ends : XXXX ( Whoa!!!!, I just realized that they are taking advantage of me. ) Finished my XXXX XXXX . in XXXX XXXX and finished my units for my XXXX XXXX , but still need to complete my units. Technically, I have 5 years to complete my thesis under my agreement. I 'm just finishing my second year of XXXX as a XXXX XXXX XXXX In XX/XX/XXXX , I received a call from GREAT LAKES EDUCATIONAL LOAN SERVICES, INC. They let m e know that I have n't paid my loan for 3 months. I did n't receive a letter in the mail notifying that I owed anything. They said they have been emailing me at an old XXXX account. I got no letter, no phone call, I feel, until it was too late. When I did finally talk to them, I let them know what was going on and they approved my request for forbearance until XX/XX/XXXX . Meanwhile, I needed to move and get a new car because my car got totaled and ran my credit which is considered very poor, making my quality of life very hard. Plus, I 'm an XXXX XXXX and needs a car to travel to my XXXX schools to provide service to my XXXX . Everything became very overwhelming and un-affordable. I called Great Lakes after my credit check to ask them to help me fix my credit score issue because I needed a car. They told me there was nothing they could do because I did n't make a payment for 3 months. I begged talked to supervisor 's, no compassion. I feel hopeless because I want to move, but I ca n't because no one will accept me without a cosigner or high interest rates. Please help, not sure if this situation qualifies for your services. Thank you for all you do and giving people a voice.
08/14/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	TX 75220	Web
In XX/XX/XXXX, I was told by XXXX XXXX told my that my financial aid refund would be in my account ( stipend ). I was in need of my money because I was using a loaner computer, and I needed a new computer. She told me it would be in my account by XX/XX/XXXX. It was not there. Ms. XXXX told me that my federal loans paid on XX/XX/XXXX, but I still had a balance owed on the tuition. After that I was left with {$88.00}. She said they were waiting on my Pell grant to refund me for the computer and living expenses, which she promised me that it would be there any day. My Pell did not come until XX/XX/XXXX. In between that time they had told me they could expedite my funds. I am not sure what I am paying for, since they do not supply me with any award letters showing the balance I was awarded in loans for the any school year. I talked to her last week, and she told me that I get my check mailed on XX/XX/XXXX. Now I am being told that my check will have too wait another 14 days, it is a process, which they can not explain, nor do they have any administrative policy on how refund ( stipends ) are allocated to students. I have a XXXX GPA, I have been in this program for 1 and 1/2 years, I took a break, but I am a good student, so I do not understand why I am being placed on hold and I need my funds. The financial aid workers seems like they are making promises and will tell you anything to get you off the phone. There are no clear policies on how this financial aid refund process works. Most school have defined polices on how refunds ( stipends ) are reimbursed to students, they seem to have a willy nilly policy. Although they have a campus in XXXX, the financial part must be in XXXX, and they allow XXXX students to pick up their refunds ( stipends ) but will not allow me to drive down from XXXX to pick my stipend up. There is no policy on why I as a student am not allowed the same benefits as XXXX students, in regards to picking up my refund. I was also given the phone number for the financial aid director, who supposedly will release my funds, but she is conveniently on vacation until next week ( XXXX ), meaning that my check may not be released until XX/XX/XXXX. I graduate in XX/XX/XXXX. I would like to see award letters for each financial aid calendar year, I feel that they have kept some of my funds.
04/14/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	WI 53189	Web
I currently have many student loans, all through Great Lakes loan ( GLL ) services. I have been overpaying my loans to more quickly pay them off. According to great lakes loan ; " The regular monthly payment goes first to accrued interest, and then is prorated over the loans within the account. If your payment is larger than the regular monthly payment, the overpayment is applied to the principal on the loan with the higher interest rate, assuming all outstanding accrued interest is paid. " When I first setup my account I was asked to setup a monthly auto-pay for a 0.25 % interest deduction. I of course did so. This auto-pay is assumes a default " 10-year '' repayment plan. What I have been doing is making extra payments 1-2 times a month in excess of {$1000.00}. Using their phone app everything looked like it was going well. I then logged onto their website and saw a discrepancy. GLL has been taking my extra payments and applying them equally across all of my loans, not to the ones with the highest interest, like initially thought. After contacting GLL they informed me that the statement above only holds true if I overpay via the " monthly payment '' not the " one time payment ''. This is purely a ploy to not pay off my highest interest loans and keep me on as long as possible. Their statement says nothing about a " one time payment '' exception. When i called them out on it they replied with ; " We are happy to reapply any additional payments as you direct, assuming all accrued interest has been paid, although it is necessary for you to submit a request via email or phone after each payment is made in order for us to do so. Thus, it is generally to your benefit for you to make a single, larger payment at the time you make your regular monthly payment, rather than to make a separate, extra payment after making your regular payment. '' How does this make any sense? why would they be treated any differently? I have to contact them after each " one time payment '' to tell then to put it towards my highest interest loans ...? I have been repaying my loans now for 2 years and could have avoided hundreds of dollars of interest if they had done what they said they did with overpayments. which is what a " one time payment '' is, regardless of whether it is part of the standard monthly payment or not.
05/21/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	XXXXX	Web
COMPLAINT AGAINST : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, WI. Great Lakes are the servicer for six XXXX federal student loans in my name, taken out between XXXX and XXXX, and two XXXX federal student loans in my name, taken out in the summer of XXXX. Since XX/XX/XXXX, I have been in monthly contact with Great Lakes regarding discrepancies in my balances for which they can not ( or have not ) account. In early XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed the balance on one of my XXXX loans, token XXXX, had changed, so that the principal amount had reduced from {$21000.00} to {$20000.00} ( the original amount borrowed ), and the interest balance shot up from around {$240.00} to {$1200.00}. I first called Great Lakes on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told my account was under review and I would have to check back later in the month. Several times over the course of XXXX, I called back to investigate this, and I was told each time that Great Lakes had " corrected an error, '' but they could not provide me with any further detail. Between XXXX and today ( XXXX XXXX ), I have made {$1900.00} in payments to the loan account containing token XXXX, overpaying each month by an average of $ 400- {$500.00}. I had instructed Great Lakes to apply any excess amounts to token XXXX. By my calculations, I had reduced the {$1200.00} interest balance on token XXXX by {$940.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX. Yesterday, I checked my Great Lakes online account to see that the principal balance of token XXXX had returned to {$21000.00}, and that the interest balance remained at {$220.00}. My overall principal balance had increased by {$830.00}, without explanation or notice. I called Great Lakes today, XX/XX/XXXX, and spoke with XXXX, who told me that all of their records from XX/XX/XXXX onwards list my principal balance as the higher number. I have payment records from Great Lakes issued between XXXX XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX XX/XX/XXXX that directly contradict this statement. I feel Great Lakes are being fraudulent as regards the amount I owe, and I believe they have retroactively altered their records to support this predatory conclusion. I am deeply troubled that this company apparently has the authority to alter my total principal balance ( either increasing it or decreasing it ) without my knowledge, consent, or, apparently, any regulatory oversight.
04/11/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	FL 333XX	Web	Older American
I have a loan that is from XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX. I was paying then the bank that had the loan went under. I did not hear anything for yrs then when I did the loan was XXXX. No records of any $. I asked about other $, was told they did not have a record and this was the loan amount. Starting payment again. Then new company took over, loan was again the XXXX with no record of $. This has happened over & over so many times I can not keep count. Now Great Lakes has it; they had the loan at XXXX w/n record of $. I have called them over & over to try to get this settled. My loan went to default once & I was paying XXXX monthly. Great lakes did not have this records either. I called the default department to get this moved over. I asked them to contact the company that I was paying & great refuses. They refuse to look for any payment history! The student loan is listed 3 times on my credit; I have gone around & around with the student loan to get this corrected. So they finally closed XXXX of them just to leave the XXXX listed as money owed. What money is listed on the other XXXX that they closed, that money should be transferred to the great lake account. I have cks showing payments great lakes does not have & they refuse again to accept or try to help get this correct. I was buying a house in XXXX TX in XX/XX/XXXX is when I got the student loan to close out the open accounts that was listed incorrectly. I was not in default and was paying at that time I have ck to XX/XX/XXXX. This loan should be paid off, yet as I sd before Great Lakes refuses to look for the other companies that has this loan & find the payments. This is an in just to me, I want the history of my payments found and applied to the 4K which is what the loan should be. I went to school to be a nurse. I have worked in the XXXX field for over 20yrs and now XXXX. They are threaten to take my SS. I want this removed & shown as paid. I have even tried to get them to take a pay off & they refuse. I do not owe XXXX$! Please help get this settled; I do not know how you will do this without me being able to leave personal info. So I feel this is also a waste of my time & who ever reads this. Where do good people get help from the crooks in GOV!? I have no other recourse but to file bankruptcy. Which is very very sad!
01/14/2019	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	False statements or representation Attempted to collect wrong amount	IN 46203	Web
This issues is in regards to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX, information provided on their customer portals, and information given by service representatives over the phone. I believe the company is providing misleading information and does not have consumer 's best interest in mind. I have been paying off my student loans for the past 2 years. I have never missed a payment and decided I wanted to be slightly more aggressive with paying off my loans. For this reason, on XX/XX/2019, I made and additional {$500.00} payment outside of my scheduled monthly payments. My goal was to pay off my loan with the highest interest rate. Great Lakes does have an option to specify which loan your extra payment will be applied. However, they also have statement on their webpage saying " Once your scheduled monthly payment and all outstanding interest has been paid, we automatically apply any excess payment amounts to the loan with the highest interest rate, thus costing you less interest over time. '' This statement is telling you what will happen if you do not select a specific loan for the excess payment to be applied. A few days later, I logged-on to my online portal to ensure the {$500.00} was applied to my loan with the highest interest rate only to find that the excess payment had been distributed across all of my loans. I have 4 loans serviced by Great Lakes with amounts varying from {$2000.00} to over {$30000.00} ( perks of XXXX XXXX ) with interest rates varying from 3.15 % to 6.55 %. I called to inquire. I thought it might have to do with the timing of the extra payment in relation to the monthly scheduled payment. The customer representative who spoke with me informed me that 1 ) excess payments are not automatically applied to the loan with the highest interest rate but rather my excess payment had been distributed in my " best interest '' with a high percentage going towards loans with higher balances and 2 ) I needed to specify if I wanted the excess payment applied to a certain loan. The information shared over the phone and what is happening in practice goes directly against information provided on the website. More alarming was the pressure from the service representative to pay-off higher balance loans rather than higher interest rate loans.
07/12/2017	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	False statements or representation Impersonated attorney, law enforcement, or government official	NH 03301	Web
The complaint deals with XXXX XXXX XXXX, a company who claimed they were the Department of Education when I called for student debt relief. I went on XXXX to search Great Lakes Customer Service to see if I could get relief for my loans in XXXX since I was unable to afford payments. The number of XXXX XXXX XXXX was listed first and listed under Great Lakes Customer Service. Originally was told XXXX was the Department of Education Was told in XX/XX/XXXX I would not need to pay any money and be on income based repayment Received consolidation form ( apparently I need to consolidate before going to income based repayment ) Two payments of XXXX and another payment of XXXX was pulled from my XXXX XXXX XXXX checking account. XX/XX/XXXX got an email from Great Lakes saying I owed the full amount for loans XX/XX/XXXX, applied for Income Based Repayment myself Attempted to reach XXXX for weeks - no answer XX/XX/XXXX Attempted to email XXXX XXXX XXXX and was refused, they were not accepting any emails to that inbox Submitted a complaint on their site, and finally got a phone call Finally got someone on the phone Said they consolidated The only way to get income-based is to consolidate They told me that in XXXX, the amount I owed Great Lakes was only interest XX/XX/XXXX Spoke to XXXX from Great Lakes No consolidation is needed to qualify for Income Based Repayment Full amount owed - not interest Spoke to XXXX from Great Lakes Consolidation was part of Income Based Repayment, though unnecessary. Great Lakes received Income Base Repayment form in XXXX filled out consolidation and income I filled out in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( where the money was taken from ) Disputed the charges since it was difficult to get ahold of them and what I paid for was n't done. XX/XX/XXXX Called XXXX for follow up XX/XX/XXXX Received call from XXXX, reason of complaint was never filed Unsure if file made it to supervisor Said if I filed charge through the bank, there was nothing they could do Told me I should be thankful for their help. ( " You did n't go into debt because of our program, you went into debt because you took out a loan for XXXX XXXX XXXX dollars ) Was unwilling to listen to my arguments, interupted every time I tried to explain my problem.
04/26/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	GA 30038	Web	Servicemember
In an attempt to be responsible for my student loan debt, I enrolled in autopay with Great Lakes. A withdrawal was attempted from my account and I was charged an NSF. I understood that it was a consequence of the failed attempt and immediately scheduled payment so that the charges would not occur again. I contacted the company and informed them that I had made payment and was concerned about being charged again. I was told that regardless I would be charged two more times as a result of the missed payment. Great Lakes took the money I gave them for the monthly payment and continuously attempted to charge my account after I told them that I only wanted to pay the month 's payment that was due. This resulted in nearly {$90.00} in NSF fees being taken from my checking account. They have been unwilling to send me anything other than copies of their terms and conditions in response to my inquiry. The terms and conditions do not mention charging after being paid the amount due. It inconvenienced me to the point that I had to use another account to pay my bills and ask my financial institution to block them so that they couldnt charge my account. I am disappointed and upset that they were assigned to me as my loan servicer with such poor and apathetic customer service. I have attempted to resolve this issue with them throuh the XXXX XXXX XXXX, but they sent this in response to my complaint : " Thank you for following up with us on behalf of Ms. XXXX XXXX. We understand Ms. XXXX would like to be reimbursed the fees assessed by her financial institution. Please know, Great Lakes has made every reasonable effort to address Ms. XXXX request for reimbursement. Although we acknowledge she disagrees with the determination, Great Lakes position on Ms. XXXX request will remain unchanged. Ms. XXXX is responsible for the fees assessed by her financial institution in accordance with the terms and conditions of electronic payments toward her account. If Ms. XXXX has additional questions or concerns for Great Lakes, she may contact our Borrower Services Department by telephone at ( XXXX ) XXXX-XXXX ( Please note, some calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes ), by email at XXXX, or by mail at the address below ... ''
06/30/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Problem lowering your monthly payments	FL 33837	Web
To whom it may concern, I 'm having a problem resolving loan payments to Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Inc. As of XXXX of this year, I had spoken with a representative grom Great Lakes in order to reduce my monthy payments. I am out of the country XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX and my income has been cut severely then what I make back home in Florida. I spoke with a representative I believe on XX/XX/XXXX or maybe the last week of XXXX right before I departed in order to make a financial agreement to at least pay something on my loans. To my knowledge and my bank statements from XXXX to XXXX, we had agreed on a {$20.00} payment covering both my loans until XXXX when I return. On XX/XX/XXXX the payments were correctly deducted and likewise on XX/XX/XXXX. As of XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed a {$250.00} deduction from my checking account from Great Lakes therefore, putting my bank account in an overdrawn state. I was then charged an additional {$35.00} a day until I could conveniently contact my friend in Florida to deposit a significant amount of money in my account. I have filed a complaint with the loan service as they have told me the only thing that I can do is fill out a income-driven repayment plan application. In doing so, the only result I get back from their website is for a forbearance plan in which case my account already states I am in until XX/XX/XXXX. This is where my confusion sets in. If I am already in forbearance yet still making {$20.00} payments it seems a little hypocritical to me. I have no problem making the {$20.00} a month payments which we had agreed upon before I left but, why the {$250.00} deduction? I have limited access to contacting the company unfortunately as my phone was shut off before arrival in XXXX, XXXX. The Great Lakes Ombudsman office has transferred my complaint to XXXX and I have not gotten an email back in 3 days. I am contacting your bureau in relief that I will be reimbursed my lost funds due to either negligence from Great Lakes or misinformation given to myself from them. I have pictures of bank statements online showing the {$20.00} deductions from XXXX and XXXX on top of the {$250.00} deduction from XX/XX/XXXX ( with the additional {$70.00} in overdraft fees ).
10/20/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem Problem with personal statement of dispute	IA 50317	Web
THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT WITH GREAT LAKES # XXXX, I am appealing their decision based on the letter I received yesterday from them.. I '' m attaching documents that is already received by Great lakes but am emphasizing details on the documents. I do understand I 've submitted +2000 pages if not more to Great Lakes and it 's not easy to follow. All complaints I 've submitted to the CFPB which are stated below are all connected and related to my Identity theft which originated in XXXX XXXX or XXXX, ia XXXX. Which the 3 financial institutions in XXXX are XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX XXXX, and all are still pending an open investigation by the FBI and SEC. I '' m restating that all cases or investigation can not be closed until FBI and SEC Concludes their investigation into my Identity theft which started in XXXX and is still continuing to this day. XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) GREAT LAKES Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Product : Student loan 3 ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number XXXX Date XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number ; XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXOPEN Complaint number : XXXX Date submitted to CFPB : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX Date sent to company : XXXX/XXXX/XXXX
12/05/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	FL 32571	Web
My loan service provider, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates ( " Great Lakes '' ), has refused to calculate my payment amount based upon my adjusted gross income ( " AGI '' ). Instead, Great Lakes is calculating my payment amount based upon my reported income on my XXXX. By doing so, Great Lakes has improperly increased my monthly payment by a significant amount. I am eligible for the Pay As You Earn ( " PAYE '' ) repayment plan. I have submitted all required paperwork for the PAYE plan. Calendar year XX/XX/2019 is my third year in the PAYE plan. Pursuant to Section 4B, Line 11 of the IDR Plan Request, OMB No. 1845-0102, I am required to submit my most recent Federal Tax Return with my request to remain in the PAYE plan. As in years past, I logged onto the StudentLoans.gov website to submit my application. This in turn redirected me to IRS.gov, whereby I authorized the IRS to electronically transmit my Tax Return to Great Lakes. IRS, U.S. Department of Education, and Great Lakes have provided email confirmation that Great Lake received my tax return. Further, I have verbal confirmation from multiple Great Lakes employees of the same. Specifically, over the past three days, " XXXX, '' " XXXX, '' and " XXXX '' each confirmed receipt of my tax return. Nevertheless, Great Lakes requested a copy of my XXXX to confirm my wage information was incorrect. I provided a copy of my XXXX, which confirmed the accuracy of my tax return. However, Great Lakes has now taken the position that they retain discretion to reject my tax return and calculate my payment amount based upon my XXXX wages, and not my AGI, as required by the U.S. Department of Education. Importantly, my AGI amount is lower than my XXXX wage amount, and using my AGI to determine my monthly payment amount results in a lower amount than using my XXXX wage amount. I have spoke with Great Lake multiple times in an attempt to resolve this issue. But Great Lakes is unwilling to process my request in accordance with the requirement under PAYE. Moreover, Great Lakes is unwilling to process my request in a manner similar to years past. I have ample supporting documentation, and can provide the same as necessary.
01/27/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	WA 98203	Web
I have my student loan through Great Lakes. I pay my normal monthly payment via Auto Pay on the XXXX of each month, which is the due date. I supposedly receive .XXXX % off of my interest for being enrolled in Auto Pay. I also make additional payments of between $ XXXX {$200.00} at the end of each month via the website. There is a feature that allows me to allocate which loan I want the extra payment to go to. Of course, I always choose it to be XXXX % allocated to the loan with both the highest balance and highest interest rate. I recently discovered that it has never actually been allocated that way, contrary to what I believed. I sent in XXXX emails over the last week inquiring about this, and when I finally heard back all I received was a FAQ answer about how extra payments are applied ( which I already knew, and which was not being applied as it said it was supposed to be ). I called and spoke to someone for XXXX minutes today. He explained to me that my Auto Pay is set up to make payments on the XXXX of the month, which is my due date. Thus, the extra payments I make at the end of the month are not considered to be extra, but instead considered to be my normal payment. As such, they can not be allocated to specific loans. The gentleman then went on to tell me that I will have to change the date of my Auto Pay via the website ( he said he was not able to help me with that over the phone ) to be earlier in the pay cycle so that my extra payments could actually be considered extra payments. I went online to change it, and the website states it only allows Auto Payments to be processed on the due date and not any earlier. Now I 'm stuck between paying all of this extra money every month just to have it only go towards the interest on XXXX different loans, or canceling my Auto Pay and having my interest rates bumped up. I believe this is totally and completely unethical, and I think this company should be investigated for fraudulent and unethical business practices. They make it absolutely impossible to make any headway with getting these loans paid off! I pay almost {$400.00} per month, and the outstanding balance only decreases about $ XXXX {$40.00} every month! Help!!!
03/26/2018	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	CA 94530	Web
I finished repaying my student loans in XX/XX/XXXX and my account with Great Lakes student loan provider was closed. I received a communication from them congratulating me that my loans were repaid, and I downloaded my full payment history for my records. The payment history showed {$0.00} unpaid principle balance. In XX/XX/XXXX I logged into my online account to print out my XX/XX/XXXX tax statement. When I logged in I saw a balance of {$30.00} in unpaid principal, and {$1.00} of unpaid interest, for a total of {$31.00}. I promptly contacted Great Lakes. The first person I talked to was unable to explain the charges. Finally, I got through to an account manager, and when my questions persisted she told me that Great Lakes was being audited by the FSA, and that they had failed to apply an interest cap adjustment to my account at the time. They could not explain how or why they were able to reopen my account and apply these charges without notifying me. Had I not logged into get my tax statement I would not have known about these charges. Eventually, they sent me a generic statement on XX/XX/XXXX that reflected the new charge, however, I have been informed several times that this may not be the accurate amount. I have been in contact with them twice since then. On all occasions they have told me that the amount has not " settled '' yet, and that the {$31.00} might not even be the correct amount. I requested a letter detailing the charges, and explaining how and when the interest cap adjustment was applied so I could provide it to my attorney. When they finally provided the letter, it did not include any of the information I requested. I have been unable to resolve this issue with Great Lakes. My issues are : 1. How they were able to re-open my account and apply charges without notifying me. 2. That they made a mistake that was caught by the FSA during an audit, and that they are attempting to pass that fee along to a former customer, even after the affected account was closed. 3. That they have not been able to provide relevant or accurate information in a timely manner - or even let me know when the charge will be finalized or when I can expect a resolution.
04/27/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Account status incorrect	NY 13212	Web
XXXX , Dept of Ed/ XXXX , XXXX Univ XXXX XXXX , and XXXX XXXX XXXX have been on my r eport original report for 7 years and according to the Fair Credit Report Act negative reports legally need to be removed, but XXXX , XXXX and XXXX have illegally manipulated the original 7 years to make it like it was n't as long so that my information would remain on my credit report illegally and fraudulently. The credit reports need to remove all the student loans from my account because it has been 7 years since they were reported since 2010. They also doubled up on all my loans to make it look like I have double the loans that I have and it is fraudulent illegal information that needs to be removed but they wo n't do their job. Also there have been missed payments since 2010 and they put letters in later that are not clear that do not make sense since I did not pay anything 2010 u ntil recently I consolidated my loan with XXXX XXXX XXXX . Also the missed payments keep changing first they were 3 months and then keep increasing every time I ask questions illegally. The credit reports state " Worst Credit Ever '' and it is not true all loans were consolidated last year in excellent credit by XXXX and Consolidated by XXXX XXXX XXXX in excellent credit. The credit reports state derogatory, negative and delinquent accounts which is not true at all they were all deferred payments and never missed payments they were missed deferment payments. XXXX stated that they did mention I had excellent credit which is a total lie because there is nothing on my credit report stating excellent credit ( see attached ). The credit reports state negative which has my credit report so bad that it has made me live in situations that were very unsafe and unfair. The student loans need to be deleted after 7 years of fraudulent incorrect manipulated information as soon as possible. ( see attached XXXX XXXX XXXX p aid off all loans in excellent conditio n ) ( See XXXX XXXX XXXX lette r states excellent condition of student loans but excellent credit status for student loans is not on my credit reports anymore with student loans )
12/10/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	MN 55044	Web
I have student loans that are being serviced by Great Lakes- XXXX WI. I have always paid on time and am actually paid ahead to XX/XX/XXXX. I am currently paying XXXX per month on auto pay. This last month I paid my XXXX and then also paid an additional XXXX which I did a custom allocation for to payoff my 2 loans that are at 6.55 % interest. When I checked my payment application it shows that only XXXX went to my higher interest rate loans and {$XXXX} went to the 4.25 %, {$XXXX} to the 3.15 %, and XXXX to the other 3.15 % interest rate loan. It clearly states that any additional payments will be applied to the higher interest rate loans and that has not happened the entire length of my loan. I called in several times about this issue and I am always told that they first have to apply my payment to the regularly scheduled payment and then any additional will go to the higher interest rate loans. I advised them that my next regularly scheduled payment is not due until XX/XX/XXXX but they insisted that the next payment will satisfy that payment pushing my due date to XX/XX/XXXX and any additional from that will then be applied to the higher interest rate loans. From my experience, when a loan is paid ahead, accrued interest should be paid and other funds should go the highest interest rate loan but they are not applying the payments this way. I searched online and this looks like many student are being deceived by Great Lakes. There are many complaints with the XXXX. Also when I was on the phone it seems that students that elect to autopay payment are handled differently than those that do not autopay. I was told I can only pay extra on the same date as the autopay to have it apply the way I want it. Because I am on autopay I only get 1 day to pay extra on my loan. People that are not on autopay get a 30 day window to make extra payments and have them apply per their custom allocation and to go to higher interest rate loans. This practice seems deceptive and when students pay extra and get ahead all principle should be going to higher interest rate loans not a regular payment that is due in 2.5 years ( as my student loans will be paid off by then anyway )
12/22/2017	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	IN 471XX	Web
In efforts to have made payments on my student loans and having a degree that I can not use, I would like to petition my student loan debt. Having attempted several different times to take care of the student loan debt I incurred to obtain a degree I can not use, I am petitioning to have my student loans cancelled, forgiven, and or discharged. It is my understanding that XXXX has been under investigation for several issued and I believe that XXXX not only failed to provide proper counselling to me on the student loan debt I incurred but that they also contributed to the amount I owe by charging loans to me that I did not authorize. I am seeking relief from this debt as I have been unable to pay due to the many factors I explained above. The reason it has taken me so long to reach out for more help is my father XXXX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX and at the age of XXXX, I no longer had a home and moved back to my home state to try and survive and as a young adult I had no idea where to turn on this matter. My aunt has now helped me do research and try to see what we can do to resolve this situation. I received grants, scholarship money and educational assistance money that was paid to me from the Department of Veteran Affairs and I paid to the school. As you see my XXXX contract it states the most my XXXX degree would be was {$46000.00} and this amount was before my grants, scholarship loans and educational access money from the Department of Veteran Affairs. When I graduated XXXX sent me a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX that I had approximately {$15000.00} in Subsidized Loans and {$24000.00} in Unsubsidized Loans with a total being {$39000.00}. It appears that loans was taken out when I did not need them and that none of my money was applied. My loans was supposed to be consolidated but yet I still get bills from multiple places and the total is over {$100000.00}. I have read many articles that XXXX would take out loans under the students names to pay the schools debt. The school is closed so I am not able to get any of my records besides the ones I have included. Your assistance and help resolving this matter will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX
05/14/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IL 601XX	Web
XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX : I spoke with a representative with my borrower service ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, WI XXXX, mygreatlakes.org ), requesting a payoff amount for two of my four remaining loans. I wanted to pay these two off by XX/XX/XXXX and received information ( email ) on what the total pay off would be.I also asked if the standard monthly payment was required and I was told IT WAS NOT. XX/XX/XXXX : Payment was received and cashed ( both checks ) by Great Lakes.. by XX/XX/XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX : I spoke with a representative asking that the payments be applied correctly and as I requested. Payment was applied across all four loans instead of solely the two I requested, leaving an outstanding balance on a loan that should have been completely paid off at this point. The representative informed me that the monthly payment needed to be made first, before the additional payment sent could be applied across other loans. Again, I specifically asked if this needed to be done prior to sending any payment, to which I was answered with, NO, MONTHLY PAYMENT IS NOT REQUIRED. The representative had to contact finance to see if the loans could be applied the way I had asked. *Please Note : At this point in time I am already about 1 year paid in advance for all of my outstanding loans. I also receive monthly emails stating, for example, the most recent, " Total Amount Due by XX/XX/XXXX, {$0.00}. '' XX/XX/XXXX : I spoke with the same representative from XX/XX/XXXX, who informed me that finance could not do anything about the situation, and that monthly payment had to be made and applied before additional monies could be applied to other loans - Once again, NOT THE INFORMATION I WAS GIVEN. Now, I have to make an additional payment in order to pay off one of the two loans I originally requested to be, and I am now paid ahead until XX/XX/XXXX at this point! XX/XX/XXXX : I will be writing a check for the outstanding amount, and will need to pay extra, again, to have the mailing expedited, to be sure payment is received prior to XX/XX/XXXX, finally wiping out the second of two loans I originally requested to paid off.
06/19/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	MI 48073	Web
" My Great Lakes '' is a federal student loan servicer who services my student loans. I am trying to apply an extra payment to pay-in-full one of my student loans at 6.55 % interest rate ( payment made XX/XX/XXXX, received XX/XX/XXXX, applied XX/XX/XXXX ). However, Great Lakes will only apply the payment first towards any future payment due, and then any extra towards the loan I requested. In the past, I would call and have them adjust this so the payment is only applied to the one loan I wanted to make an extra payment towards - knowing that I have auto-pay set up and I am paid-in-advance ( no payment due for 1+ months beyond current billing cycle ). Great Lakes has changed their policy and are now unable to adjust excess payments to only the loan I request. Due to this, I am still being charged 6.55 % on the loan which should be paid off in full with my payment of {$2500.00} ( loan balance was {$2500.00} at time of payment ), and instead part of that payment is going towards my 3.03 %, 3.15 %, 4.25 %, and 5.35 % loans. Only {$2000.00} was applied to Loan Token XXXX, the remaining {$520.00} was applied towards other loans which are at lower interest rates.This means I am not gaining the benefit of paying off my highest interest rate loan, which means I pay a higher percentage per month in interest than I should be - this is money out of my pocket which they will not reimburse or correct. I do not want money, I only want my payment to be applied correctly, retroactively, only to loan # XXXX as requested multiple times so that it will have a " Paid-in-full '' status. Again, this is a policy change at Great Lakes which is not allowing me to apply a payment only to the one loan I request, where I was fully able to do this previously. This is wasting my money towards undue interest. In addition to multiple emails ( with my latest unanswered for 5 business days ), I called today on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to XXXX ( employee # XXXX ) and was again told that they could not apply the payment only to my loan token # XXXX - like they have done several times in the past ( redirected an over/excess payment to be applied to only one loan ).
11/17/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	TX 77008	Web
Trying to pay for student loans in MyGreatLakes.com requires a PHD in shadiness to not get scammed. My account is 3+ years paid ahead, I make minimal monthly auto payments and one time additional payments each month. I have now 4 loans vs. 5 after making several large one time payments to pay off the loans. What was scammy about the process is realizing the timing of when additional payments are made can have significant impact on how the additional amounts are applied to the principle and ultimately impacting the amount of interest you pay in total. Simply clicking on the screens to have 100 % of your payment directed to a specific loan, doesn't always end up the way you think! Why would it matter if you are paid ahead is what conventional logic would suggest. Because you aren't shady like My Great Lakes, you don't understand. Here 's what I've come to realize.. If you want to pay ahead and have the additional payments directed at your specific loan ONLY ( vs. peanut butter spread ), you need to meet your monthly minimal and any interest accrued. XXXX Example : your loan payment is due on XXXX of the month - XX/XX/XXXX- Minimum payment applied. $ spread like peanut butter across all loans as expected. - XX/XX/XXXX - additional payment applied. $ considered payment to next month but still peanut butter spread across all loans even though you tell them it is to be 100 % directed to a specific loan even if the amount you set for additional payment is higher than the monthly minimum payment. Scam. You'd think just the amount up to the minimal payment amount is spread like peanut butter but nope ... the whole thing. - XXXX - additional payment applied and you are now paid ahead for next mont. Only now will your payments be 100 % directed as you choose. _______________________________________________________________________ The above is still true even though I'm 3 years paid ahead. SCAM. SCAM. SCAM. So beware. When paying ahead, schedule the additional payment on the same day as the monthly due date OR make multiple payments to 'test ' the waters to confirm the payments are getting correctly allocated.
04/09/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	CO 80138	Web
By XX/XX/XXXX, I had XXXX student loans that amounted to {$30000.00}. XXXX serviced the loan. I was a single mother and was n't gainfully employed but made {$50.00} payments in the loans. The interest rates in Pell grant 3 %, Perkins 5 %, stafford 5-8 %, supplemental student loan 12 %, and the interest rates continued to accumulate regardless of hardship or in school deferments. My loans accumulated interest for a total of $ XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. I had been working with several agencies to try and get loan forgiveness or interest reduction. I consolidated the loan and made payments but the interest continued. I got a XXXX degree in XX/XX/XXXX and an XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, which I paid for out of pocket and w employer reimbursement. I made payments at a reduced rate bc payments were {$900.00}. In XX/XX/XXXX, the management of the loans went from direct student loans to mygreatlakes.org. The manner this was managed was n't transparent and the agency is out to make money. In fact in the past year I received an email saying in the transition of the loan there was an error and they needed to add {$240.00} to my balance. how is that possible? Then, they added {$5.00} in my monthly payment and changed my due date without informing me and created NSF charges in my checking account. When I contacted them they seemed not to think it was a problem. When I make additional payments or try to pay to principal only they say they ca n't do that. They are n't applying payments consistently sometimes literally they apply most of the payment to interest only. This is wrong! It is like a loan shark situation. I completed the public service forgiveness app which has to be filed through your loan service agency and I met all the requirements having worked in non profit for nearly 6 years. But it took place before XX/XX/XXXX, and therefore I was disqualified. I should be contributing to my retirement instead of this. Help! I have confronted their questionable accounting etc but the government handed these loans over to this agency w a poor customer service reputation and they are living up to that reputation from my experience.
04/02/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	OH 45342	Web
Loans cover three schools : XXXX XXXX, XXXX location ( school located XXXX, Missouri XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, OH XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, OH ( told all loans where consolidated when attending here ) I want to file a CFPB complaint against Great Lakes for my student loans for abusive practices and non-clear communication to the borrower. They have taken over all my student loans and have never been able to clearly communicate what I owe them for the past 5 years. Every phone call, letter, or text message I receive shows a different amount. I received communications that my student loan is paid off then within 2-3 months I am being told there is another student loan that I owe money on and they are sending me to collections. 1 ) XX/XX/XXXX I arranged for them to withdrawn an agreed amount on the XX/XX/XXXXof each month. They caused overdrafts to my account by withdrawing the agreed upon amount on various days of the month and not on the agreed upon date. 2 ) In XX/XX/XXXX they chose to stop trying withdrawing the amount and applied and had a court appointed withdraw from paycheck. 3 ) In XX/XX/XXXX while they were taken out court appointed amounts every two weeks, Great Lakes filed a failure to pay for the month of XX/XX/XXXX when they received over {$500.00} that month dropping my credit score over 100 points. 4 ) After they received all their funds requested then sent paperwork stating the loan was paid. Then in XX/XX/XXXX filed another court withdraw for an additional student load that they didnt ask for before. 5 ) After receiving all of the second court appointed funds, they applied to the IRS in XX/XX/XXXXand took all of my XX/XX/XXXX refund for unpaid student loans. 6 ) At the end of XX/XX/XXXX I was sent a letter being told I owed them {$18.00} on my student loan. Then in XX/XX/XXXX that I was turned over to collections for unpaid {$98.00}. 7 ) I am now being texted that if I want to clear my loan for forgiveness to call a number and no identification who it is contacting me. I dont know if its a scam, if its Great Lakes, if its another agency, if its the collections agency.
12/29/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	FL 34110	Web	Servicemember
I previously filed a complaint against MyGreatLakes.org, the company that the Federal Dept. of Education assigned to manage my loan. There is nothing in it for these private companies to assist borrowers with loan forgiveness as they make Monty from the interest collected. The loans are not like any other fair practice loan program terms that a sane, educated consumer would agree. My repayment plan amount was to have increased to {$280.00} in XXXX, XXXX. However, XXXX increased my payment to {$300.00}, in XXXX, without consulting me. When I contacted them, I was informed they needed to do that so the loan would be paid off on time. In addition, my payment due date keeps changing without notice, it was and has been the XXXX of the month. I also question their algorithm for payment application bc they applied all payments I made between XXXX and XXXX to interest. It isnt the first time. I think there should be an audit of these loan administrators because they are likely the same kind of lenders that are considered predatory for students applying for student loans. Each time they arbitrarily change the payment, the due date changes as well. It is bad enough that my original loans in the amount of $ XXXX ballooned up to $ 54K in 7 years when I consolidated and then again almost doubled after consolidation despite making payments. My Pell Grants, Perkins And Stafford Loans combined to this total amount of over $ 90K, and MGL considers all of the amount principal. Ridiculous! I worked in the XXXX sector for over 6 years and qualify for the Public Service loan forgiveness except the XXXX time had to occur after XXXX. As a single mother I couldnt afford to work in the XXXX sector after XXXX. This company isnt transparent, there is never any end to their shady payment application and total lack of respect for the customer. The government has given them carte blanche to make as much money as they want to collect on student loans. The loan shark program that is the student loan program has a middle man to collect and in my case, its XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, FL XXXX
10/09/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	TN 380XX	Web
XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX Contact Information ( XXXX ) XXXX XXXX Great Lakes XXXX is double charging me on interest and the total amount of {$8100.00} consolidated loan Consolidation Loans U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Balance {$8100.00} In repayment This loan was consolidated already on XX/XX/XXXX with Consolidation Loans U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Balance {$62000.00} In repayment I have contacted this loan servicer and discussed the issue of them not paying off and ( continuing to charge me interest ) the {$8100.00} that is already included in the {$62000.00} consolidated loan. They explained to me that this was a computer glitch and they would clear it up by XX/XX/XXXX. They are very aware on their system not showing this already paid off consolidated loan. They have left the balance of {$8100.00} on my account with a payment date due on XX/XX/XXXX and this balance is already included with the {$62000.00} loan. They Great Lakes refuse to take off or show that the {$8100.00} loan is paid in full within the {$62000.00} loan. Therefore, this loan servicer is double charging me for the consolidated paid off loan and will not remove or show that this smaller loan is paid in full. They assured me that this issue would cleared up because of their known computer glitch system that affect many of their customers. This loan servicer is also not updating and reporting my account to the credit bureaus correctly. I recently took out a another student loan in XX/XX/XXXX U.S. DEPARTMENT OF Stafford Loans EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Balance {$6700.00}. This loan is not what I am making a complaint about it is this loan ( Consolidation Loans U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Balance {$8100.00} In repayment ) In school until XX/XX/XXXX These are the correct balances before the XX/XX/XXXX consolidation. This does not include the new XX/XX/XXXX2018 Stafford loan. Overview Balance {$54000.00} Highest Balance {$55000.00} Monthly payment {$0.00} Opened XX/XX/XXXX ( 7 yrs, 3 mos ) Overview Balance {$8100.00} Highest Balance {$6600.00} Monthly payment {$0.00} Opened XX/XX/XXXX ( 6 yrs, 7 mos )
06/25/2018	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	Attempts to collect debt not owed Debt was result of identity theft	FL XXXXX	Web
It seem ike Great Lakes Higher Education violated The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act 809. Validation of debts [ 15 USC 1692g ] by not provide me with name and address of the original creditor. The FDCPA, specifically, subsection 809 which reads : 809. Validation of debts [ 15 USC 1692g ] ( a ) Within five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a written notice containing ( 1 ) the amount of the debt ; ( 2 ) ( 2 ) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed ; ( 3 ) ( 3 ) a statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector ; ( 4 ) ( 4 ) a statement that if the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment against the consumer and a copy of such verification or judgment will be mailed to the consumer by the debt collector ; and ( 5 ) a statement that, upon the consumer 's written request within the thirty-day period, the debt collector will provide the consumer with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor. It seem like Great Lakes Higher Education is trying to use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt. Great Lakes Higher Education claim that I own them money. They have not seem any proof or validation this debt. They have not given me the address and name of the original. They are putting false information on my credit report. I really believe that XXXX being discriminated against me because I'm a XXXX male. I am asking Great Lakes Higher Education have you seen the original promissory note? What name and address of the original creditor?
12/07/2018	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem Their investigation did not fix an error on your report	VA 223XX	Web	Servicemember
I submitted a dispute with XXXX on XX/XX/2018 and XX/XX/2018 with the student loan companies XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Great Lakes. Prior to filing a dispute with XXXX, I contacted the company directly requesting any documentation supporting the claim that a debt is owed and they never provided any documents to support the claim. I also contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Great Lakes directly and never received a response. From there I gather all of my letters with tracking numbers and filed a dispute with XXXX. Approximately 2 months passed, and I never received correspondence about the disputes. On XX/XX/2018, I called XXXX to receive an update and they told me that the company verified the account. I then asked them how did the company do so and they said electronically. I then asked if they could provide me documentation from company verifying the authenticity of their response, an d the representative explained that they do not have have any documents. I then asked, How do you verify if a company is reporting false information or not, and she couldn't respond. I asked her, if there was a procedure on determining if a company is reporting false information and she said no. I explained that I had contacted the companies and that there was no documentation and even no response and I question the authenticity of their investigation. Again, she could explain or answer any of my questions. She stated that whatever the company reports is what they report and that they have no way of verifying the information being supplied is correct. With that, knowing that the two companies being disputed have either refused to respond or failed to provide documentation, this shows that whatever information that XXXX claims to have if not correct. It appears that XXXX is allowing companies to provide false information with no investigation, despite what consumers are providing as supporting documentation. I have submitted this dispute over two months ago. Disputes usually require 30 days for a response. Not only did I not receive a response, but a true investigation was not completed.
04/04/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	CA 94086	Web
On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a {$900.00} excess payment on my account which currently contains/contained two XXXX loans. One has an interest rate of 4.250 % and the other an interest rate of 3.150 %. I selected to manually enter my instructions for the payment and requested 100 % be applied to the higher interest loan, which should have eliminated this loan with a small amount left over. Instead, approximately {$770.00} was applied to this loan and the rest to the lower interest loan. I acknowledge that it appears there is a caveat in the instructions that pending payments may be applied first, but would note that my loan account also states that I am paid ahead by over {$6000.00}, I am not required to make a payment until XX/XX/XXXX, and I had just completed a scheduled payment on XX/XX/XXXX. In addition, the payment of this loan as directed would ( to my understanding ) changed what my next scheduled payment will be, as one of the loans would have been eliminated. Further, I was unable to determine any place on the Great Lakes site that outlined a breakdown of my scheduled payment per loan in the account rather than for the overall account, making payers unable to discern how to adjust any excess payments. For example, if I have a pending payment of {$150.00} on an account containing two loans, if I wanted to pay one loan off that is {$500.00} and do not know the portion of scheduled payments that might be automatically applied to other loan I do not know how much I should add to that {$150.00} to pay off the {$500.00}. Payoff amounts are, to my knowledge, only able to be calculated based on the entire account, not each loan in the account. I feel that all of this combined unfairly prevents payers using an " avalanche '' method to pay off higher interest loans first, allowing those loans to exist for a longer amount of time and gaining interest. The options available to the consumer are to A ) keep paying more and more months of excess payments while money is diverted to the lower interest loans or B ) be able to pay off the entirety of the account at once.
03/14/2017	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	MN 55433	Web
Honestly, do n't even know where to begin. I have n't had a student loan since 2002. My original balance was about XXXX. Somehow, no matter how much I 've paid on it since then, the balance never goes down and now says I owe over XXXX?? Student loan companies are ripping people off every day. Anything, my credit report show student loans from other lenders, where contracts were sold over 12 years ago. I have asked to have them removed, but they are still remaining on there. I have them garnishing my wages, hundreds of dollars in the past, but yet they refuse to show me my payment history and where the money was applied that I paid. Now I have a new company which says XXXX, aka great lakes, reporting to my report I am in collections. I went online and set up and rehabilitation agreement and pay them every month. However, When I call them to ask why I am getting collection notice increases on my reports every month, they said I have no account with them. So who am I paying once again??? It 's killing my report, that I have XXXX student loan, but XXXX different ones showing on report, from different lenders. No one has sent me any verification per my request with payments I made or payments garnished. I anything showing a student loan from past or present removed from XXXX reports. I am fine having my report updating with my current payment rehabilitation program, but no one seems to know where that is going!! These accounts being reported on my account are all in accurate and need to be removed immediately. I am trying to buy a house. I ve paid more in interest over the years than my original loan ever even was!! Just rip off and I have no degree to show for it. uggggg Please have them update my reports showing XXXX student loans. Older ones should of been removed anyway, they are over 10 years old and not even the correct lenders. The school I went to for a year, isnt ' even open anymore to give me any information either. PLEASE NOTE.. IT WAS FOR XXXX XXXX XXXX IN XXXX XXXX. I CA N'T UPDATE THE LINE BELOW WITH IT. KEEPS REJECTING IT OR KICKING ME OUT.
02/02/2018	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	OH 43202	Web
Hello, I have private student loans with XXXX XXXX XXXX managed by Great Lakes. On XX/XX/2018 I logged into my account with Great Lakes to check on the status of my student loans. When I clicked on account details and scrolled to the bottom where it states " Loans in this Account '', I noticed that my interest rates on the student loans had risen. I was never notified that my student loan interest rates had risen. I even checked my message center with Great Lakes to see if notification was sent, and there was no information letting me know my rates had risen. Before I go further let me go back into my history with Great Lakes to better understand the situation at hand. I filed a complaint with CFPB about a year ago against Great Lakes because I noticed that on their website my interest rates had risen and was curious as to why. After talking with several employees in management at Great Lakes I found out that my student loans were variable. My only problem with this information was that the Great Lakes website shared no knowledge to their borrowers that their student loans were fixed or variable. Since I filled this complaint with CFPB you will know see that Great lakes have simply add the word " variable '' next to the rate under " Loans in this Account ''. Getting back to my point on the matter at hand. Great Lakes does not supply information or alerts to their borrowers when the interest rates on the borrowers student loans have risen. The only way to find out would be to login, and discover that your payments for several months have been going further to interest. This information is vital and should be shared with borrowers so that they can make the decision to refinance to lower rates if need be. By Great Lakes not telling it's borrowers about rates rising on student loans, they are defrauding borrowers accounts and reaping the rewards. Student loan information should be easy accessible and not hidden. My request is to have Great Lakes send alerts by email, message center, or postage mail to borrowers when it's interest rates have risen.
05/02/2018	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Getting a loan Fraudulent loan	NH 038XX	Web
2010 My Daughter was accepted to XXXX College. Not until we were at Parent/ student orientation day did they take me into a room and tell me they couldn't get enough money. I had another child in college and very little income. It was too late to go to any other school now. They made me sign a 7.9 % Parent loan and told me they would create a XXXX major for her bc she wanted XXXX college. I didn't know what I was doing or signing. I was confused then they cut me out of all of it. I cancelled her 2nd semester of living quarters based on School hand book dates and process. They threatened me and berated me how late it was and that so many girls were on the waiting list and now its too late to call them. I notified them within the time period before semester begins. My daughter was sick constantly there were intense heat and ventilation problems and she was in and out of XXXX appts. I complained and my Daughter chose to go to XXXX bc she stayed at school only once a week and was wasting time because they NEVER planned on giving her a XXXX major. They made her take courses that she already took in AP and was accepted as credits. I put in a formal complaint to school and met with people and they lied to me. I had dates, doctors appointments, school hand book I even wrote the Nun who is President and told her how they could do this to low income families. The worst part is in return NONE of my daughter credits after paying XXXX were good for a XXXX major at XXXX. How can private colleges do this to a single Mom on basically little income and another child attending college. I put in complaints to AG office, my local Congressmen and still proceeded to ask XXXX to return DORM room fees and classes they made her take over. Any school in Freshman year making kids take classes other than anything basic that can not be transferred to state school should be considered SCAMS. I do not want to pay that portion of my Parent loan. They used scare tactics, false promises then went back on their word in the school handbook. Thank you
08/21/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NC 28079	Web
In XXXX, I started the application process for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness with Great Lakes. From that time on, they sat on the paperwork and did not tell me of any issues timely or process. Then, they said it was just all illegible. Then, I resent the paperwork and they said there was a section that was completed incorrectly even though it was completed as requested. Although I applied just for Teacher Loan Forgiveness and repeatedly notified Great Lakes that I did not want to go into forbearance as I just wanted to continue to pay my loans at the same amount under the same payment structure I agreed to at the time of graduation in the exit counseling and just have the Teacher Forgiveness portion of $XXXX applied toward principal when received, they continued to put my loan on three occasions into loan Forgiveness although both in writing and over the phone to several supervisors including XXXX, I specifically told I did not want this to happen and explained as above what I did what to happen as far as application to principal when received and continuing same payments schedule. After numerous calls, many recorded, complaints filed with the company in writing and written email message correspondence over the past 7 months, the forgiveness was finally applied in XXXX. However, they lowered my payment schedule and changed the payment date which was not what was requested. On XXXX, XXXX I sent another email and complaint to the company and then they did something to my account where instead of an approximately $XXXX balance, it is showing $XXXX balance and $XXXX past due although I have never been past due on an account EVER! I can attach a copy if you need it. Upon seeing this last night, I called and spoke to XXXX, a supervisor, who just continued to tell me that my account had been flagged for a routine account review and this whole situation had nothing to do with that review and that his system was not showing me delinquent although it was all over their website that I was and needed to make a payment IMMEDIATELY!
04/28/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Problem lowering your monthly payments	AZ 85142	Web
My name is XXXX XXXX POA of XXXX XXXX. He took first out this student loan and 6 weeks before graduation was given an ultimatum to leave the school due to his personal issues outside of school so he did not get to finish school or graduate this was in the late XX/XX/XXXX. His loan is with ( Great Lakes ) and I have spoke many times regarding payments and the situation in our financial situation when speaking with Great Lakes they gave me a 60 forbarence and removed any payments due. Suddenly they drafted my account {$170.00} and with drew their promise as well as raise the payments way from what we can afford. I was trying to pay {$44.00} at this time and current am going through XXXX treatments I am his wife XXXX. XXXX has lost hours at work with no 40 hour weeks our rent as well increased substantially I have sent a new IDR with all attached over the internet in Great Lakes web sight continually they are sending my emails regarding filing out this application And payment but this was in a forbarence at the time with no update to the change all of this happened suddenly I feel that this student loan first is out of XXXX statutes as well as XXXX not being able to finish his education the constant calls to Great Lakes to resolve this and tell them we cant make payments at this time. We are trying to avoid a garnishment but Great Lakes is not upstanding and follows through after making arrangements. I need someone to now intercede and help me first with harassing emails Will not communicate on phone threatening. This is unacceptable, There are many issues reviving this student loan and I would like to take action on getting justice for Great Lakes harassment and the student loan it self should be null and void my reason is the age of loan the reasons XXXX hadnt finished his education financial hardships And at time he was told to leave school he was jailed due to a felony and then in about patient program issued by the courts he has XXXX as he is XXXX and XXXX and is working but not equipped to challenge this any longer
09/08/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem Their investigation did not fix an error on your report	FL 32792	Web
Based on the option I selected for this complaint, the 'error ' is that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( and the 3 major bureaus ) continue to report an unverified, invalidated account without having provided original documented proof for MONTHS. I have repeatedly disputed the student loan account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and they continue to come back via the bureaus stating that the accounts ' info is all accurate, valid, verified, and mine -- all without providing a shred of proof to back this all up. Since XX/XX/2018, I have constantly asked for the original instrument of indebtedness in its original form bearing my actual, wet signature. It has been about 7 months and I still have not received this original documented proof that the account is 'mine ' and 'verified '. XXXX, in particular, has even had the audacity to tell me over the phone that they do not have to provide proof to the consumer on accounts. It is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to my identity as a consumer for me to not know or receive original proof of a contractual agreement with a company. This opens the door to all sorts of problems. If I do not get proof from the bureaus or the original creditors, then where in the world am I supposed to get this information? As a consumer, do we not have a right to see the proof behind these so-called " valid '', " verified '', " accurate '' accounts? I am outraged that I have not received this proof from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX or the 3 major bureaus in months. I have been monitoring my credit and making sure all accounts are validated in order to remain on my reports. I am trying to do my due diligence, but these companies are deliberately hindering this process by not giving me due process. Moreover, they are violating the FCRA & FDCPA. I demand that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX provide the original instrument of indebtedness in its original form bearing my actual, wet signature for the disputed account. If they do not have this, then I in turn demand that they DELETE the truly unverified, invalidated, inaccurate account.
06/23/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	UNITED STATES MINOR OUTLYING ISLANDS 84010	Web
All of my original loans for XXXX school were obtained under the FFEL loan program. When completing my XXXX XXXX, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program became available. I began repayment in XX/XX/XXXX under the impression from Great Lakes that I would qualify for PSLF, so I make career plans to work in XXXX in an academic setting, balancing the lower pay with the opportunity for forgiveness. I contacted Great Lakes annually for Income Based Repayment ( which then became Income Driven Repayment ) qualification, a requirement for loan forgiveness, each year confirming that my loans would qualify for PSLF and I received confirmation each year from Great Lakes that my loans would qualify. Unknown to me, the federal requirements for PSLF changed in XX/XX/XXXX to require all loans to be Direct and serviced by XXXX XXXX. Had Great Lakes let me know I would have consolidated my loans in XX/XX/XXXX and completed payments. Instead, working under the impression given me by Great Lakes that my loan payments qualified for PSLF, I continued making monthly payments. This spring I checked in again with Great Lakes knowing my 120 payments would be complete soon after 10 years of payments. For the first time in 9 years of yearly checking with Great Lakes I was informed that none of my loans qualify and I am left having made minimal payments on my loans under Income Driven Repayment, accruing increased interest and leaving me with 6 more years of loan repayment, and no hope of loan forgiveness. I love my job but my financial plans are turned upside down because of the repeated and consistently bad advice I received from Great Lakes. I have no way to know if the bad advice I received was intentional or simply benign neglect, but there is no doubt that Great Lakes received more income due to my intelligibility for forgiveness than if they had give me the information i needed to stay on track for forgiveness. I now have {$100000.00} in remaining payments that I never expected to pay.
06/26/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	MN 55044	Web
I have been making additional payments and asking them to be allocated to a specific loan token after paying my normal monthly auto payment, however, they are not applying my extra payments directly to principal and are charging against next months interest. I called customer service and they are making it very difficult and are running me in circles with no concise answer. My auto payment is set to cover all of the monthy interest gained for all loans, then I make an additional payment and that is not being applied to principal as requested and has even been dispursed across all loan tokens. They say that interest gains daily which I understand, but this is an extra payment after all interest should have been paid. Plus they are charging me {$69.00} in interest when I just made a payment two days before. This has happened many times. Here are some of the specifics : Auto payment made on XX/XX/XXXX - done correctly and applied to all 4 loan tokens Extra payment made on XX/XX/XXXX - done incorrectly, was requested that 100 % of payment go to loan token XXXX. But they dispursed it to all 4 loans. Extra payment XX/XX/XXXX - done correctly Autopayment XX/XX/XXXX - this was now applied to only loan token XXXX, not all 4 loan tokens instead of putting earlier payment to it. They are doing it backwards. Extrapayment XXXX- done incorrectly. 100 % ahould have been allocated to principal on loan token XXXX, but instead was allocated to all 4 loan tokens. Auto Payment XX/XX/XXXX. Done incorrectly and went to token XXXX. They are flipping my extra payments and auto payments around to their benefit for interest gain. Extra payment XX/XX/XXXX - done incorrectly. Was also allocated to loan XXXX but dispursed to all 4 tokens. Extra payment made on XX/XX/XXXX. Should have processed but they are delaying processing my extra payments which accumulates daily interest. All in all, they are flipping my payments around and making not applying extra payments correctly.
03/14/2018	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NJ 07724	Web
XX/XX/XXXX I was contacted by XXXX XXXX of XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX Fl. XXXX. At the time of phone contact I was beginning the process of discharge with XXXX. XXXX. My daughter receives federal SS XXXX as she is permentanly XXXX. XXXX indicated she knew of my situation and she worked as an agent for 1 ) XXXX the lender.2 ) The US Department of Education . She represented that the ONLY way to receive a discharge was to FIRST consolidate the loans. I subsequently received a federal form via email that had filled out by XXXX. I signed electronically and forwarded to the US Department of education. In XX/XX/XXXX Great Lakes loan servicing XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX Wisconsin XXXX allegedly sent me t a form via email that was the autorization to consolidate and select them as servicer. I DID NOT SIGN because I did not see it in my emails. When I received a statement from Great Lakes in XXXX. I called and was informed that I was now ineligible to apply for a discharge BECAUSE of the consolidation. When I explained I had not signed the autorization and would not have if I knew of the inelligibility to file a discharge Great Lakes indicated that because I DID NOT SIGN they were automatically selected and the consolidation completed and could not be reversed. I called XXXX and asked her how this could be. She was silent. I asked who paid you? She said the lender. I spoke to XXXX ( XXXX XXXX the lender they stated no they do not pay third parties. I allege that XXXX was paid by Great Lakes and is running a criminal kickback and fraud. Why is Great Lakes permitted to assume servicing absent an affirmative autorization from me? I have been unjustly denied the right to apply for a discharge because of XXXX and Great Lakes. I have filed with the FTC and the US department of education. This requires investigation. XXXX on her web site claims the lender pays. She claims 15,000 satisfied students. She lied, misrepresented and should be held accountable.
12/27/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	NC 27360	Web
Good Evening, I am currently enrolled in a Master 's program at a school where I received a XXXX XXXX ( this is important ). I already have an up-to-date student loan that I make auto-payments for each month. I decided to pay for my Master 's out of pocket. There was an opportunity to Study Abroad next year and my Advisor told me to apply for FAFSA to see if I qualified for a scholarship for that program. I knew I would not qualify for FAFSA, but he told me to fill it out anyway as a step towards the Scholarship application. Next, I logged onto my account online for the school and there was a disbursement of over {XXXX} for each semester this year. Luckily I did not have my bank account information loaded, so the funds were not deposited into my bank. However, they were showing online for the school as a, " refund '' - an unsubsidized loan. After some struggling, the school corrected the issue on their website. However, now a check was sent to me today, XXXX. I shredded it and looked online and found that the loan amount for this semester has been tacked onto my student loan through Great Lakes XXXX. It is showing that I owe this amount, plus interest, and a {XXXX} fee. This is baffling to me, how they have the ability to add this to my bill without any confirmation or agreement. I never asked for this loan. I never signed a paper agreeing to receiving it. I only applied for FAFSA as a step to apply for the Scholarship. I am confused as to how they can do all of this without a signature or approval, and I am afraid that it may be showing on my credit. I am going through the steps to get the money taken off of my student loan account, but I need to make sure this does not affect my credit. This is not something I asked for. I have lots of emails for correspondence to show that they did it without my permission and that it should have been taken care of. Please let me know if you need more information. Thank you for your time, XXXX XXXX
08/23/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't temporarily postpone payments	DC 20008	Web
On XXXX XXXX, 2016, I called the holder of my federal student loan, Great Lakes, about the possibility of a short term forbearance. I 'm relocating to XXXX in two months and wanted to forbear for three months on my payments to increase my monthly available funds for moving expenses. When I called Great Lakes, I was informed that I was not eligible for a discretionary forbearance. When I asked if there was anything that Great Lakes could do to help me for a short term basis -- my other loan provider was willing to grant me a deferment for relocation expenses and I assumed that Great Lakes would be accommodating since they say to call them for repayment assistance -- I was informed that I could either pay my student loan with a credit card or not pay on my loans. I was told that nonpayment was an option because default would not trigger until 365 days and that there would little, if any, consequences arising therefrom. As a XXXX, I know that this statement was a misrepresentation on many fronts. First, Great Lakes will begin assessing fees on my account the minute I stop paying my account. Second, nonpayment after thirty days will be reported to the credit bureaus, which will adversely affect my credit score and my credit history. Third, nonpayment will make the entire unpaid balance of my loan and any interest due immediately and payable immediately. And fourth, my loan account could be assigned to a collection agency, which could result in wage/Social Security garnishment and further adverse effects to my credit score. The fact that a Great Lakes representative would recognize nonpayment as a legitimate " payment option '' when a customer is faced with a repayment issue is appalling. I hate to think that this is the advice that Great Lakes is giving to borrowers who need temporary assistance with repaying their student loans. Such conduct, to me, appears to be a predatory lending practice that inures in Great Lakes ' favor and not the borrowers.
12/22/2015	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Can't repay my loan Can't temporarily postpone payments	TX 78727	Web
I have fallen behind on XXXX of my private loans because I am making payments on other private loans, as well as the bare basics to live on. My parents, XXXX of whom is XXXX, have no way to make payments even though they are the co-signers. I am currently planning to make a move and job change to try to improve my situation. I have a previous arrangement with great lakes for a reduced payment of around {$140.00} a month however I was in the hospital and XXXX as well as other life-issues happen and have fallen behind, I am making small payments when I can every few weeks but the current " past due '' is over {$600.00}. They call my parents several times a day, threatening collections and demanding that they make a payment and threatening default - this happens every single day even on weekends though they never call my phone. I call them several times, explain the situation, asking them for any way to reduce or postpone the payments, to do anything to keep it from going to default - I simply can not pay what I do not have. They basically tell me time and time again there is nothing they can do, it does not matter. I am attaching email correspondance - I emailed them after speaking with several reps who suggested that I send an email because they were not sure which department could help me. I sent an email and got a reply saying " it looks like your question about your loan going into default was already resolved ''. WHAT??? I called again and FINALLY a nice rep informed me that basically the only way I can get any help or deferment or any kind of a different arrangement to AVOID default - he told me the only way to get any kind of help would be to enroll back in school and take out more loans. So my choices are to 1 ) default on my loans if I am unable to find a better job/more income, even though I am doing everything I can and will continue or 2 ) enroll in school when I 'm not sure I want to go back and take out XXXX more dollars in debt.
08/10/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes	IA 50317	Web
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX IA XXXX Great Lakes Borrower Services Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX XXXX, WI, XXXX XXXX OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, KY XXXX XXXX : DISPUTED ACCOUNT- NOTICE TO FURNISHER XXXX TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN from the CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU OR CFPB This is MY 4th TIME RECONTACTING GREAT LAKES AND OMBUDSMAN GROUP. I dont believe I need to recite their duties and do their investigation for them. I should not have to ask for their notes, findings, and documents for my IDENTITY THEFT CLAIM AGAIN. My identity theft claim is now going on 3 years, with the major factor being Financial Groups not cooperating. I have attached the only 3 documents I received from both groups from my IDENTITY THEFT claim, 2 from XX/XX/XXXX and 1 from XX/XX/XXXX. Again, where are the notes and what did they do? I also disputed their letter, left a voicemail and asked for a return call b/c I disagree with their statement, such as the 2nd sentence ( highlighted ) in the Ombudsman Group letter, which I never got a return email, all, or notes at all I do not want to complain, but would rather have both groups do their job and investigation properly, so I can resolve my Identity theft claim, catch the suspect, and get my financial life back BOTH GROUPS SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE POLICE REPORT on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. I have submitted the same paperwork several times, and have cooperated with both groups, while they do not the same with me. They have had access to everything I have, aas well as the other companies that are involved and conducting their Identity theft investigation for my ID Theft claim, which I assumed Great Lakes would be working with XXXX XXXX, since XXXX XXXX has +1000 documents and the Police Report that is +100 pages thick for my Identity theft claim. So all this is pointless and everyday that goes by goes directly against my credit, not theirs. Respectfully and XXXX, XXXX XXXX
02/15/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Need information about my balance/terms	NY 10039	Web
XX/XX/2017 I 'm hoping somebody can please point me in the right direction regarding a problem I 'm having with Great Lakes Higher Education and XXXX. I had federal student loans that were being collected by Great Lakes Higher Education ; I could not afford to pay them at the time because I became homeless. I defaulted on my loans. In XXXX of XXXX, I spoke with XXXX and agreed to a XXXX month rehab program with XXXX for my defaulted federal student loans. XXXX. is located at PXXXX, XXXX, CA, XXXX. XXXX telephone number is XXXX. Great Lakes Higher Education is located at XXXX, XXXX, WI XXXX. Great Lakes Higher Education phone number is XXXX after making my ninth payment XX/XX/ XXXX, XXXX, I realized that my loans should have been sold to or bought by another lender by now. I called XXXX. The collection agent on the phone verified that I 've, in fact, made all of my payments on time per the agreement. She puts me on hold and then tells me I must talk to a loan specialist and one will return my call within XXXX hours. XXXX hours comes and goes and no answer. I have been nothing but polite and cooperative during this process as I know how lucky I am to have been in a position to rehabilitate my loans. But now what? Nobody will return my calls. I have to make my payments. I want to make my payments. I will continue making my payments but I also want XXXX to honor the contract to which we agreed. Also, I called Great Lakes Higher Education and the customer service representative XXXX ( who refuses to give me her last name ) keeps telling me they need to find a new lender to service my loan. My loan remains in Collections with XXXX and I will end up paying more collection fees. This is pure evil and I 'm pretty sure Great Lakes Higher Education and XXXX are doing this to many Americans and it needs to stop. They should be held responsible for their dirty business tactics. Sincerely, XXXX
11/02/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	WA 98682	Web
I believe my consolidation loans have been manipulated to the benefit of the banks by approximately {$20000.00} over the life of the loan, contrary to what I would have agreed to. I consolidated my loans XX/XX/XXXX. Originally serviced by XXXX XXXX XXXX, now Great Lakes. I honestly do n't know what the exact terms of the loan were at the time, I am trying to obtain documents but keep getting denied. I 'm guessing I would have set-up a 15 maybe 20 year loan. I started paying as soon as I could, I always paid as much if not more than they asked of me, but what I did n't realize is that I was barely covering interest each month : from XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX an average of about {$65.00} towards principal vs {$300.00} interest. Using the interest rate and the payments I was being charged the duration of the loan would have been over 27 years. When Great Lakes bought the loan in XX/XX/XXXX they did n't change anything and in fact the first XXXX payments had a grand total of {$22.00} applied towards interest. XX/XX/XXXX I had a late payment ( my wife forgot to pay ) and at that point someone from Great Lakes contacted me and told me that my loan " would n't ever get paid off at that rate. '' I was just so shocked I said yes, change it and even made double payment the following month. At that point they structured the loan right at 20 years. This leads me to think that my original agreement would have been at 20 years. So, more than 5 years into the loan I 've only paid down the principal by {$4300.00} ( excluding {$800.00} in extra payments I 've made since XX/XX/XXXX ). A simple loan calculator shows that a 20 year loan with these interest rates and no extra payments should have {$9700.00} of principal paid. Seems like this situation should be illegal ... I would n't have agreed to it and Great Lakes would have continued to benefit at my expense had I not decided to double check their work.
02/08/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Problem lowering your monthly payments	MI 49548	Web
We spent all we had on tuition {$25000.00} and I took out a Student Loan of {$16000.00}. After 3 years of training, the Dean of Students suspended me going into my final year. No institution, no school no one can collect tens of thousands of dollars over 3 yearsand refuse to deliver and keep all the money. It goes against Student Rights and what the law refers to as The Right to Graduate. The Dean of Students tried to cover this up with falsified documents and withholding information. The reasons the Dean gave in the Suspension Letter were not even true. Then the school did the impossible and stopped doing what schools do. The school ignored my grades and GPA, ignored my internship and training, ignored my classes and all my school work, tests and papers. How can a school ignore my education? The school not only refused to give me credit for my work, it also refused to do its own work. After collecting tuition, it stopped doing the very work I was paying the school it to do. The seminary ignored its own classes, ignored its professors work in giving me a grade, and then refused to record my grades or give me credit for the classes I completed. The Michigan Department of Education did nothing. They supposedly held an investigation and yet in six months, the only thing they asked to see was our canceled checks, to which we showed them over {$25000.00} worth drawn from our checking account all gone.. The Department of Education here in Michigan never asked to see a single document. They claimed they couldnt do anything because the school was a seminary. It is ludicrous to make this a church & state issue when its a fraud issue. {$25000.00} was our entire savings. No school, no seminary no one can charge this kind of money and then simply refuse to do the work. We have no money and I have no career to pay it back with and my name and credit are worthless.
04/05/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	FL 32810	Web
I attended XXXX University XXXX through XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX Ca in XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX. I started out going for my XXXX degree and was told that I would be able to do that with no problems. I asked many questions during my interview just to find out that I was lied too throughout the whole conversation. First off I was told that If I did not take the stipend check then the money would be returned and I would not have to pay it back, Wrong. I have to still pay it back. I was told that after I graduated I would receive assistance in finding a job, wrong. In XXXX XXXX my son was hit by a truck, he spent 3 1/2 weeks in XXXX, 6 weeks in XXXX and another 6 months in a XXXX, I was there every minute with him but I STILL DID MY WORK. I never left my classes or anything, but the school said that I dropped out for that semester and charged me over & XXXX that I had to repay. I never dropped out I still did my work and everything. I feel that they took advantage of me. I did let them know what was going on in my life at that time, so if I missed any class then they would know why. After 2 years of schooling I get a phone call that tells me, " You do not have enough points to continue with a XXXX degree, I guess you get XXXX % and I am at XXXX % so I would have to start paying everything out of pocket. '' Well I am a single mom of XXXX so there was no way I could do that. I asked if I could drop it down to an XXXX Degree and finish, they said yes. So I finished that semester and graduated in XXXX XXXX. I had my heart set on a XXXX degree not an XXXX. The big kicker is they did n't change the payment. I am repaying on a XXXX degree loan and only received an XXXX. Now where is that right? I feel that they misled me and took advantage of my situation. Even after I graduated they did n't help me find a job or anything. My question is, WHY? Can I get any help with this?
11/28/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	CA 92841	Web	Servicemember
On XXXX XXXX 2017, I received a phone call from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX stating that they had removed me from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) program without my permission after 5 years and 8 months of on-time payments. I filed a complaint with the Department of education whom just referred the matter to a Great Lakes representative. That representative said they had no records of me ever being in the PSLF and unless I provided proof, I was stuck. They said if I wanted to be placed in the PSLF it would restart the clock back to XXXX and I would have to pay for an additional 10 years. Shame on them! I re-contacted Dept. of Educ. and stated that no one has contacted me regarding this complaint. I have not spoken to anyone researching or investigating my complaint. They simply restated information received from Great Lakes as valid, which is far from the truth. The information stated by Great Lakes is not true and is fraudulent and is the basis of my complaint. I did not at anytime authorize or agree to be taken out of the PSLF program. I would never do that. Any information to the contrary is false. It is my opinion that Great Lakes is a dishonest, lying, crooked company, and their intention is not to help the consumer at all. Conversely they have done everything possible to drive me into default even though I have never missed a payment. They deceived me and told me I was not eligible for any other program, and that I could not have my loan serviced by anyone else, and I just had to cooperate and pay the new raised amount for the next 10 years. I have contacted Great Lakes multiple times with No success, No options provided, no sympathy, absolutely terrible customer service, rudeness, and straight up LIES! I will never do business with them again and I STRONGLY warn anyone else of the same. Especially Veterans and Federal Government workers, BEWARE!
07/28/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	PA 15205	Web
I am requesting an immediate stop any and all deductions from my checks in regards to wage garnishment. I was not properly notified and allotted the correct amount of time to put together a plan of repayment before deductions began based on XXXX Administrative wage, article ( e ) sections : 1, 2, 3. This is with regards to my Federal Date of order : XX/XX/XXXX Date mailed to employer : XX/XX/XXXX US Postage date : XX/XX/XXXX Date received : between : XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX - Based on XXXX website : money was deducted from my wages on XX/XX/XXXX for {$65.00} This should not have happened this quick. Any further deductions should cease until further notice. I am in the process of having an attorney review this as well. I appreciate your help with this. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - I have been working on rehabilitation of my Great lakes Higher Education loan..they had a wage garnishment in place. I contacted them before they started to take the money out of my check and set up payment plan. They day they take money out of my personal checking account, they still took the money out of my check. which ( in an email i had that stated that should not have gone through. I am trying to pay it back but i can not have XXXX different deductions of 15 % each of my disposable income. I have XXXX children and if we will not survive. I am trying anything to prevent filing bankruptcy. Thats why i consolidated and putting together an affordable plan. but if they do not allow me proper time and work with me. Why am I expected to do the same and they have power to XXXX me out of my funds. Wage garnishment should be illegal, it forces people to quite their jobs and do illegal things, which could be prevented by not diving into someones pockets to ruin their lives.
02/08/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	MD 21224	Web
I sent a payment using my XXXX XXXX Bill Pay service to Great Lakes much as I had for over the past year. Upon noticing that the payment had not been reflected in my account a few days later I called and was informed that they had changed the address of where payments should be sent from XXXX to XXXX without communicating to me in any manner. When asking what would happen I was told that even though I had electronically transferred my payment through Bill Pay that they would not return my payment for XXXX weeks. After two weeks passed I called and asked for an update where I was told the funds would be returned to my bank and then put back in my account. When I contacted my bank by submitting a claim they contacted Great Lakes and informed me that I should be getting my funds returned via check in the mail within forty days. I called as the 40 day limit was approaching and was told again it should be returned shortly so I made another payment in the same amount over the phone with the understanding it would be applied as attended and my original funds would be at my house soon in the form of a check. While they applied the second payment over the phone I still have not received my original refunded payment and have since made another payment to Great Lakes which has not been reflected in my account despite following their explicit instructions. I checked with my bank and they show that the latest payment was posted. Due to these events I now have several thousand dollars that are floating in Great Lakes accounts instead of either being returned to me or applied to my loan. When I called yet again this morning I was told they would look into the matters and get back to me within 48 hours. At this point I have no idea when I 'll get my original payment back and if I 'll have to wait just as long for my latest payment to be sent to me instead of being applied.
01/21/2016	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	NH 038XX	Web
Pulled directly from Great Lakes Borrower Services Website : How Payments Are Applied " However, when it comes to extra payment amounts ( see examples below ), after all interest and late fees due have been satisfied, we automatically apply the extra amount to the unpaid balance on the loan with the highest interest rate ( if there are multiple loans in your account ). If you do n't want the extra payment amount to be applied this way, contact us. If you, instead, want an extra payment amount to be applied to a specific loan, you must provide us with the loan 's account number and interest rate. '' I was a XXXX major and currently work for XXXX XXXX. I state this so that my concern may be taken a bit more seriously as I 'm sure you receive unmerited complaints all the time. Their are multiple issues at play here, but I will start with what I assume to be the most common. I am currently in repayment on XXXX loans with this lender ( technically it 's XXXX XXXX XXXX ), XXXX has a 8 % interest rate and the other 8.375 %. I have all of my amortized interest paid and so only pay monthly accrued interest. I overpay each month in order to further deplete the principal balance. As the quote states above all extra payments will be applied to the higher rated loan. THIS IS NOT TRUE. I have been informed by multiple service representatives that I need to continuously call in to request that my over payments be allocated the way that I prefer and that if I do not than they will be applied proportionally to each loan. XXXX off that is not how it should be because the borrower is at a loss in this case. XXXX that is not how they advertise on their site which is fraudulent as well. I have been happy that they are willing to prorate my payments and make the adjustments that I prefer, but I ca n't imagine many graduates thinking this way nor looking into it. Please Help!
01/19/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	IN 467XX	Web	Older American
I have XXXX Stafford Loans, original amounts of {$8600.00}, {$10000.00} and {$9500.00} - Total {$28000.00} - originating XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX. My current balance as of XX/XX/XXXX is {$30000.00}. My husband and I filed Chapter XXXX Bankruptcy XX/XX/XXXX due to having a very ill son ; we were in a 5-year XXXX repayment plan which ended XX/XX/XXXX. During these five years, the Indiana Trustee, through the XXXX XXXX XXXX, paid a total of {$19000.00} to the US Department of Education and XXXX XXXX XXXX ( now XXXX ). Great Lakes is now my service provider. I have provided proof of payment several times to Great Lakes only to be told that they do not show any payments being made to XXXX XXXX XXXX ( now XXXX ) in the amount of {$8600.00}. They do show some payments made to the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, but not all of them approximately {$6000.00} although {$11000.00} was actually paid. After we were out of the bankruptcy, Great Lakes started demanding payments of $ XXXX/month. I called and explained that their figures were incorrect. After all of the payments made by the Indiana Bankruptcy XXXX, I should have a remaining balance of approximately {$8900.00} plus some interest. I have called Great Lakes, spoken to a Manager, sent proof of payments from the XXXX XXXX XXXX, written letters, including to the US Department of Education, searched the internet for assistance, etc. I am getting no where with these people. I have placed my loans in forbearance because I can not afford the $ XXXX/month payments, the loans will come due XX/XX/XXXX. I need help. I am XXXX years of age and will be retiring very soon, I was hoping to have this mess behind me before I retired. I am writing to you because I saw a news article about a law suit that the CFPB has filed against Navient for cheating millions of students. Let me know what I need to do. Thank you.
10/11/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	IL 60004	Web
Since XXXX 2016 as I applied for an income driven repayment plan, I have received conflicting information from numerous reps and multiple managers regarding whether I should I expect an interest subsidy to apply to my account with Great Lakes after my monthly payment amount changed in year two of the income driven repayment plan. After the subsidy did not post in XXXX, I was told that I should still expect the subsidy but that it was delayed because my payment plan did begin until the following month on XXXX XXXX. I called repeatedly in XXXX to confirm and was told I should expect the subsidy by XXXX XXXX, but I did not receive a subsidy by the end of the month. I called on the first business day of XXXX and by the following day and multiple calls, I was told that by XXXX XXXX I should expect an interest subsidy and that there was a delay from the government in posting interest subsidies. After the subsidy did not post by XXXX XXXX, I was told on XXXX XXXX that I would not qualify for an interest subsidy because my new payment amount is higher than the subsidy. This was a simple piece of information that multiple representatives and managers missed from XXXX through XXXX. This misinformation negatively affected my ability to plan financially and has caused me to make payments on unsubsidized loans with lower interest rates because I expected the subsidy on the subsidized loans. As a financial service company, multiple guesses and examples of misinformation over an extended period of time are unacceptable. I am also concerned by the final manager I spoke with advising me to apply for removal from the income driven repayment plan with the idea of letting my loans be forgiven after 20 years. Not only was I misinformed, but I was encouraged to keep up with my minimum payments, which would cause me to pay significantly more over the life of the loan.
10/13/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	CA 912XX	Web
On XXXX XXXX, 2017, I signed in to my Great Lakes account to make a payment for the month of XXXX. Because it was after XXXX XXXX, my account had fallen " past due. '' I made a payment for the full amount owed for that month ( which was just under {$500.00} ) and my account still remained " past due. '' It did not have any information supporting that a payment was made and was being processed. Instead, it said " please make a payment for your past due account. '' I decided to wait until the following day to see if my account status changed. The next day, the website still said " your account is past due, please make a payment. '' I checked with my bank and no charge was initiated or pending, so I believed the first payment had not gone through. The website should have stated " payment processing, '' or " payment received, '' or anything to indicate that, while the account may still be in a past due status, a payment for XXXX was no longer owed as this one was being processed. Instead, it was misleading and asking for an XXXX payment. As such, I made a second payment of almost {$500.00} for XXXX, only to realize days later that both payments went through. Great Lakes stated that I would need to wait a week for the payment to fully process and then could request a refund, which would take about 45 days. I believe their website is intentionally set up that way to mislead people into making additional payments when they are not necessary. I feel cheated out of an additional {$500.00} that I had not budgeted for this month. Great Lakes made no acknowledgment of the unreliableness of their website and I do not believe they will make any changes to make their payment collection more simple and less misleading for those who are trying to pay back their loans. I logged back in today, two days later, and my account still says I owe a payment for XXXX.
04/19/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	CT XXXXX	Web
My loan servicer, Great Lakes Borrower Services, has engaged in practices that I believe to be deceptive, in bad faith, and of a harassing nature. I recently attempted to re-enroll in my income based payment plan. I received several notifications from Great lakes that my application was incomplete. Over the course or numerous telephone calls I rectified the " issues '' they highlighted with my application. During numerous telephone calls with Great Lakes, I was assured by their customer service staff that my application was complete and that I would not be required to provide any additional information. Shortly thereafter, I received an email from Great Lakes with my updated payment information for the upcoming year. Subsequent to receiving the updated payment information, I have received no less that XXXX emails from Great Lakes indicating that my application is not complete. Today I received a " final warning '' email. After receiving the first few warning emails, I called Great Lakes and, on a recorded line, was able to obtain verbal confirmation that my application was approved and that the emails I was receiving were sent in error. In fact, I received an inbound phone call from Great Lakes indicating the same. Never the less, I continue to receive emails from them on a weekly basis stating that my application is complete. I have given up on calling them to ask that they cease sending these emails as it takes at least XXXX minutes to get a live operator on the phone as every time I am required to re-confirm my address, contact details, etc. For less informed borrowers, these emails would create a great deal of distress and frustration. I think that Great Lakes should be warned that these practices are not consistent with their ultimate goal of servicing the loans of the XXXX of student loan borrowers across our country.
04/04/2017	No	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	VA 22031	Web
Great Lakes is a contractor for the Department of Education. I am on an income based repayment ( IBR ) plan requiring 120 months of on time payments under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Great Lakes is skipping one payment every year while they " set up a new payment plan '' and then the payment gets added to the end. Because the payments only get higher every year on the IBR and the interest is accruing, this means a significantly longer time to pay ( an additional 10 months if totaled ) and at an increased amount due to the skipped lower payment, higher back end payment and accrued interest. I was making a monthly payment on the XX/XX/XXXX. This year, they approved my IBR in XX/XX/XXXX, informed me in XX/XX/XXXX, skipped the XX/XX/XXXX payment and then started the higher payments due on the XX/XX/XXXX of each month. Today I attempted to correct their mistake and they told me I was wrong in my point and told me nothing could be done and that correcting the mistake by making an extra payment to cover XX/XX/XXXX would n't count for my Public Loan Forgiveness Plan. This issue has been identified by the Department of Education and XXXX has lost their contracts for the same problems. They are intentionally skipping one lower payment each year in order to add it to the back end for higher payments. This feels like an unfair practice since at no point in time is the loan being " reserviced '', " refinanced '', changing hands or doing any of the other things that normally triggers a financial institution change billing cycles or amounts. However, even if this were the case, they approved me in XX/XX/XXXX, Notified me in XX/XX/XXXX, took XX/XX/XXXX payment, skipped XX/XX/XXXX and billed XX/XX/XXXX. There is no reasonable way that they needed almost 4 months to set up a new payment plan. Please address this issue.
03/24/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	TN 370XX	Web
In XXXX XXXX some of my loans went into repayment and I began making payments to Great Lakes XXXX. Between XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XXXX XXXX, XXXX I made {$1900.00} in payment. According to my XXXX XXXX billing statement my payment history showed {$770.00} in principal payments and {$1400.00} in interest payments. I entered XXXX school in XXXX XXXX. However, in my XXXX XXXX billing statement, my payment history now showed only {$460.00} in principal payments and {$1700.00}, a shift of {$300.00} from principal to interest payments. The payment history on their site also now longer matches the information from the billing statements during that time. All the payments prior to XXXX/XXXX/XXXX are now all showing interest only payments. I noticed the issue after making my XXXX payment and contacted Great Lakes on or about XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. I was advised that someone would be researching the issue and getting back to me in XXXX3 business days. Three weeks went by and no update and the account is still showing incorrectly. I contacted them again today and they had no answers, despite having my call escalated to XXXX different supervisors XXXX and they advised that me it will take at least XXXX2 more business days to research the issue. When I asked for the detailed payment history for each disbursement ( token ) for the loan, I was first advised it would take XXXX6 weeks. However, once I spoke with a supervisor I was told it would now only take XXXX2 business days. I would like to make another payment, but I am waiting for them to correct this issue so that this payment is also not misapplied. I need both the detailed token payment history and the payment application error corrected. Further, I would like to have a detailed token payment history sent to me monthly so I can continue to monitor their compliance.
12/04/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	VA 23112	Web
We had set up an auto pay program with Great Lakes as early as XX/XX/XXXX for our daughters student loans. There were not any problems until our daughter decided to take graduate classes at XXXX. Without our knowledge XXXX sent out a notice that our daughter was back in school. Great Lakes without our knowledge or consent put our daughters account into deferment and changed our auto pay to {$0.00} essentially canceling the payment. This was done on XX/XX/XXXX. We did not notice the XX/XX/XXXX first payment was not made until XX/XX/XXXX. When we called Great Lakes we were told that students were automatically put into deferment when they went back to school. We told the representative we did n't want to be in deferment, and we wanted the auto pay to start back up. She said we could go online and reset auto pay. I set up auto pay for {$250.00} to come out on XX/XX/XXXX. On the evening of XX/XX/XXXX we noticed the payment had not come out of our checking account. When I logged into our daughters account I saw where Great Lakes changed the auto pay account again. They changed the payment date to XX/XX/XXXX and changed the amount to {$210.00}. I also saw that they charged capitalized interest of {$38.00}. Also by changing my pay date from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX they are trying to accrue more interest on the account. When I tried to resolve the issue with Great Lakes. When I tried to resolve the issue Great Lakes refused to take responsibility for setting up their computer program this way. If this happened to us, how many other people are the scamming? Is it legal to put someone into deferment without their consent? Am I financially responsible for them putting our daughter into deferment without consent and essentially stopping my auto pay causing interest to accrue and capitalize? Please help.
01/02/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NV 89183	Web
I am {$35000.00} in student loan debt. XX/XX/XXXX, I signed up for student loan forgiveness with a servicing company : XXXX XXXX. I was told my loan application for the Department of Education will be sent off for student loan forgiveness and I would be charged a {$190.00} fee for the initial start up. After, I would pay {$49.00} monthly, to have my student loan account oversaw at all times. I have since found out XXXX is a scam and a dishonest company. I have called them to cancel and they have told me I can not cancel and have to pay the full amount owed to them, to settle payment. They took out a {$49.00} fee from my account XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. The initial company that contacted me with XXXX has told me several times they sent XXXX a cancellation email regarding my account. The latest time was XX/XX/XXXX. EA has continued to send me emails stating my payments are passed due and if I do n't make payments soon, they will put derogatory marks on my credit score. I realize that student loan consolidation is something I can do on my own and they do not get student loans forgiven, as told. I am awaiting to hear back from the initial company to confirm XXXX 's response regarding my cancellation. However, the initial company told me if XXXX cancels my account, I will still have to contact them about cancelling my finance contract. I will still owe XXXX and this will affect my credit. I want to know what my options are. I am not letting XXXX get away with scamming individuals. I see their reviews online and they ALL express the scam in this business. What business emails clients and threatens them?? This is absolutely absurd and I do not believe I should be penalized for wanting out of a scam. This company needs to be shut down and legal action needs to be made against them.
11/12/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Keep getting calls about your loan	NJ 07060	Web
Shortly after consolidating my student loans with through the federal student loan.gov website i was repeatedly bombarded with telephone calls from many different companies stating that they worked with the education department and are trying to help people reduce their student loan debt by getting them into the student debt reduction program that was in the last days from the XXXX XXXX. The also said that I would have to pay 5 payments of XXXX to lock me into the program and make sure that my loan repayment stay at $ XXXX monthly for 20 years which would allow the rest of my loans to be forgiven after that 20 year period. I naively believed that they were associated with the government and signed up with the company as i feared a large monthly repayment having owed {$100000.00} in student and XXXX children to raise. I realized that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX were fraudulent after calling them and hearing a recording that said they were shut down and being sued. I became suspicious and called because earlier that morning I received a call from another loan forgiveness agency, from a California number but their service rep had a strong foreign voice, sounding XXXX. This made me really think about How foolish I was with ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) also known as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I quickly contacted my lender but not sure what else I can do.. I also need to find out how to freeze my credit and must some how check to see if i must change my SS #, and must contact my bank just in case my finances are in jeopardy. Now i am going crazy trying to get things cleared up. I am a nervous wreck and terrified, they have so many of my personal information. I am in total fear and agony. please help me if you can assist in any way. I will appreciate your guidence. please contact me ASAP, Thank You Naive Mother
08/10/2018	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	IL 60586	Web
STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS SCAM- I was contacted by a representative named XXXX XXXX XX/XX/2018 via phone from the company XXXX. He claimed that XXXX was a third party company that worked along side my student loan lender to help eliminate interest charges on my loan and to break down my payments into more affordable ones. He stated I was eligible to rid all interest accrued, make the first four payments $ XXXX/month, and I would then after only need to pay $ XXXX/month for the next 3 years until paid off. Every detail seemed very legit to me considering they had me sign a " contract '' with my social security number already on it ( which I never gave ) and a " forbearance form '' for them to give to my lender. Having little knowledge and experience with this type of situation I was taken advantage of. Luckily I started piecing it together. The day after my first payment was due ( due XX/XX/2018 ) I decided to do some research before the charge of {$110.00} completely went through on my credit card. I contacted my student loan lender ( XXXX ) XX/XX/2018 to see if they had been contacted by XXXX at all. It was then I was told that my student loan company NEVER uses third party companies to assist with any form of loan forgiveness and that they have their own means in assisting borrowers with such. I immediately thereafter contacted my bank to have the transaction flagged as fraud, closed that credit card account, and was issued a new one. I emailed XXXX XXXX from XXXX whom was the last person to email me that I had reported them as fraudulent and to no longer contact me. Now somehow as of XX/XX/2018 a charge of {$110.00} has been taken again by this company which I have had to report yet again with my bank. Somehow the withdrawal is dated as ( XX/XX/2018 ) in my account. Huge headache.
07/22/2019	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Getting a loan Confusing or misleading advertising	CA 91321	Web
Loan Open Date : XX/XX/2009 Loan Amount : {$8300.00} As a recent XXXX XXXX XXXX, I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. I decided to go to XXXX XXXX for information about the programs they offered. Their commercials drew me in because they mentioned they had a high rate of obtaining employment after graduation. Their sales/recruiters were super friendly and pushy. I only went for information ; however, they did not let me leave until I signed up for one of their programs. I was young and nave. I was also at a point where I wasnt sure what I wanted to do with my life, and I felt that they were leading me in the right direction. I told them I was interested in Technology or Computer Science a nd they advised me to pursue a degree in Computer Drafting and Design. At first, I told them I didnt know anything about that program, and I wasnt comfortable about pursuing a career in that field. They assured me it was similar to what I wanted to do. I took their word for it and enrolled in that program. I attended for about a year and the program was not what I was told it would be. I met with a counselor and she changed me to another program, however, I enrolled halfway through the course and could not catch up. I didnt want to quit especially after taking out an {$8000.00} loan but I had no choice. I felt that I was set up for failure. As a result, I went into a deep XXXX and contemplated XXXX. Its not fair that 10 years later, I am still paying for something that I felt forced into and for a school that is obsolete and has no credibility. I cant say I am shocked to see that school close down because their sales tactics were misleading and deceptive. They also tricked many people into taking out high-cost loans without understanding the terms and conditions for paying them back.
12/06/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Having problems with customer service	OK 74133	Web
I have a XXXX student loan with Great Lakes which has been on and off in-school deferment and forbearance since 2010. Every year, Great Lakes has brought the loan out of in-school deferment before receiving notice of or verifying my XXXX semester attendance. They have had to make more than two retro-active adjustments to my loan repayment history because of this practice. For the past month I have been trying to speak with someone at Great Lakes about the issues with my repayment history and I am being jerked around and told that the information can not be changed because of the Fair Credit Reporting Acts. I researched into this topic and discovered a letter from the FTC discussing Great Lakes ' obligation to update the information on the credit file, even if it was accurate at the time it was reported. They have since refused to respond to me and I am now searching out other ways to resolve this issue. I have paid on my loan and my account is in good standing. The remaining principal balance is less than the original principal balance so I do not owe more than I took, I owe less. I have been working very hard to try and get this loan taken care of but, at each step Great Lakes has worked against me to prolong the time the student loan stays in repayment and therefore in their possession. I feel as though Great Lakes has no incentive to provide me with assistance as their money comes from having a number of accounts to service. Essentially they are a for-profit XXXX complex. There is no incentive to rehabilitate the XXXX if the XXXX gets a monthly check based on head count. The same situation is true with federally subsidized student loans. Great Lakes is attempting to prolong the repayment period of my loan and will not work with me to correct the inaccurate payment history.
10/04/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	NY 14127	Web
I XXXX from XXXX College in Maryland ( now XXXX University ) in XXXX and from University at XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX. I have a loan from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) that has been serviced by Great Lakes since at least XX/XX/XXXX. I am in a standard repayment plan, with monthly payments of {$350.00}. Over the years, I have diligently made extra payments on the loan in an effort to repay it earlier. Great Lakes never gave me the option of applying 100 % of those extra payments to the principal of the loan in order to reduce the principal and thus the amount of interest being charged. Instead, even while I made the automatic monthly payment of {$350.00}, they applied a portion of each extra payment to principal and a portion to interest, considering me to have " paid ahead '' on the loan. I did not wish to " pay ahead '' but to reduce the principal beyond the amount that the monthly payment did in order to make headway on repayment. Finally I took advantage of the fact that I am paid ahead to XXXX, and I stopped monthly payments sometime within the past year due to some income issues in my family. I started making monthly payments again this month, but now the amount of interest outstanding is over {$1000.00}, and all of the repayments are applied to that interest amount first. Great Lakes practices seem out of step with normal loan servicing practices and hurt consumers like myself who are simply trying to rid themselves of student loan debt burdens. I am not able to provide my account history. Great Lakes only provides statements for the past year, and since I was not making payments, there is little information available to me. I would be happy to work on reconstructing the history based upon my bank account and other records, but it would take some time and effort.
01/26/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't decrease my monthly payments	WI 541XX	Web
My student loan payments were being applied to a loan that did n't exist during a period of time in the beginning of my loan payments. The loan company thanked me for catching this error but did n't move the payments back over. I 'm not sure where the money went but I was then told I was well behind on my monthly payments. Again, payments were being drawn out and applied to a loan that does n't exist. On numerous occasions through XXXX they 've pushed forbearance as an only option for me with my student loans. I 've tried income based payments but whenever I gave my amount ( XXXX ) they 'd always tell me that I made too much to help lower my payments which then put me into forbearance. Currently there is a loan out there for " {$2500.00} '' that now is going up at 24 % a year in interest but I was only made aware of this loan in the past 6 months but it 's apparently from 2009 and the creditor is the XXXX. I ca n't get proof of the loan paperwork nor do I recall ever taking a loan out through my own University ; plus I 'd of never applied for a {$2500.00} loan due to not needing those funds. Now this loan has gone up to {$5000.00} and increasing each year until it 's paid off. I 've tried to work with the XXXX but have gotten nothing but payment requests back. The Agency used my resume from a job application in Michigan to track down my employers and ask them if I was still employed. Consistently harassed by phone calls for payments I 've stated I ca n't make, documentation sent out for wage garnishment. The Agency harassing my parents for payments or work information. After looking at all my Federal Loans Online the amounts listed are much more than would be required for schooling and no matter the amounts paid there is no relief in sight to get help moving the balances down.
10/30/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NC 280XX	Web
In XX/XX/2018, I received an email stating I needed to renew my " Income Driven '' repayment plan before XX/XX/2018. I went online, completed application and realized I had check a wrong box ( I could not access my spouse 's income information ) on the application. I called Great Lakes on the same day ( XX/XX/XXXX ) to ask what I needed to do. I was told to just send in my spouse 's most recent pay check stub and they would handle the rest. After that I received 2 emails, one XX/XX/XXXX stated they received my application and the other on XX/XX/XXXX stated my application was approved and that I would received repayment information 45 days before due date. I called XX/XX/XXXX because I hadn't received repayment information. I was told I wouldn't be receiving an email for repayment because I didn't have anything to repay. I asked, " why? '' I was told it was because I didn't have any income. I told them this information was incorrect and I sent in my spouse 's pay check stub. Agent responded, " I see, we have that information but we didn't use it for your application '', '' Would you like to have your application recalculated? '' I stated " yes ''. I ended the call but called back to file a complaint. I was basically told they could not change my application and that I had to complete a " married '' application ( basically correcting the information, '' I can not access my spouse 's income information '' ). I asked " why wasn't I contacted if there was an error '' ... '' I sent in a tax return stating I was married and my spouse 's pay check stub ''. Agent stated, " I understand that but your application says you were married but you could not access your spouse 's income ''. Now, I am waiting for my spouse 's approval for FSA ID. This process could take 2 to 3 days.
01/26/2016	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Dealing with my lender or servicer Having problems with customer service	GA 30092	Web
The company in question has contacted me several times to repay a debt. I am currently finishing XXXX studies through an extension from an illness that I sustained when I was enrolled in the XX/XX/2015. I am not presently enrolled, though I have been granted academic permission to continue my coursework as would any student who is actively enrolled. In the past, I was granted a deferment/forbearance status by this company when not actively enrolled in classes. This time, they have decided to pursue aggressively a debt repayment on the basis that I was reported by the school as being no longer enrolled. The school and the lender both are having difficulties with communications between themselves regarding the issue -- something that I have personally intercepted with the intention of resolving this issue. I have disregarded the lenders contacts on the basis of my history with Great Lakes. I applied for a deferment and/or forbearance in the past several times with Great Lakes and was granted them without delay both over the phone and on the Internet. This time around, I applied again and was granted a deferment/forbearance on every loan except for this one, which was locked/frozen, meaning I could not request the same deferment/forbearance that l had requested successfully and without problems in the past. The lender has after several attempts finally emailed my personal email account without a description in the body of my email address -- only included is the sender 's email and contact information. I find these practices to be extremely fishy, unwarranted and demonstrative of the use of loopholes for the collection of debt without regard for academic circumstances. I base the reasoning for this complaint on my past experience with these particular companies.
08/20/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	CO 806XX	Web
Complaint 1 : I made my payment early as I often do, though I'm on automatic payments. When you do this, there's a disclaimer saying that your additional payment will reduce your automatic withdrawal payment by the amount of the additional payment. I haven't had the payment come out twice before. It did this time, and when I asked about it, they treated me like an XXXX. I even selected " Principal Only '' for the additional in case this happened, yet they took interest from both payments. This shouldn't have come out twice, but if that's how they're going to run their business, then additional payments that have been marked for Principal Only need to be Principal Only. Principal Interest XX/XX/2018 Pending {$100.00} XX/XX/2018 Payment {$120.00} {$100.00} {$18.00} XX/XX/2018 Payment {$110.00} {$110.00} {$0.00} Complaint 2 : I refinanced the majority of my loan in XXXX to another servicer because Great Lakes ' practices are so terrible. The balance left with Great Lakes was a little over {$6000.00}, yet they did everything they could to keep my monthly {$350.00} payment that I was paying when my balance with them was nearly $ 30k. I had to fight tooth and nail to reduce the payment to what it should be. I got through the whole hour-long process on the phone the first time, and was told I'd have to wait over the following weekend for changes to take effect. The changes never came, and the entire {$350.00} was withdrawn from my bank account. I called to see where they were at in the process of changing it, and they claimed they had no record of my call. So I went through the whole process again. I saw nothing still the following week, so I called again. Again, no record of me calling. On the third time, after threatening reporting them, my payment changes were made.
04/21/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't get flexible payment options	NE 68025	Web
I applied to a XXXX school in XXXX XXXX. I finished my courses and walked at graduation XXXX XXXX was told our XXXX would be mailed to us in the following weeks. I called everyother week from XXXX XXXX til XXXX XXXX asking about my XXXX. was told its going out or was in the mail. called back XXXX XXXX and found out the school filled bankruptcy 3 times and closed. I never received my XXXX showing completion. contacted the state and was only sent my transcripts showing my hours. I am not able to take my XXXX test without my XXXX. im now stuck with a XXXX dollar loan that I cant afford since I have not been able to find work where I can afford child care for my children and repayment of this loan. I do n't qualify for the school closure because they considered me out of school at that point. I was never given the proper entry exam, I was not a XXXX and obtained my XXXX while attending classes. I did n't qualify under those circumstances either. I did the income based repayment. and apparently Great lakes my loan servicer put me on forbearance when I have always done unemployment deferment deferment but now my subsidized loan has {$480.00} in interest I was not made aware of. I feel extremely used and taken advantage of when I never took a dime of the governments money, I had to pay almost {$1000.00} out of pocket to cover what the loan would n't. or the fact that the school charged what they did when I had to buy everything myself. everytime I have contacted great lakes im basically told oh well nothing we can do. im not even offered a payment plan im just told this is what I pay and that 's it. most places you get options. The school I attended was the XXXX. And I know for a fact im not the only student in my class that did n't receive their certificates
06/09/2017	Yes	Debt collection Private student loan debt	Attempts to collect debt not owed Debt is not yours	CA 91604	Web
This company is reporting a debt that is not verified. They have failed to provide information showing signature and have violated FDCPA LAW. We are filing a Lawsuit as well unless the accounts are removed. XXXX Account Number XXXX Account Type Installment Loan Terms Unknown Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX Account Status Closed Payment Status Unknown Payment Status Details Account transferred to another office Status Updated XX/XX/XXXX Balance - Balance Updated - Credit Limit - Past Due Amount - High Balance - Monthly Payment - Balloon Payment - Contact Phone BYMAILONLY Contact Address XXXX XXXX XXXX , XXXX , WI XXXX Ownership Individual Original Creditor - Company Sold-to - Original Amount {$28000.00} XXXX Account Number XXXX Account Type Installment Loan Terms Unknown Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX Account Status Closed Payment Status Unknown Payment Status Details Account transferred to another office Status Updated XX/XX/XXXX Balance - Balance Updated - Credit Limit - Past Due Amount - High Balance - Monthly Payment - Balloon Payment - Contact Phone BYMAILONLY Contact Address XXXX XXXX XXXX , XXXX , WI XXXX Ownership Individual Original Creditor - Company Sold-to - Original Amount {$6700.00} Comments XXXX Account Number XXXX Account Type Installment Loan Terms Unknown Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX Account Status Closed Payment Status Unknown Payment Status Details Account transferred to another office Status Updated XX/XX/XXXX Balance - Balance Updated - Credit Limit - Past Due Amount - High Balance - Monthly Payment - Balloon Payment - Contact Phone BYMAILONLY Contact Address XXXX XXXX XXXX , XXXX , WI XXXX Ownership Individual Original Creditor - Company Sold-to - Original Amount {$7800.00} Comments -
11/08/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	WI 539XX	Web
I have XXXX loans through Great Lakes that are in repayment, aquired while a student at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX, XXXX, WI. I have been making regular payments on the XXXX of each month for a number of years. On XX/XX/XXXX I made an extra payment online. The website clearly stated that after regular payments are made I can specify funds minus outstanding interest to be allocated how I specified. However on XX/XX/XXXX when I logged in to my account I see that the extra payment was divided between my XXXX loans. I called the service representative who told me that the " billing cycle '' starts the day after the regular payment is made and any payments after that day are applied as regular payments first, then the remaining amount it applied as an extra payment. She informed she could not change how my payment was applied. I requested to speak to a supervisor, which I did. The supervisor again reiterated that their policy is that the " billing cycle '' starts the day after the regular payment is scheduled and any payments made after that day are applied as regular payments first, applied to both loans, then any remainder is applied as an extra payment. Despite my insistence that my regular payment was not due for several more days and so the extra payment should be applied as such she informed that their policy had change recently to reflect the current " billing cycle '' policy. She informed me " no one can change the policy '' or change how my payment was applied. She also stated she had received multiple complaints regarding this policy. I would like to note I am aware that extra payments are applied to interest first. I am not disputing that the funds were applied to interest, but also applied to principal of the other loan.
12/10/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	MS 38654	Web
Great Lakes was the company that purchased my loans from XXXX XXXX. The first thing that they did was to increase my interest rate. I questioned this and was told that they could increase it to whatever they wished. I began attending at XXXX XXXX University after obtaining my XXXX from XXXX University. I only took one class however when the 6 month grace period ended and it was time to begin repayment, Great Lakes reported that I owed {$130000.00}. This is wildly inaccurate. My wife and I have consolidated loans through XXXX XXXX XXXX in the amount of {$64000.00}. We pay on time and have never missed. A portion of my Masters through XXXX University and the one class from XXXX XXXX University were what Great Lakes purchased. When I received an outrageous invoice in XXXX of XXXX, I called Great Lakes and questioned. This is when I was transfered from attendant to attendant and eventually told that I could consolidate {$130000.00} into one monthly payment of {$1200.00} or so. First I needed to give them my credit card number to pay a one time servicing fee of {$490.00}. I tried to correct them in that I did not owe {$130000.00} but they would not listen. I have tried to get my records from XXXX with all of the financial information, but they will not provide them to me. I have tried to register on the FAFSA sight since they changed it, but it requires my XXXX email address that is no longer active. I have also contacted XXXX XXXX to obtain the records of the class that I took along with the financial info, but I can not get anyone to return my calls. I received a letter last month that said that my student loans are in default and now belong to the government. I am literally at my wits end on what to do or how to proceed. Please help.
11/27/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	MI 48103	Web	Servicemember
When talking to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( my student loan service provider ), they tell me I can not apply any over payments towards principal until my capitalized interest is paid. They also said that the interest compounds daily, which means it accrues approximately at {$130.00} a month ( give or take some dollars because some of the loans have variable rates ). I have a couple of problems. 1. No one who assists you with the loan application when you are applying makes any statements about the ability of the loan to compound daily. ( this would be the only loan available that I am aware of that does this, and the only one where you are not explicitly informed of this possibility occurring ) 2. If I am not allowed to apply over payments towards principal, this would also be the only loan that I am aware of that you can not pay down the principal with extra payments. I have been on an income driven repayment program. This past year I was only required to make {$85.00} a month payment. ( When I set up the auto-payment earlier this year, no-one mentioned that the interest accrues at {$130.00} a month. ) When I set up my auto pay, I wanted to start dropping the principal, so I elected to pay more, {$170.00} a month. I also elected to have the extra applied towards principal soooooo the interest accruing is less because I am knocking down the principal with almost {$100.00} extra a month. Now I learn as I am about to reapply for my income driven repayment program that I am " not allowed to pay down the principal ''. It all does not seem quite legal and the information provided when applying for the loan as well as setting up auto pay is inadequate and surely seems to violate consumer protection laws. I figure I would start here.
09/05/2018	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem Difficulty submitting a dispute or getting information about a dispute over the phone	TX 75074	Web
XXXX XXXX and Great Lakes continues to send negative information to credit bureaus regarding my accounts. I have been sued by my own family, have had my XX/XX/2018 tax refund wrongly taken by the US Department of Education ( {$2000.00} ) which I included in a separate CFPB complaint, and have been facing eviction in my current place of residence. I have also had a lack of food due to lack of money. Because the US Department of Education failed to return my {$2000.00} tax refund or give me a reason as to why it was not returned to me, my car was repossessed. Now, looking at my credit report, I can not qualify to buy a new car because my credit has been negatively reported by XXXX XXXX, who is contracted by the US Department of Education. I would like them to take the false, negative information off my credit report. Mutliple contracted agencies are taking advantage of my terrible financial situation and I want it to stop. I want XXXX XXXX, along with ALL US Department of Education contractors to discontinue negative reporting on my credit. You are beating a dead horse. I have been faced with multiple evictions ( one because of the US Department of Education ) and have had my car repossessed because again, my refund was not returned to me. And now, as I try to fix the problem the US Department of Education and their contractors created ; they have sent numerous negative comments about my credit. The US Department of Education and their contractors need to work with me, not against me. I need to be able to buy a car and live my life. I have NO other negative marks on my credit, except for what the US Department of Education and their contractors have submitted. I am asking you to stop, it Is ruining my life.
09/14/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	OK 74403	Web
Because of mishandling of my information by XXXX, my loan went into default. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX stated that my loan was being handled by XXXX. After setting up a payment agreement with XXXX, I was told that after 9 payments, I was eligible for my loan to come out of default. After 9 payments, nothing happened. XXXX continued to deduct {$51.00} per month from my checking account by auto draft. These autodrafted checks are made out to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Trust Account and are cashed on a monthly basis. The account shown on the checks is XXXX. I have copies of these checks, front and back. To date, 44 checks have been deducted. That is nearly 4 years worth of payments. I have tried numerous times to get someone to send me paperwork to get these loans out of default. I utilized the XXXX database. It states my servicer is XXXX. The current lender is listed as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The current guaranty agency is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have contacted XXXX who tell me that they do not have the loan and to contact Great Lakes. I contact Great Lakes, and they tell me that XXXX has it. I contact XXXX, and no one returns my calls. On one occasion, when a call was returned, they left a voicemail with a call back number. That number was disconnected, and I tried numerous times. I then tried contacting XXXX and was put through to " XXXX XXXX, '' where I left a voice mail. There has been no call back. I want my loans out of default, and I want to be able to make steady payments on them or to go into XXXX, if appropriate, so that my loans are in good standing. I have attached copies of the last 18 months of copies of canceled checks that were made out and paid to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX via XXXX XXXX
11/29/2017	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	False statements or representation Attempted to collect wrong amount	DC 20003	Web
On XX/XX/XXXX I was reviewing my federal student loans, which are held by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I noticed that my interest rates had all increased - for instance, for my Direct Grad PLUS loan, my interest rates of 6.96 % had changed to 7.2 %. For my FFEL unsubsidized loan the interest rate had increased from 6.55 % to 6.96 % For my FFEL subsidized loan the interest rate increased from 5.35 to 5.59 %. The same can be said of my Direct loans, of which there are 10 tranches ( but I would be happy to outline the interest rates and increases if needed ). On the same day, XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted my loan provider Great Lakes. I expressed my concern to the representative that my interest rates had increased at some point before XX/XX/XXXX and the last time I had checked my account, at the beginning of XX/XX/XXXX. The representative insisted that my loans were at a fixed-rate interest rate. I agreed, and said that the interest rates had increased regardless. She insisted this was not correct, but agreed to email me a copy of my original MPNs to indicate that the rates had not changed. After a day I had not received my MPNs from the loan provider. I found the MPNs myself through studentloans.gov and confirmed that the interest rates were what I had them documented as, instead of what Great Lakes was claiming them to be. I was going to call Great Lakes again, but I noticed online that the rates had been changed back to what they originally were supposed to be. I feel that Great Lakes is therefore exercising these practices with other people, who may not notice that their interest rates have increased. I 'm also fearful that they will try to increase the rates again, even though the loans are fixed-rate loans.
12/17/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	PA 19141	Web
My casewasclosedout, ( case # XXXX ), due to me being hacked which causedmetobe unable to sign into my email address. I am reporting this issue because, I believe that Great Lakes, my new servicer, XXXX are possibly, being compromised or forced by the XXXX XXXX, ( which is currently suppose to be under investigation by " The Borrower Defense Ref.Cancellation DEPT, & Ombudsmen Grp ), for alleged, direct plus loan fraud. I was emailedby " The Borrower Def ... Dept. that any loans reported can be requested to be frozen until investigation is determined. I have requested this & been approved as the email proves that I attached even in the last case # I listed above. Sorry I was unable to get back to you. I've requested for Great Lakes Servicing XXXX to release my consolidation application to my new servicers, XXXX. XXXX reported via mail that Great Lakes did not do so, when they sent the request ; therefore, this canceled my consolidation application. ( I need to have these loans renewed for forbearance or deferment! Please, investigate & order for this to be done, if possible. I have requested this several times on the Great Lakes website, via phones ... Still, nothing. I keep being sent CDs, when only one was requested about my consolidation, about everything but my application being released. Great Lakes stated to me via " recorded line '' on phone that they were authorized, ( bullied, it seems like to me ), by XXXX XXXX, to be made to add in direct loans from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to my consolidation without my consent. They aren'tallowed tooverride the XXXX XXXX. I have a right to order & change my servicer as well as decide what loans I want to consolidate. Thank you Miss XXXX XXXX
08/10/2017	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	CA 956XX	Web	Older American
XXXX transferred a student loan ( for one of my children ) to Great Lakes. I was notified by mail continuing through XX/XX/XXXX that this would occur. I have paid all the bills as presented up to now, but I received an email from Great Lakes in XX/XX/XXXX saying that I, "... appeared to be behind in my XX/XX/XXXX payment ''. I never received any communication from Great Lakes about paying a bill, and I always tell lenders that they need to mail me a printed statement, and I will not pay electronically, I made it clear to Great Lakes that I am not going to pay a {$17.00} late fee on a payment I never got. Obviously, money is not the issue. I demanded through three ( 3 ) representatives on the phone that they would be paid as soon as they sent me a XX/XX/XXXX bill, and one for XX/XX/XXXX, too. They sent me a " Student Loan Obligation Statement '', stating that I, "... had requested it. '' I did not request it, I demanded a bill. There is no return mailing address on the aforementioned document. I am mailing copies of all relevant documents to you, XXXX XXXX, Great Lakes and XXXX, so that they may decide among themselves who has to pay the late fee to XXXX XXXX, the owner of the loan. I have suggested to Great Lakes that they should pay it, since it was their error that generated the late fee to begin with. They said I would have to take that up with XXXX XXXX. which I have done, but you are being cc 'd on all of this, and that fact is noted on the other letters to the other parties. I fully expect Great Lakes to resolve this issue, including mailed billing statements, to my favor with no negative reporting, whether they come to the conclusion on their own or are compelled to comply. Thank You.
08/13/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	IL 604XX	Web
My loans are being serviced by the Great Lakes, and I believe there are several UDAAP issues. First of all, the website claims that the payments will go towards interest first, and then towards the principal balance of the loan with the highest interest rate. I have the screenshots of that language that I have provided. However, this is not the case. My payments have been allocated towards all loans, including the ones with the lower interest rate, resulting in higher interest earned on my loans. The website has recently introduced a feature that allowed the customers to choose which loan they would like to allocate their payments to. However, even though I have chosen specifically the loan with the highest interest rate, my payments have still allocated towards all loans. The second issue I found was with the payoff amount. When looking at the payoff amount on the website, the amount I was quoted was {$12000.00} as of XX/XX/2016. However, including the interest earned through XX/XX/2016, my total payoff amount should only be {$12000.00}. The quote includes an additional 10 days of interest that I should not have to pay if I were to pay off the loan on that date. The amount is overstated in a deceptive manner. I have included the payoff quote print out for your review, as well as a print out of my accounts, interest rates, and balances for each of my loans. When I contacted the customer service regarding these issues, my disputes were not addressed properly, as I was simply given the same information that was provided on the website regarding the allocation of payments, that did not match what was actually happening with my account. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
03/13/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Problem lowering your monthly payments	KY 402XX	Web
I got a XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX in XXXX. When I graduated, I didn't know my options were limited to making about $ XXXX to pay off my debt, not allowing me to pay rent or other bills. So, I went to XXXX school and got a XXXX XXXX in XXXX. I went on to become an XXXX XXXX, not realizing that the pay was so poor. Not only were the chances of getting a full-time job teaching college in my field slim, when I finally did get one it paid only $ XXXX. Fast forward to XXXX - I got laid off from that job and ended up getting a job in XXXX XXXX that paid $ XXXX. I eventually switched careers to XXXX in various fields. I decided to go to XXXX school for XXXX XXXX to get my credentials in order to make more money. Fast forward to XXXX - I make $ XXXX a year, but now I'm about {$250000.00} in debt, a debt I never imagine ever being out from under. Lesson learned? I was daft to never realize ( 3 TIMES ) that actual college credentials would never afford me a job that would get me a high enough wage to pay off my debt and make more money. Now, I'm sacked with debt and wish I'd never gone to college. Now, I XXXX " XXXX over student debt '' and think about ruining my credit and/or having my wages garnished because that seems like a better option than continuing to pay this possibly for the rest of my life. What happens when I can't afford to pay it? There goes my chances of getting forgiveness - I take out a forbearance only to increase the debt and have that 25 year clock start ticking all over again once I do start paying it. 25 years is a long time. I'll be paying this well into retirement, possibly the rest of my life. I think of giving up. It's just not worth it anymore. Slave to debt.
02/07/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	CO 805XX	Web
Great Lakes provided false and/or misleading information in regards to my school closure. I was a student at XXXX/XXXX in the past. I earned an XXXX in XXXX XXXX and XXXX via distance courses from XXXX, FL. Since graduation I have not been able to use my degree since graduation. I received an email from the Dept. of Education about the closure and possible loan discharge qualifications. When I contacted Great Lakes to inquire about the details and possible fraud I was given the wrong information and paperwork to submit for loan forgiveness or loan discharge for my situation. I needed a Borrower 's Defense Application or Attestation Form and I got a school closure form instead. I was also informed that I needed to get the discharge approved by the loan servicer BEFORE I would be allowed to submit it to the Dept. of Education. I was denied for the wrong application by Great Lakes over a year ago and have been paying what I can afford on my loans since. I feel I was intentionally misinformed in order to retain the loan and the profit from the interest. Which they then capitalized the interest that accrued while my loan was in forbearance waiting for the decision to be made which was never theirs to begin with and added another few thousand dollars! I can not even afford this loan since I have never been able to obtain employment in my field of study and can not transfer the credits into any reputable college in my area. Job placement and the growth rate as well as the student services that were to be provided after graduation was a lie! I never gained anything except this debt and now have been manipulated once again to hold me to the promissory note when I qualify for forgiveness.
06/29/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NY XXXXX	Web
After completing the loan rehab program with XXXX XXXX for 2 loans, my loans were transferred back to the Dept. of Education and Great Lakes Services started handling the loan so payments were made to Great Lakes as of XX/XX/XXXX. However, XXXX did not report the correct orig. principal AMOUNT and the FIXED INTEREST RATE on said loans. Additionally, Great Lakes created a new payment schedule on XX/XX/XXXX, at which time they failed to include the payments made on this loan to both XXXX XXXX and all payments made to Great Lakes during XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, they calculated the payments based on a higher interest rate and a higher ( wrong ) balance due. I advised them of their mistake on several occasions and followed up to see if they corrected same, I also requested verification of the debt and the docs that XXXX provided when the loans were transferred, all to no avail. Great Lakes has removed all info re the payment history, loan history, and other important info from their website, and essentially restarted the loan and repayment plan with inflated figures - they basically inflated the numbers to increase their income and the life of the loan. Additionally, my credit score has been negatively impacted by Great Lakes mishandling of my loans and as a result of reporting the wrong information to the credit bureaus, i have been negatively impacted financially in a way that is not quantifiable, as I have been denied loans, assigned much higher interest rates for loans and credit cards, I have been overlooked for apartments due to the purported high balance due on my student loans - you ca n't begin to put a dollar amount on the negative impact this has had on my life.
12/14/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Problem with customer service	TX 767XX	Web
not sure if this was the correct option but definitely involved in my complaint. first all representatives were professional and courteous. however i asked to not receive any correspondence except by mail because I've had difficulty getting any correspondence through phone or by email. i have received emails since then against my wishes and was assured by the customer service representatives that i would not receive any. second i have requested correspondence for re applying for the income based payback program. I was told i would be receiving the re enrollment papers in the mail. and have requested them a total of 3 times. i still have not received them ; but was able to receive the letters stating that the credit was being reversed as long as i was to send in the re enrollment papers. i have never received that re enrollment papers. my credit is being affected by this. secondly i got a letter in the mail around XXXX stating that my loans were about to default. i was on the income driven repayment plan and it was deemed a hardship for me to pay my loans. i had applied each time i was sent papers to do so for years. i never received any papers for to reapply which was apart of the agreement for the income driven repayment plan. it shows that i was 9 months behind on payments in XXXX. in other words i wasn't sent reapplication papers and was switched to another plan without my knowledge and no attempt was made to make mne aware of this. my credit is now been hit very hard due to this. i still qualify for no payments. this sounds very close to the definition of fraud. to date have not received any enrollment paper works which i have been told i would be receiving.
10/17/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Having problems with customer service	VA 20109	Web
I have experienced so many problems dealing with Great Lakes XXXX. I lost my job in XXXX, 2016. I informed Great Lakes regarding my situation, and I have requested a forbearance for a year, and I was approved. Fast forward to XXXX, 2016. I landed a job in XXXX, 2016. But, I was making much less. I informed Great Lakes, and said that I could start making payments. I completed my Income Based Repayment form, took a picture, submitted documents using the Great Lakes app. I have n't heard from them, I called them the first week of XXXX, 2016 ; no one processed my application. I submitted my offer letter along with the application, uploaded to the Forms section of Great Lakes website. I called back, and was told that they could n't accept my offer letter, they needed my paystub. I submitted that. When I called again, they decided to process my paperwork. Then, I filed a complaint with Great Lakes. They failed to reached out to me. They told me that I would pay {$76.00} at the end of XXXX, 2016. I paid the {$5.00} that they requested on XXXX XXXX, 2016. They lied and told me that they would deliver my pay schedule to me. Here it is almost two weeks later, and I contacted them today, ( Monday, XXXX XXXX, 2016 ), they said that they have n't processed my request, and I have to pay {$200.00}. Why must I do that, when I requested a forbearance. I told them that I was done with them and their running around. I informed them that I will contact Department of Education, my Congressperson, XXXX, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.I have all of my emails from Great Lakes, and my response to them to provide to you as backup upon your request. Thank you, XXXX XXXX
06/20/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	OH 43209	Web
I'm writing this letter on my behalf, regarding my hardship denial. I am aware that I was denied due to my hardship not being turned in on time. The basis of my complaint is there were several different representatives that were providing contradicting information on the proper protocol and exact instruction and nature of the hardship appeal process. The offset was posted on XX/XX/19. I had within 30 days to have that in and you received my hardship on XX/XX/19 3 days after. Upon my request for the hardship I spoke with more them 1 representative on the day of XX/XX/19. Trying to get clarification on the process because I was told something different each time. The original offset letter was sent to the wrong address twice interfering with the 30 days I had to submit the application. Due to the fact of giving me misrepresented information my application was received 3 days late. I understand the decision was made on XX/XX/2019. However, I understand there is accountability to remedy issues that cause clients financial harm and extended hardships. I was unable to act according to the protocol because the information provided was in fact not accurate yet provided by the agents of U.S. Department of Education ( customer service representative ). I was facing eviction at the time and because of me not receiving my refund, I lost my home. I'm currently experiencing homelessness. Living in my car since XXXX. I have an XXXX XXXX that affects me working at times, which Im currently going through. I was looking to my refund to help with catching up on bills and establishing housing. I was unable to do that and suffered a financial injury due to bad information.
03/14/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	CA 94560	Web
In XXXX, I consolidated my student loans into one payment. In XXXX, when the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program was announced, I contacted my lender to ensure that my loan would qualify. I'm a XXXX and was elated to learn that it would qualify especially after having been given wrong information by my college ( University of XXXX ) and therefore not qualifying for the XXXX XXXX XXXX. The University failed to inform me that you couldn't have an outstanding loan balance prior to XXXX XXXX. I went to XXXX XXXX - XXXX and had approx. $ XXXX in loan debt prior to attending grad school for the XXXX credential and XXXX XXXX program. Had they properly informed me, my parents and I would have found a way to pay off the relatively small amount of loans so I'd qualify. Anyway ... .MyGreatLakes, my loan servicer assured me I was in the right program so the other day when I logged in to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Tool to begin processing the paperwork and find out that my loan doesn't qualify and in order to qualify I need to re-consolidate again from an XXXX to a new consolidation loan and my 10 years of payments starts all over again!!! After researching options online, I found many stories just like mine with my same loan servicing company. This is entirely unacceptable. I did what I was supposed to. It's not my fault I was given incorrect information yet I'm the one paying the consequences while the loan servicer gets off with no consequences. I was assured by my loan servicer that I'd qualify for forgiveness. If one can't trust the people whose job it is to provide proper information, who can we trust and how do we know what to do? Unacceptable.
05/13/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	OR 97006	Web
XXXX XXXX XXXX : I finished my 9 month student loan re-habilitation to get out of default and my loan was transferred to Great Lakes. XXXX XXXX XXXX : I setup a {$1 60.00} monthly auto-pay through Great Lakes at mygreatlakes.org for the XXXX of every month. I make a {$160.00} paymen t ( not a uto-pay ). XXXX XXXX XXXX : I receive notification my XX/XX/XXXX payment did not go through due to " invalid routing number '' they say. I contacted support and they re-entered all of my banking information. Support says its fixed, but my XXXX payment is never processed. XXXX XXXX XXXX : I receive a notification I am enrolled in auto-pay for {$160.00} and my next payment will be withdrawn on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : My first auto-pay for {$160.00} is processed successfully. XXXX XXXX XXXX : I receive confirmation my next auto-pay will be XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : My second auto-pay for {$160.00} is processed successfully. XXXX XXXX XXXX : I receive confirmation my next auto-pay will be XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : No auto-pay is made, and I am not aware of this until I check my account statements in XXXX . XXXX XXXX XXXX : They withdraw {$69.00} for an auto-pay on a date I did not schedule, and an amount I did not authorize. -- -- I am going to make an attempt to correct this with their support on Monday, but I feel this is a pretty grievous mess-up on their part and am very concerned my loan status could be affected by their mistakes. I also feel like they are doing this on purpose so that now I have to pay more interest ...
01/20/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	TX 770XX	Web
XXXX Issues with different schools. 1. XXXX University did not apply unused funds to loans. I 've submitted forebarance forms and request for discharge because my son ( I 'm a single parent ) is permantly XXXX, he has XXXX. I did not qualify for government assistance then nor now, so my income has been limited. Despite obtaining a XXXX in XXXX, I was told by many employers that XXXX was not a recognized university, they were unable to verify my attendace at the school. I 've made payments despite this, not always on time due to ongoing medical issues. I 've had to stop due to XXXX and XXXX for my son. 2. University XXXX XXXX enrolled me in a course/program that had nothing to do with finance, it was XXXX program. I requested XXXX XXXX, I tried to withdraw several times but was unable to. I spent XXXX years obtaining a degree in a program I have no experience or knowledge about. I do n't have any paperwork from them where I acknowledge my acceptance of the program. 3. I received a letter from Great Lakes of XXXX XXXX stating that " debtor is hereby cancelled and released. From and after the date of this release, the employer is no longer required to withhold income from debtor 's pay. '' Release date was XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX Great Lakes sent another request to garnish my wages. Said they never sent above release, when I called on XX/XX/XXXX. When I called again on XX/XX/XXXX I was told a different story in that the release letter is actually a confirmation of an address change '' I had my HR department call, and she was told the same excuse. Great Lakes has sent all correspondence to my employer despite me giving them a correct address.
01/21/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	OR 97070	Web
I 've been paying {$400.00} to great lakes higher education to assist my son, XXXX XXXX, in paying his student loan. I 've made XXXX $ 400 monthly payments since XXXX 2016 thru my XXXX XXXX XXXX online bill pay account. XXXX XXXX XXXX has sent the funs electronically to Great Lakes after we provided an account number. The XXXX payment was never credited to my sons account. After multiple inquiries, Great Lakes told my son that they ca n't credit XXXX payment because it was sent to wrong address - even tho the funds were sent electronically. Great lakes was selected from XXXX website list of payees - there is no address or Great Lakes account to select or that could be selected incorrectly. Furthermore, great lakes says it will take 30-45 days to return the money. I canceled the XXXX payment on XXXX XXXX XXXX website but it was paid anyway ( I have no documentation that I canceled it, but remember doing so ). XXXX XXXX XXXX has made feeble attempts at solving issue, even though it appears they paid wrong account. XXXX XXXX XXXX essentially made one phone call in which great lakes refused to speak with them without me. I was never contacted to be on that call, but I 'm not even the loan account holder. I would like immediate return of XXXX and XXXX {$400.00} payments - {$800.00} total. And I would like some action taken that prevents companies from Great Lakes and XXXX XXXX XXXX from this fraudulent activity - namely, Great Lakes for taking my money and holding onto it for an unreasonable ( and probably illegal ) amount of time ; and XXXX XXXX XXXX for not restoring funds to my account after they incorrectly paid a payee. thank you XXXX XXXX
08/01/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	ND 587XX	Web	Older American, Servicemember
I have student federal student loans. And for 3 years, beginning in 2011, I was contacted by many people from different companies, claiming that they could help me " consolidate '' my federal student loans. They told me that President XXXX, came out with ways so that us borrowers could now consolidate our student loans. Initially, for a few years, I did not respond and simply hung up on them, I do not know how they got my phone number to began with. Finally, after many telephone calls of constant pressuring me I listen to XXXX of these callers and they told me they would consolidate my loans for a fee. And for a year I paid this fee and an initial fee and when they " so called, consolidated my loans '', I was totally dissatisfied with who they consolidated my loans too. They put them all with " Great Lakes ''. I did not want them to be with Great Lakes and when I told them I was not satisfied with what they done to me, all they said was, " well, its done and there is nothing we can do about it, be glad they are consolidated. '' So now I am stuck with this Great Lakes company that I do not know and do not trust. I wanted to have XXXX XXXX consolidate all of my loans. I believe that I was used and thrown away, because they took my money and did not advise me in any way, shape, or form, as to what my possibilities/options were for companies that consolidate federal loans ; or explain anything to me. I was used and lied to. Is there any way that I can get my loans away from this Great Lakes Company? Would appreciate your help, I am sick of being used. I am a veteran and served my country honorably, I deserve to be treated better. Thank you.
11/27/2019	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	False statements or representation Impersonated attorney, law enforcement, or government official	TX 78249	Web
This company have been sued by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection ( CFPB ), and the States of Minnesota, North Carolina and California for deceptive practices and taking unlawful advance fees. The Court has appointed a Receiver who has suspended the companies operations.XXXX XXXX XXXX, d/b/a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, et al. The companies listed have been sued by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, The State of Minnesota, The State of North Carolina, and The People of the State of California ( collectively, Plaintiffs ) for deceptive and unlawful practices related to their student loan debt relief operation. The Plaintiffs lawsuit was filed on XX/XX/2019, naming as Defendants all of the companies listed, along with their principals. The Court entered a Temporary Restraining Order ( TRO ) the same day, which prohibits any further unlawful conduct and appoints a Temporary Receiver to take possession and control of the business. The Temporary Receiver suspended operations and conducted a review of the business. A copy of the Receivers Preliminary Report can be found in the Documents section of this webpage. On XX/XX/2019, the Court entered the parties Stipulated Preliminary Injunction which extends the restrictions in the TRO until there is a trial of the case. The Receiver has concluded the Defendants business operations can not be operated lawfully and profitably. As such, the operations have been terminated. I applied for this student loan consolidation program as this company posed to be supported by the Department of Education. I have made 3 months payments to this unlawful company, totaling in a loss of {$750.00}.
08/15/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	TX 76053	Web
I have mailed privicay and Opt-Out Instructions for all my accounts Great Lakes XXXX XXXX is servicing to both the Department of Education with whom responded advising me to send notice to my loan server Great Lakes. Opt-Out Instructions for Account # XXXX Dear US Department of Education/Great Lakes XXXX XXXX : Following are my instructions with regard to your information sharing and Opt-Out policies : 1. You do not have my consent/permission to share my personally identifiable information with any nonaffiliated third party companies or individuals. I am asserting my rights under the Financial Services Modernization Act the ( Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act 15 U.S.C 1682 and 17 CFR 248.7 ) to opt-out of any sharing or sales of my personal information by your company. 2. You do not have my consent/permission to share my personally identifiable information about my creditworthiness with any affiliate of your company. I am asserting my rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to opt-out of any sharing of this information by your company. 3. I Request a copy of your company 's Privacy Policy and opt-out methods that states how you handle my personal information. Only what is " permitted by law. '' I wish to limit other uses of my personal information by your company and its affiliates. In particular : * You do not have my consent/permission to disclose any information about me, including transaction and experience information, to any of your affiliates. * You do not have my consent/permission to disclose any information about me in connection with direct marketing agreements between your company and another company.
06/11/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	UT 840XX	Web
I received a letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX, received on XX/XX/XXXX, from Great Lakes ( XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX ) who has been servicing my FFELP for a number of years. The letter was not marked as important on the outside of the envelope, or anything else that would indicate that it contains crucial information. Additionally, I have chosen to receive all of my account correspondence via email, so all important information should be received via email, and I have NOT received an email regarding this topic. The letter goes on to say that as of XX/XX/XXXX ( just 8 days after the letter was received ), my account is being transferred to XXXX XXXX XXXX and that my online account information on mygreatlakes.org will no longer be available. I have not received any communication from the new servicer regarding payment due dates, or any other communication to confirm the legitimacy and accuracy of this solitary letter. This strikes me as incredibly poor business practice, and a set up that could lead to missed payments, or payments sent to the old servicer ( especially in the era of automatic payments being set up ). It seems that for information of this importance, a minimum of 1 month should be required for communication ( especially, as my XXXX searches have taught me, that XXXX acquired Great Lakes in XX/XX/XXXX of this year, so clearly they have had more than 2 weeks of notice to inform me ). This is clearly poor customer service by both Great Lakes ( only 2 weeks notice from the date that the letter was sent ), and from XXXX ( no communication with me at all ). Either this is incompetence, or it is sleazy.
03/21/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	MD 218XX	Web
I have XXXX Parent Plus Loans on one account with Great Lakes. They have always been paid in full & on time with auto-debit. In XX/XX/XXXX I started paying an extra {$200.00} as part of the auto-debit. Two places on the Great Lakes website state " once scheduled monthly payment & all outstanding interest has been paid, excess will be applied to the loan with the highest interest rate, thus costing you less interest over time. '' Also under " How Payments are Applied '' it states " When it comes to excess payments you have more flexibility. We automatically apply excess to : 1. Accrued interest since your last payment 2. Principal of the loan with the highest interest rate ''. The {$200.00} extra was not applied as promised to only the higher interest loans which is going to cost me more over the life of the loan. XXXX of my loans have 7.65 % interest rate & the XXXX has 6.16 % interest rate. Great Lakes applied a portion of my extra {$200.00} payment to the loan with the lowest interest rate. In XX/XX/XXXX my payment of {$490.00} was divided so that the 6.16 % loan received a principal payment of {$100.00} prior to adding the extra {$200.00}. In XX/XX/XXXX I added the extra {$200.00} which non of that should be applied to this lower interest rate loan but the amount allocated to this loan went up every month even though the total principal amount is going down. XX/XX/XXXX, {$120.00} principal payment was charged & XX/XX/XXXX {$130.00} principal payment was charged. They are using my extra payment to pay down this lower interest rate loan! This is very wrong! How many thousands of people are getting ripped off?
02/23/2018	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Information belongs to someone else	CA 92688	Web	Servicemember
XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX I went to college, a school that was sued and closed down by the Federal Trade Commission! The name of the school was named XXXX XXXX XXXX. After leaving the school, do to deceptive advertising practices, I enlisted in the US XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, to help me pay for my federal student loan, which was {$2600.00}! The military had in option to pay that off. They didn't do it. After joining, you are not allowed to have cellphones, Internet or anything like that. So that debt fell into collections, and was eventually lost, do to me moving from basic training, advance training, my duty station at XXXX XXXX Texas and finally XXXX. I saw that from time to time on my credit report. My point is that should be OFF my credit report because its way past the 7 year statute of limitations. As for the main two NEGATIVE marks on my credit report, are from XX/XX/XXXX one of which is {$3000.00} and the other is {$4000.00} ... .. These are WRONG! They are both listed as EDU. I did NOT attend ANY school in XX/XX/XXXX! Nor did I take out any loans or credit cards that equal the amount listed there! These are both erroneous marks on my credit report. I enlisted the help of XXXX XXXX to help dispute these negative marks. I been tentatively selected for a XXXX XXXX. And I don't want something that dose not even belong to me, ruin my chance at wonderful career. I have in til XX/XX/XXXX to make my case to the Point of contact at the government. Any proper debts I do have are well beyond the 7 year statute! In fact in XX/XX/XXXX I took out a auto loan for {$14000.00} and I paid that XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX!!!!
08/05/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	SC 296XX	Web
Great Lakes has just initiated a new policy. Based on the way monthly payments are not structured, borrowers pay higher interest rate. Under the new policy, all auto-pay payments are processed on the XXXX - the last day of the billing cycle. If a borrower wants to then make an additional payment, it will be applied to next month 's minimum loan amount ( instead of the principle of the highest interest loan ). For example, I made my monthly auto-pay on the XXXX of XXXX. Less than 24 hours later, I made an additional {$900.00} payment so the entire payment would be applied to the principal of my loan. Great Lakes informed me that the additional payment is now being applied to the next billing cycle ( XXXX ). Instead of lowering the principal of my loan, it 's being applied as a minimum monthly payment for XXXX. If I were to make the {$900.00} payment earlier in the month, ( on the XXXX, for example ) before the auto-pay processed, I would be paying interest from the date of that payment until auto-pay. So my {$900.00} payment on the first would be applied to the minimum monthly payment and then I would pay interest for two additional weeks until my autopay processed on XXXX XXXX. Instead of paying on the first, if I make it on the XXXX, the payment goes to the next billing cycle and is applied as my minimum monthly payment. Inevitably, this means that borrowers pay additional interest on their loans. ( Prior to this, a borrower could pay via autopay and then, within the same month, make a payment to lower their principal. I had done this for months until Great Lakes instituted this new policy )
02/17/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	VA 24502	Web
I submitted several income driven applications to great lakes borrowing services which supposedly took " several months '' to process. Within this time period I was informed that there where no payments due as I was still in deferment. After submitting the first application on XX/XX/XXXX I patiently waited for the application to be processed, which thru many phone calls I finally determined months later after receiving not a single item of mail, that they had " no record '' of me even filing a application! So of course I then filled out and mailed yet another application from their website on XX/XX/XXXX. I followed up with many phone calls to find out a status, the whole time again being told my app was " under review ''. Now finally about 5 months into this process I am told that my loans are now in a delinquent status and my account would closed and sold to collections if I did not pay the full amount immediately, which by the way had mysteriously gained interest while in deferment!! I made many attempts to set up some sort of payment arrangement with them to no avail. Next my account was sold back to the us dept of education, who from what I can tell immediately sold it to a collection agency, and now I'm just finding out that they are taking my full federal tax refund through something called a treasury offset!! This all seems rather illegal, uncalled for, backdoor, and downright authoritarian if you ask me but what do I know? My wife and I have a child on the way and we where really counting on our refund this year please let me know if there is anything you can do to help. Thank You, XXXX
07/18/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	GA 30188	Web
I graduated in XXXX and promptly consolidated all of my student debt into an income-based repayment plan. My original consolidation loan with the Dept. of Education was sold to Great Lakes. For the past six years, Great Lake has refused to recognize that I have a consolidation loan. They say that " We have put you into a standard repayment plan. '' and then want me to sign up for a NEW consolidation loan. If I do that, the terms of my existing loan will be negated, which I do not want to give up. Great Lakes says they do n't have a copy of my original promissory note, which I do have a copy of and have sent them. They STILL refuse to accept my existing consolidation loan. My original student debt was {$60000.00}. In 7 years they have added so many penalties and interest that today ( XXXX XXXX ) I owe more than {$80000.00}. I will never be able to pay this off. They list my loans as defaulted, which mean I will never be able to buy a house, get a credit card, or improve my credit rating. This has RUINED me financially. I have attempted many times to talk to Great Lakes and sent them copies of my promissory note, but they refuse to abide by the terms of my consolidation contract. I tried the federal student loan ombudsman, but that was as a complete waste of time. I have lost any hope of ever repaying this or getting help to resolve the dispute. Great Lakes simply refuses to acknowledge that I have a LEGAL, BINDING, EXISTING consolidation loan and only wants me to sign up for a new, higher-interest loan with them. I 've given up and just accept the fact that I am financially ruined for life .
05/03/2019	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Account status incorrect	TX 78550	Web
This company continues to report negative and derogatory information disregarding the fact that I already had the account transferred and rehabilitated by XXXX in which I am paying XXXX a month due to me being on XXXX. They continue to falsely abuse the law and continuously disregard any information and mail that I send them. I have called them on the phone and they ask me to send a letter with information they are the ones illegally reporting the information continuously to XXXX and XXXX. XX/XX/2012 was the date the loan was open I was advised the statue of limitations doesn't apply to certain loans but it is already been 7 years reporting negative. The point I am trying to make is that I already did my part by rehabilitating the loan and allowing it to get transferred to XXXX it was with XXXX XXXX XXXX. I did what they told me to do so I can get it removed from my credit and the only one that is blatantly disregarding the law is Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX they continue to report the information and they already know that it should not be reported due to the fact that I have rehabilitated my loan. The keep finding ways to continue reporting information that is not true and is incorrect. I'm getting to the point where I want to sue them in open court for not following the law and also not caring it is also keeping me from getting a home from my family in which they do not care. Mental anguish is something that I am affected by this horrible situation and I intend to follow suit if it is not removed within the next 7 days. I am not going to allow this to happen to me by this company.
05/01/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	TX 75075	Web
My loan defaulted with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The company has not made it easy for me to negotiate a repayment schedule and they also will not listen to my life situation. My loan defaulted, and I did not agree with the decision that the loan should go into default. I made a payment within the daily limit. Great Lakes has been sending communications about my student loans and default to an address that I was evicted from in XX/XX/2016 ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX ) and continues to call the address. My father also took fund from my account without my permission, further complicating my situation. My family lives there and they have no interest in helping me. I have not had a consistent home or phone service since. They had my tax refund " offset '' ( {$2.00} ), which I need to pay my rent NOW because I have been served a notice to vacate. I need my refund immediately so that I do not get evicted again, which will further damage my credit and just make my life even harder. Great Lakes has continued to apply fees ; and now that the loan has been in default I have tried to contact them and they did not give me ANY options until I found out how to write a complaint to the CFPB. When they found out I knew how to do this, they submitted a " hardship packet '' which takes THEIR average family income, which should not apply to me because I am in a " special '' circumstance. Great Lakes also refused to tell me which company I should put into a complaint with the CFPB, and they then refused to clarify who now serviced my loans, delaying me even further and further complicating my financial issues.
12/27/2018	Yes	Debt collection Federal student loan debt	Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly Contacted your employer	IL 60077	Web
I received a call at work from this collection agency claiming to be attempting to collect a student loan debt about a month ago. I immediately told the representative not to contact me at work and that the amount alleged owed was in dispute. I further requested verification from them in writing of the alleged debt. This was about a month ago. Despite me telling them not to contact me at work they have continued to do so twice, including today ( XX/XX/2018 ) from someone who identified himself as XXXX at approximately XXXX. Central time. In addition when speaking to the receptionist at my work the representatives have given the name of the company as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, which anyone can XXXX and see it a debt collection agency. Perhaps the most egregious thing this agency has done was to send a letter to a general fax number stating that they were requesting employment verification for me. They included my social security number and ask about my income. This letter was left on a general fax machine where anyone could have and did see both my social security number, the agency and their request about my income. This fax was sent at XXXX. central time so the company should have reasonably known that sending a fax with that personal information likely would not have been retrieved until the next morning meaning anyone, including random office cleaning staff would have had access to my social security number. Furthermore I still have not received the verification I requested. I believe that all of these actions are in violation of federal law and was done solely to repeatedly harass me.
03/19/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	CA 92234	Web
On XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from XXXX with XXXX XXXX XXXX offering a Department of Education program that would reduce my payments up to 75 % and possible loan forgiveness. A program which I was pre-approved for the loan repayment reduction.Her advice was to act quickly because the program expired that Friday, XX/XX/XXXX. The call back number XXXX left on my voicemail was XXXX. A number that went to XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX. Whom i spoke with on XX/XX/XXXX. Her extension is XXXX. I gave her my information as requested, including annual income and was provided with a loan repayment offer. The offer included administrative fees of {$1300.00} and monthly payments less than {$100.00} while getting the loan out of default and paying all remaining payments. A term of 10 years, nine months and no mention of recalculating the payment amount if my financial situation changed. As a result of that call an FSA ID had been set without my knowledge or an email address associated with it. Without answers to security questions or an email account associated with my FSA ID I was locked out of my account. My concerns are as follows. What if any is the relationship between XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX? How did XXXX XXXX XXXX obtain my cell phone number which was not part of my personal profile with the Federal Student Loan database? How was my FSA ID established without an email address associated with it? The tactic of urgency used by XXXX in her voicemail to respond within 5 days because the pre-approved offer would not be available. Complaint file with Department of Education, case # XXXX.
04/04/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	MI 48842	Web
I a writing in regards to an issue I discovered last regarding communication received from Great Lakes, a federal student loan servicer, about my eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. I have worked for the State of Michigan for over 17 years. After graduating from school in XXXX I contacted my loan servicer to consolidated my loans. In those discussions with the loan servicer we had conversations regarding the PSLF program and eligibility requirements. I ended up consolidating my loans under the assumption that I was under the correct program. Several years into repayment ( XXXX ) I reached back out to my servicer to ensure that I was under the correct loan repayment program to qualify for forgiveness under the PSLF program and was assured that I was. Several years later ( XXXX ) I did the same and was assured again that I was in the appropriate program. In XXXX I also completed the paper work necessary to formally certify my employment with the State of Michigan. Subsequent to this paperwork being filed my loan was transferred to XXXX. Last week I received noticed that the repayment plan that I am under is not an eligible repayment plan. I immediately made contact with Great Lakes and they indicated that they would be able to provide me with any assistance regarding their misrepresentations and misstatement of facts and that I should contact the FSAOmbudsman. For 5+ years I have been paying in the wrong repayment program. I trusted the Loan Servicer in providing the appropriate expertise in this area and in relying on this information I have suffered a loss.
05/19/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	AR 72703	Web
I have a loan through great lakes borrower. i didnt know my school took out 9 small loans and not just 4 that have a high interest rate. As well as when i but it in forbearance they never explained that when taken out my interest would be capatalized. I also was told i was on a income based plan and that because if my income my amount is XXXX a month. they never said anything was gon na keep adding on. i was trying to figure out why my loan kept going up. when it cane time to remew my income app i didnt get notified till it was to late and they selected a plan fr me than i called and had to reapply for the income plan. and they but it on forbearance without knowing that it would capatialize my interest they just said it would freeze the account. They also make you think that if your on an income driven plan thatbis payment if XXXX than you are ok not that it gets more each month. i got rushed into signing up for school, also XXXX would have went local and not online cause they pretty much had me sigb up for a documents. thing that i had yo intial and sign that they used later for loa s i dodnt know i had.but they hadcaccess to all of that i am just now seeeing some of the paper that aas for my loans. As well as my school was to help me find a job when they accutally made it worse. and never helped i found my oown job not doing what my degree is for, only to find out i still have to take a certification test that cost XXXX for the test XXXX for books and a XXXX memebership fee. thus is 3 years adter school they never me tioned this not even after i graduated they lied on my resume.
01/13/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	AP XXXXX	Web	Servicemember
I am a XXXX yr old military spouse living overseas. I work for a credit union and teach college part time. I 'm educated, and proud of my education, but have a huge issue with my final student loan ( I 've paid off 5 others ). The purpose of this email is to call out student loan companies and how they gouge students in the repayment process. Example, my student loan is through Great Lakes. The details are below. Original Loan amount : {$18000.00} Amount Paid : {$11000.00} Remaining Balance : {$20.00}, XXXX Those numbers might not mean a lot to you -- but when this loan was taken out in XX/XX/XXXX and it 's now XX/XX/XXXX -- it 's more than disheartening and sickening on how much I 've paid vs. how much is still owed. While my husband and I do ok for ourselves, imagine the younger generation being stuck with a loan such as this after years and years of repayment. Yes, I went into deferment twice, yes I delayed once -- but have been paying solid for several years. You can see that just by the amount that has been paid back. It makes me ILL knowing they are allowed to do this and my balance is not even XXXX penny lower than when I took out the loan now nearly 11 years ago. If anyone needs I would be MORE THAN happy to provide statements for the past several years. I 'm not asking for a hand out, I will pay my debts. If I do n't pay -- I 'm at fault. When I 've paid that much toward this loan that only rises ... it 's simply not fair. Imagine if car companies, credit card companies, home lenders were allowed to do this..but for my student loan it 's ok?? Thank you for your time,
02/13/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	PA 19061	Web
In XX/XX/1997, I graduated with my student loan debt being XXXX. I recall correctly, I consolidated from both my community college and XXXX year college to accumulate that amount. At the time, the interest rates were near XXXX %. I was never able to re-consolidate again to lower the rate, I was told. I paid it faithfully. Then, I married and started a family, in which I ended up staying home to raise. I chose that because I was a XXXX school teacher and did not get paid enough to afford day care. My husband was in a union apprenticeship that happen to come with some really bad times. In turn, I had to defer my loan numerous years because we could not afford to pay it. We, at times, were on state assistance too. Because of the deferment, now the loan has gotten so high that I can not afford to even pay the interest. I do not know how to handle this. I am back to work, but only make XXXX a year as a XXXX school teacher, and my loan has accurred so much interest that I can not even afford to pay it. It 's very upsetting to me that when you file an financial hardship, the interest still accures, how does that help. I have accured more interest than the amount of the loan. Something has to be done with student loans in this country. It 's not like I just ignored the payments. I contact Great Lakes, for help and they just consistently told me to defer it because of my financial situation. Now, look where it 's gotten me! I am so irritated. XXXX years later, no help from Great Lakes when I needed it and now a loan almost 3 times the amount I borrowed. I have no idea how to handle this.
09/03/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Old information reappears or never goes away	FL 34472	Web
XXXX XXXX is reporting derogatory on my credit report, for a zero balance account dated back in XXXX, refusing to remove via giving the run around on the proper channels to take to have it removed. Great Lakes sent loans into default after allegedly not being able to reach me on several occasions, I was not made aware of these finding until enrolling in college XXXX, After being notified of these findings, I immediately contact Great Lakes with concern, was under the impression the loans were in forbearance, but the rep told me something different, was told The time my loans were in forbearance was XXXX for 30days, which would have been unreasonable for me to do,, since I had fallen on Hardship for since XXXX. I Explained to the Rep if that was true why am I now being sent to the default statues 1yr and 4-5months later? when the allotted time after a missed payment or no further action to put the loans in any type of repayment plan is 270days. I Take Full Responsibility of the debt I myself agreed to and since being notified of the default findings I have worked with the Dept. Of Education and is now currently on a Rehabilitation Program. upon pulling my Credit Report I also found that the derogatory remarks are reporting on my credit, now I am aware that govt loan can be collected forever but after 7 years the negative remarks suppose to be removed, to my finding the delinquency dates of these loan are very inaccurate and untrue, and have requested on multiple occasions of payment history and source of payments for the accounts and this issue has not been resolved
08/28/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Incorrect information on your report Information belongs to someone else	FL 33138	Web
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX/XXXX To whom it may concern, I would like to see the accounting records on the loans that you are accusing me of owing. Are you aware that 's it 's illegal to give out a loan if interest is being charged without having an insurance policy against the loan. I am aware of my rights and the statue of limitations in my state as a borrower. According to The Consumer Credit Act of 1974, it gives the credit consumer a legal process by which to proceed if he/she feels as if their rights have been or are being violated! gives the credit consumer a legal process by which to proceed if he/she feels as if their rights have been or are being violated! the courts had historically misinterpreted the laws, falsely deeming student debts as student loans under the bankruptcy code. At this point I feel that you are accusing me to be the owner of the loan accounts listed on my credit file. I feel that my rights are violated in several ways. Accusing a consumer of an unknown debt and misuse of ones credit can turn into a big problem. It is impossible for a creditor to verify a consumers debt attempting to verbally verifying the debt with a credit bureau. The debt was deleted several months ago and it was reinstated back on my credit file just recently. P.S. Please be aware that dependent upon your response, I may be detailing any potential issues with your company via an online public press release, including documentation of any potential small claims action. Cc : Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Cc : Attorney General 's Office Cc : Better Business Bureau
11/17/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	IL 60016	Web
I have a complaint regarding my education with XXXX XXXX XXXX. I enrolled in XXXX XX/XX/2014 in the XXXX course which is the longest and covers everything with XXXX. I have completed all of my prior classes until XXXX told me that they will no longer be able to cover my financial aid and that if I wanted to continue my education with them I 'd have to pay out of pocket with my own money. At the end of the last course XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I was told by counselor/admission advisor XXXX XXXX at the end of the course that the school made some kind of mistake and that FAFSA was not covering my financial aid and that she was suppose to notify about this issue at the beginning of the course not at the end. Then I was forced to pay cash out of the pocket. During the course I got discharged from my job and I wasnt able to afford payments these high each class is almost XXXX dollars and she told me that I have to pay this amount in 6 weeks. And if I wanted to continue the rest of the classes I would have to pay my own cash for the class and books. As of now I completed half of the XXXX education course and still have a little bit more than half left ( which is about halfway done ). So I because the fact that they couldnt cover my financial aid with schooling I was forced to wait a couple months until the issue was resolved. During this time nothing happened and they werent able to help me out financially, a couple months later I called back to see if their was any good news, unfortunately I was told that they did not know when they get financial aid back.
11/07/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	WY 824XX	Web
I called Great Lakes Student Loans about additional payments that were added to my account. I was keeping detailed notes about what I owed due trying to pay off my student loans account. Also, on XX/XX/2019, I sent Great Lakes Student Loans a letter detailing and disputing additional fees on my account. Namely, On XX/XX/2019, I had a total owed balance of {$5900.00}. On XX/XX/2019, I paid an additional amount of {$400.00} leaving a total owed of {$5500.00}. On XX/XX/2019, my owed balance was changed to {$5600.00}. Great Lakes Student Loans had added a total of {$160.00} to my account. There was no record of any change on my account except that Great Lakes Student Loans had changed my balance. I was not notified in anyway that there were additional charges or what the charges were for. On XX/XX/2019, I made a payment of {$43.00} leaving a total listed balance of {$5600.00}. At this time, my balance should have been {$5400.00}. On XX/XX/2019, my balance was again changed. The new listing was {$5700.00}. Great Lakes Student Loans added an additional {$120.00} to my account. Again, I was not notified and there were no records of any changes listed on my account except that my balance had gone up. On XX/XX/2019, I paid an additional payment of {$1000.00} which should have left me with a balance of {$4400.00} On XX/XX/2019 I made additional payments of {$350.00} and {$750.00}. My total owed balance should be {$3300.00}. However, my balance is {$3600.00}. As of XX/XX/2019 I have not heard back from Great Lakes Student Loans.
10/07/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	CA XXXXX	Web
Starting sometime end of XXXX/beginning of XXXX this year, I have had multiple unproductive communications with Great Lakes Loan Servicer when I was trying to get an Income-based repayment. First, they incorrectly told me that I used the wrong application so I resubmitted, then I was told to go back to the old way I did it, and this time they said it was wrong again ( we kept going back and forth and after about 5 different applications they said it was correct ). Then came the next wave of problems : this time the estimates I am given when I submitted my application are different from what I got after it was processed and no one has been able to give a reasonable explanation. In any one day I call and speak to 3 different agents and I can get 3 different answers. I have spoken to regular agents and supervisors. The next problem came when I tried to consolidate loans I have with my last school that had just entered repayment ( these are also federal loans ). The process has taken more than 2 months and I am getting different answers. In the email I received it says that the loans were not processed because I did not fill out the IBR form ( which of course they already have ), and on the phone I was told that they did not get paid because they were in repayment ( but again, these loans were already in repayment ). It seems to me these people do not have any idea what they are doing and sadly they are managing a large sum of money for a lot former students. Something needs to be done ( may be an audit, or shut them down altogether ).
12/27/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	NJ 07006	Web
I have had serious issues with my student loans ever since I graduated with an XXXX from XXXX College in XXXX, NY in XXXX. In XXXX, the XXXX student loan and XXXX. loans ( from XXXX Univ. ) were consolidated with XXXX XXXX for a total amount of {$45000.00} and I was put on a loan with interest-only payments for 60 months and then payments would be applied to principal. As soon, I made 50 payments, the loan was transferred to another servicer and the public loan was reconsolidated by another lender/servicer, which I started again to make interest only payments on a new loan. From XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, I have been making payments towards the public student loan with several student lenders ( Depart. of Education, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, etc. ) and no monies were applied to principal. I had no choice but to switch to a private loan since nothing could be done by XXXX XXXX or the federal government. In XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX, as the private lender, paid off the public student loans and I began a new variable rate loan at prime rate with an amount totaling {$43000.00}. From XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, I have been making payments to the private loan monthly at {$360.00} a month. However, this student loan started in XX/XX/XXXX and should have been close to being paid off at this point in XX/XX/XXXX. I need some assistance with reducing the principal balance or finding a way to get monetary relief. I appreciate any assistance or options that you may provide. I am available if you need to contact me at cell # ( XXXX ) XXXX.
06/22/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	TX 76021	Web
Because of relocation, I have to leave college for a couple of months, so I contacted my Lender Great Lakes to inform them about the situation. Since, I experience a dramatic reduction on my income, I express my interest about the Income Driven payment plan. At first, the representative mentioned several disadvantages about the program and implied that the income driven plans was not a good option. However, I made up my mind before I called them, so I reinstate my choice with the representative. He asked me some couple questions about my income and current employer and asked me to filled up and application, which have to include my last pay stub and Great Lakes application. I filled out the whole application and attach my most recent pay stub. Then, 15 days latter I got an email requesting a pay stub with my gross income, name, and social security as well. It is not company in the US that is going to reveal the entire social security number on a pay stub. Yet, it is a liability to reveal such a important information on a document, which is only for tax and verification purposes. At this time, I can not afford the regular payments, but Great Lakes do n't understand how the real world works. It seems like their main goal is to push borrowers into loan default. I called them already several times in order to resolve the situation. However, representatives over the phone do n't have any clue about a possible solution, nor it impossible to have a loan specialist called back.Indeed, these are illegal practices towards students.
11/09/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	NY 117XX	Web
I am writing to you because I am having difficulty obtaining stable employment due to my health. I am also requesting a payment that allows me to meet my medical and living expenses. I am not working due to several physical illnesses. I have XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX and generalized XXXX ( please see attached documentation ). I currently have no income and I do not foresee any improvement in the future, but my husband is willing to help me pay my student loans. I obtained my XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX XXXX from XXXX inXX/XX/XXXX. I worked for three years with a very low starting salary. In XX/XX/XXXX, I was XXXX with XXXX XXXX which has impaired me to continue in the field, but the amount of days which I am bed bound has also prevented me from obtaining any stable employment. My dreams and vision to help people with XXXX XXXX has vanished. Please conduct a review of my account to determine whether I am eligible for an alternative repayment plan. I believe I can afford to pay {$800.00} per month toward my loan. Please consider my offer, I am trying to reach out with all my best intentions. If you do not grant this request for a reduced payment plan, I will be at risk of default. If I received a reduced repayment plan, I may be able to avoid default, which is the best interest of all parties. Please consider this letter a written request that you contact my lender or other authorized party to conduct a review of my account and provide a response. I hope we will be able to agree upon an acceptable repayment plan.
07/28/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Problem lowering your monthly payments	CA 92630	Web
My loan payments for part of XXXX and all of XXXX were {$700.00} based on income information that I provided to my lender by linking directly to the IRS portal. Now the lender claims they processed that information incorrectly because I was listed as single in their system ( even though I listed myself as married in XXXX when I filed my taxes and when I filed paperwork to renew my loan ). I provided my spouse 's income as well, to further indicate my marital and filing status. Contradictory to their claim, they are also saying they both my spouse 's and my incomes into consideration to determine the loan amount for XXXX and most of XXXX. Now they are stating they are are working to process my application correctly now and are increasing my loan payment to {$1300.00}, even with my family size of XXXX. My only other option is to switch repayment programs which causes the accrued interest of over $ 38k on my plan to capitalize the interest. XXXX from Great Lakes Employee ID XXXX spoke with me and refused to consider my husband 's new income even though I told him it had substantially reduced from XXXX. They keep insisting according to new laws and regulations, my supposed payment to them is {$1300.00} according to their calculations. This is putting an undue financial hardship on me and my now growing family ( I am XXXX XXXX XXXX currently ). Please help mediate with them so I am not paying dearly for their costly error. Their representative admitted on the phone that their system processed my payment incorrectly.
09/11/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	TX 774XX	Web
My wife and I took out approximately {$24000.00} each in federal student loans, for a total {$48000.00}. We got married before either of us graduated from collage, but after graduation it was recommended that we consolidate our loans into XXXX. When we had originally taken out the loans, we were mislead ( lied to ) with regards to the interest rates, processing fees and repayment schedule. We had the original agreements, however our loans have been sold so many times that for a while we were not sure who was servicing our loans. Currently, Great Lakes is the company servicing our loans. As I mentioned, we borrowed approximately {$48000.00}, Great lakes claims that we owe a little over {$130000.00} and expect a payment of {$96000.00} now and {$8400.00} a month for an undisclosed amount of time. We have attempted to set a reasonable payment arrangement multiple times. We speak to an agent, negotiate terms that we can afford, the agent says that they will send the paper work. We fill out and return the forms and when we follow up on the status we would hear the same thing. " We are sorry, but that agent was not authorized to make that type of arrangement and is no longer with the company ''. We have been through this scenario no less than 20 times and our loans continue to get higher and higher. We are actually being charged interest on our interest. Instead of 8 %, we are being charged more like 75 %. And there is no limit to how much this balance can grow, even to the point that we can not service the interest.
05/05/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	TX 77073	Web
On XX/XX/XXXX I called Great Lakes and I asked them for a " Master Promissory Note '' ( with my signature ) Pertaining to all Loans that they had in there office. I was sent the document named ( XXXX XXXX ), and it is attached to this complaint. I have also included a screenshot of the email it was attached to. There are three Promissory Notes attached to this document. On page one, the " Master Promissory Note '' does NOT bare MY signature! Also, the document was also typed and could have been replicated at anytime. The Second " Master Promissory Note '' on page 10, also does NOT bare MY signature! The document was also typed and could have been replicated at anytime. The Third Promissory Note on page 13, is the SAME " Master Promissory Note '' that XXXX attached to a complaint response, that I made to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Response date was on XX/XX/2019 with attachment. How is it, that The SAME " Master Promissory Note '' is used for an entirely different loan? Please explain I recently found out that Great Lakes, XXXX and XXXX are all in the same. I fear that these documents that Great Lakes, XXXX and XXXX are submitting to the Credit Bureau 's and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as proof of loans, are being fabricated! Any document sent from any of these companies should be questioned in GREAT details and should not be trusted at first sight. I have expressed my concerns to Great Lakes, XXXX and XXXX and ALL they keep saying is PAY, PAY, PAY!! AND how wrong I am
10/20/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Incorrect information on your report Account information incorrect	CA 91344	Web
After getting married in XX/XX/XXXX, I merged bank accounts with my husband in XX/XX/XXXX. That same day, I updated my bank account information on the Great Lakes website ( Student Loan provider ) in order for them to continue to withdraw money on a monthly basis ( auto pay ). In XX/XX/XXXX I logged on to the Great Lakes website, and found out that they never processed the change in bank accounts ; and thus they did not withdraw any payments for the months of XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX. Once I realized they had not collected any payments, I paid the full amount right away. However, they had already reported me to the credit bureau, and stated that I was " late '' in my payments for over 120 days. I tried contacting Great Lakes and the Department of Education several times, and appealed the negative credit marks stating that was an error on their end. Despite my clean payment history for over 5-7 years, the request was denied. It 's worth mentioning that no calls, letters or emails were sent to me notifying me that no payment had been made on my behalf. That would have alerted me that there was something wrong. I then proceeded to hire XXXX XXXX so they could help me clean my credit and solve this situation. Appeal letters have been sent over the past several months, but nothing has been done by the Department of Educations. This technical error on their end is costing me a low credit score ( that for so many years I so carefully built ), and it is currently impacting my qualifications to purchase a home.
05/09/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IL 60448	Web
I have been in REPAYE ( or something similar for years ). The last two years, Great Lakes Borrowing service has failed to re-enroll me timely in those programs. This despite me providing all necessary information ahead of any deadline ( this year, it waXXXX XXXX XXXX 2017 ). This year, on or about XXXX XXXX, 2017, I provided my wife 's changed income as well as notice that she would no longer be employed in XX/XX/XXXX. I did this in order to complete my renewal request. At the request of Great lakes, on or around XXXX XXXX, 2017, I provided more documentation to support my income. They confirmed receipt of this documentation, which I also uploaded to their website. Despite my timely application and submission of documentation as requested, Great Lakes is now telling me over 2600 per month is due ; well beyond what should be due under the REPAYE program ( and significantly higher than the 400 or so dollars i was required to pay last year, when making MORE money. Again, my wife is no longer working AND we are also expecting a child / another dependent ). Great Lakes has caused anxiety and distress due to their poor handling of my debt and debt issue. I would like any and all information regarding recourse available please. May i file suit through the CFPB? NOTE 1 : having to put my loans in forbearance costs me money. and I believe I also lose the forbearance option after so much time. Concerning, if I really needed it. NOTE 2 : Last year, on or around XX/XX/XXXXor XX/XX/XXXX 2017, the same issue occurred.
09/18/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	AL 352XX	Web
On XX/XX/2019, I made the decision to log on to my student loan to pay my loan off of just {$50.00}. I was unaware at the time that maybe I did something wrong, but the payment of {$50.00} said it would process through in the next 2-3 business days. Yesterday afternoon, I tried to make a purchase on XXXX, but my purchase was denied, which that has never happened until yesterday. I look into my bank account and saw that the loan agency, Great Lakes, has charged me with $ XXXX.I do not even have half close to that amount in personal checkings account. I talk with several different Great Lakes reps about my issue and they informed me that they could not do anything regarding my payment mishap. They told me to call my bank and see if they could reverse the payment on my account. I was able to talk with a few bankers at the bank and they told me to contact the loan agency, but I told the bankers that my loan agency referred me to them to speak with it was nothing they could do to reverse the payment. I was told by a banker that they would fix the issue, but my account is still resting at a - {$39000.00}. I have no way to pay for anything, use my card to make any purchases. I am lost and devastated at this point, because now I am penniless because of the mishap that occurred on XXXX. I thought my loan agency would take agency, but they failed to do so, now I am worried that I won't be able to pay any other bills I owe, which is not good for me. I need help with this issue immediately. Please help me.
06/08/2019	Yes	Debt collection I do not know	Attempts to collect debt not owed Debt was result of identity theft	VA 240XX	Web	Servicemember
XXXX and XXXX has failed to prove its client the US Department of Education case. On XX/XX/XXXX, I reported a " well known '' Conduit for Identity theft and Fraud to the OIG of the US Department of Education. This website was www.pin.ed.gov. This Website allowed essential anyone with anybodies SSN, Date of Birth, and address to obtain a PIN ( Personal Identification Number ) This website not only failed to authenticate or verify by 2 part authentication the person behind a keyboard and monitor. It further was identified by the US Department of Education as a " Well Known '' Conduit since XXXX, according to the redacted report sent to my Virginia XXXX District Congressman. After my Letter to the OIG, explaining that this very Website caused me to become victimized of identity theft and a XXXX Federal Student Loan created illegally and without my knowledge or any signature. It was shut down on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX and XXXX has been advised numerous times regarding this matter. In fact they have failed to produce any validity to this collection harrassment. They will deny they are required by law to prove that you applied for and signed for and actually receive money, which I did NOT receive a penny of money from the Department of Education or anyone else. This is identity theft and Fraud and needs to be removed from my credit file. In fact the redacted report sent to Congress confirmed that over 874 million in fraudulent loans was created by this very website in XXXX, so I'm not the ONLY Victim here.
11/27/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Having problems with customer service	OH 446XX	Web
Hello, I am a graduate from XXXX. I pay my loans back to Great Lakes Student Loans. Over the past several months I have been trying to pay back my high interested loans. The way that the loans are set up, I must pay back the standard monthly payment, which applies a little bit to each of the loans I have, including the high interest loans. I have complied with this requirement. I have also been trying to pay ahead by putting extra money into the high interest loans, which are 6.8 % interest. Whenever I call to pay ahead, the person that I talk to on the phone tells me very clearly that I am up-to-date on payments, and that the money I pay ahead will go directly to the high interest loans that I am requesting to pay off. After about a week I will check my account to find that they have not done that, and instead have applied a little of the money I pay ahead to all of the loans, not specifically to the high interest loans. My online account says that I am even paid ahead until XXXX 2017, yet I can not get through to the customer service at Great Lakes Student Loans that I want these high interest loans paid ahead. I have talked to them so many times about it and can not get them to comply. I do n't know what to do about this anymore. I would really like to pay ahead on the high interest loans but the representatives that I talk to at Great Lakes simply wo n't apply the money correctly. If there is anything that can be done please help me. I really feel like I 'm getting XXXX out of money.
04/30/2019	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	IN 46037	Web
I graduated from XXXX school and immediately consolidated my XXXX and XXXX loans through XXXX who then sold to Great Lakes and began making payments. I applied yearly for the income-driven repayment plan and was approved. I made payments on time every month through direct deposit for 7 years. My loans were never in deferment. I recently discovered that after 25 years my loans will not be forgiven because of making greater than XXXX a year. I have paid XXXX over the past 7 years and my principle is still the same as when I started and I've accumulated XXXX in unpaid interest. I feel misguided and taken advantage of. Essentially its been a 7 year and XXXX loss for me. I was under the understanding that if I make my income driven payments on time for 25 years that my student loans would be forgiven. Since discovering this I've refinanced through XXXX at a lower interest rate. I had to combine my principle to the XXXX of interest and now I'm paying $ XXXX/month for 20 years. That XXXX of interest is now collecting interest again through my new plan. I didn't know that it was legal for a company to have you yearly apply for income-driven, be approved, and given a monthly payment that didn't cover the cost of interest. What would have happened after 25 years of payment when I thought my loans would be forgiven? Essentially I'd have the same principle I started with and XXXX of unpaid interest. I am so discouraged, disappointed in the guidance or lack thereof provided by Great Lakes.
12/03/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	MI 48223	Web
Great Lakes Education loan transferred my student lone to XXXX. However, XXXX states the balance is over {$12000.00} even after I have made payments to Great Lakes. I have contacted XXXX on more than one occasion about the amount they are reporting on my credit report and trying to collect from me. The amount of over {$12000.00} is incorrect. They received two loans from Great Lakes Education loan services in XX/XX/2018. At that point I have already made payments of XXXX ( {$1600.00} to collection fees, {$270.00} to interest and {$9900.00} to principal ). Every time I call, they ( XXXX ) states there's nothing they can do to call Great Lakes. I call Great Lakes they tell me to call XXXX. However, I did receive a detailed payment history from Great Lakes ( the original collection agency ). When I spoke with someone at XXXX ( multiple times ) and told them that I had it and could send it over they ( XXXX ) still stated to call Great Lakes, who told me call XXXX again. Not only is XXXX trying to collect an inaccurate amount but also, they are charging interest rates to an extremely higher than accurate amount This is stressful and damaging to my credit report and worthiness. I am unable to get a home loan for my family we desperately need or even a bigger vehicle since my family has double with the birth of my XXXX. I am aware the one or both companies or in violation of " The Fair Credit Reporting Act " and " The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ". I am feeling trapped and needs help.
02/15/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	KY 40241	Web
Firstly I had not been receiving any mail on making payments to my federal loans to my loan servicer Great Lakes, despite it reflecting I have selected the postal option. Then one day I receive a letter from them, ' you are {$1.00}, xxx behind on your payments, you must pay this off and continue your payment plan. You should also go into forbearance if you can not pay this. Turns out they were sending all these emails to an old email I had used for school and had not been aware of to whom and how much my monthly payments would be for my federal student loans. I replied to the email and went into forbearance this past month. Since that month that I had logged into my account and requested forbearance, I recall the unpaid principal being about {$30000.00}. I log in today to find the principal to be {$34000.00}. I understand that loans still gather interest in forbearance but this seems a little ridiculous. I did some research on other people that had Great Lakes as their servicer and found that many people experience unknown fluctuations in their principal. This makes me very unsettled when this is who I 'll need to deal with for many years in repaying my loans. I 'd like to get back on track and will be filing my taxes soon to apply for an income based repayment plan, because Great lakes is expecting me to pay about 20 % of my income. I was hoping to seek some guidance in dealing with my servicer, as well as bringing to light the issues myself and many other students are experiencing.
10/08/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IL 60564	Web
My student loan servicer, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, is not acting ethically in the way my extra loan payments are allocated. They have mandated that my payment is due on the last day of my " billing period '' each month. As a result, there is only one day, out of each and every month, that I can make an extra payment and have it applied directly to the loan token/loan number, of my choosing. As an example, my payment is due on the XXXX of the month, which they have determined to be the last day of my billing period. If I schedule an extra payment any time after that, they tell me I have not yet met my payment for the " new billing cycle. '' They take that extra payment and break it up across all my loans ( which is allowing them to take my monthly payment 29 days in advance and still making sure they are controlling where my money goes. ) As a result, any time before or after my payment is due ( XXXX of the month ) they control where it is applied. They have refused to change my billing payment period or my payment due date.I can not be the only student frustrated with this process. Student loan debt is out of control due to heavy handed tactics such as this. I have spoken to Great Lakes representatives numerous times and they always insist that this is their policy with EFT ( Electronic Funds Transfer. ) I do not want to change out of EFT because of the additional incentive they provide, that is a reduced/discounted interest rate for those signed up for EFT.
04/28/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	TX 754XX	Web
On XXXX XXXX, 2016 I submitted a payment for my remaining loan balance of {$1500.00}. This resulted in my loan being paid off. On XXXX XXXX, an additional {$500.00} was deducted from my account, which is the regular ACH payment that I had set up. I contacted customer service to ask them to release the funds back to my bank account and I was told that I would have to wait up to 30 business days to receive a check for the stolen funds. The Payment Request notification that I received states : " You 'll receive credit on your account as of the payment date listed. '' If my loan was paid off, and showed to be paid off, then why has Great Lakes continued to fraudulently deduct money from my account? 30 business days is entirely unreasonable, especially when Great Lakes is in the wrong. My account should be credited immediately. If that is not possible, a concerted effort needs to be made to issue the check immediately to mitigate my loss. Great Lakes had no problem charging me a daily interest rate of 6.55 %, but seems to think it is acceptable to drag their feet for up to 6 weeks and hold onto my money interest-free! When I asked customer service to reverse the payment, they said that only my bank could do that. I contacted my bank and they advised that Great Lakes initiated the ACH, so only they could reverse the payment. It seems that Great Lakes is intentionally failing to take action in order to maintain control of the funds that they took without authorization.
03/24/2017	Yes	Student loan Non-federal student loan	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	TX 79925	Web	Servicemember
My Great Lakes, servicing my private student loan for XXXX student loans, is holding on to my Student loan repayment for interest while they send me on a wild goose chase to provide proof of the checks that were sent. I qualified for a military Student Loan Repayment Program ( SLRP ) in XXXX. The SLRP required my lender/loan servicer ( Great Lakes ) to send out a form with my account number, verifying the amount I owed. After several hours on the phone in XXXX and XXXX XXXX, I found out that Great Lakes sent out the form with a wrong account number ( form is attached signed by a Great Lakes Research Specialist ). They have received checks for just over {$14000.00} at the correct PO Box address since at least XXXX XXXX, but now claim that since the account number was wrong on the checks, they can not apply any payments to my account and need me to provide copies of the checks sent to them in order to find the said checks. The only proof I have that money has been paid is the XXXX I received for the payment. Since the military is such a large bureaucracy it is taking a long time for them to provide copies of the checks. Meanwhile, Great Lakes continues to hold {$14000.00}, which I imagine has been cashed into an interest bearing account, while waiting for me to provide proof they cashed the checks. So that when I do provide copies of the checks, they will apply it to my loans. I should not be sent looking for checks after they provided the wrong account number.
11/19/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	MS 386XX	Web
I was pressure to get enrolled into this college. This college promise me and my family a great future stated that I would be placed on a job replacement program as well as my credit would be transferable. after being lied to they then stated they I should enroll in my XXXX XXXX and that they would help me find work. Here is it four years later after obtaining my degree I still cant find a job in my field and they have sink me in debt with student loans and unnecessary charges to may account. Thiis school is very dishonest now I have four kids nowhere to get an real education so I can obtain an great career due to the fact that they have charged me over 49,000 .00 dollars in debt with student loans. I have filed a complaint to have the loans removed or discharged but its going on two years now and nothing.Dear Mr./Ms. XXXX : We have received your application for borrower defense. Your application number is XXXX. If you have chosen on your application to have your loans placed on forbearance or stop collection activity while your application is reviewed, you will be contacted by your loan servicer with further information. You will be notified once a decision has been made on your application. Visit StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense to learn more. If you have questions, you may respond to this email or call our borrower defense hotline : ( XXXX ) XXXX. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from XXXX XXXX. to XXXX XXXX. Eastern time.
01/12/2018	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	OH 45215	Web
XXXX XXXX, enrolled in XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX, moved around and attended other campuses ( XXXX, WA ) then back to XXXX, AZ. Graduated XXXX. Enrolled in the XXXX XXXX XXXX through XXXX XXXX, relocated to XXXX, OH where I completed my course in XXXX XXXX. Started the Masters program with the same school and same lender XXXX Great Lakes Borrowers ). School shut down in XXXX ending my schooling. Filed a " School closure and loan discharge ''. Great Lakes Borrowers sent me a letter stating that my loans are discharged and I no longer need to pay on them ( XXXX, XXXX XXXX ). Great Lakes Borrowers informed me that only a portion of my loans ( around {$3200.00} is discharged ) but not the whole thing. In the letter, it does not specify that {$3200.00} amount but " Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX will cancel the remaining balance on this portion of the student loan ''. Which all of my loans are through XXXX XXXX and no other institution. Also, contacted another " agency '' about my loan, they informed me that as of current, all loans processed from XXXX XXXX to current are discharged and Great Lakes Borrowers is in violation of that action. I want this loan discharge enforced, removed from collection by Great Lakes Borrowers and my credit reports to reflect that removal of debt. I have tried on many occasions to deal with Great Lakes Borrowers which denied this letter was on file with them though I have faxed and emailed it many times. Great Lakes ID : XXXX
11/21/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Don't agree with the fees charged	MD 21239	Web
On XX/XX/XXXX, i received a letter from Greatlakes student loan servicing company that my loan is due for payment. I never took any student loan and i have been out of college since XXXX. I know my son had told me in XXXX he want to go to college and since he was a minor the application need to be sign by an adult. He never mentioned student loan. I had asked the young lady who had called my on the phone that i need to reach him and find out. He is was lured by this private college in New York with promises of free scholarship which never happen. He was stress out with the school registering him for classes he never have any interest in and he was frustrated and dropped out. We have searched for him in the last 3 years and no information about him. Whether he alive or dead we don't know. My problem is how is it that a kid who never finished a semester his father is told he owe {$40000.00} and i never signed a student loan. I will never sign for anyone not even myself to go to a private school in XXXX New York? The most expensive place in the world. I worked as a XXXX XXXX for the XXXX XXXX XXXX I am recovery from a XXXX XXXX XXXX. The New School deceived and fraudulently induced my son into all this issues. It's bad enough i have lost my only child and been asked to pay money i never sign for is injustice of the highest order. Please help me, i can not afford an attorney with my small salaries that i spend more than 25 % on medicine to stay alive.
10/22/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Problem with customer service	PA 19141	Web
I have reason to believe that Great Lakes reps are being unwillingly involved to delay & /or prevent my loan consolidation applications from being sent, ( transferred ), to XXXX . I have requested and ordered repeatedly for the last some months since end of 2018 for them to send all of my loans, with the exception of any direct plus loans for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, to XXXX. They have yet to do so. XXXX mailed back my documents & application stating that Great Lakes denied them permission to process my consolidation application. Although I did hold off, I still emailed Great Lakes on several occasions, made phone calls to Great Lakes, spoke to reps, who led me to believe it was being taken care of, & specifically send notificatrions on their website, to release my loan applications for XXXX XXXX, so that the XXXX DEPT, ( who is also under investigation by " The Borrower Def, Ref, Cancellation DEPT '', along with XXXX XXXX ... ), would be unablke to continue to service or have any access to my loans & consolidations ... Great Lakes even mailed me 30 pages of documents, stating that the XXXX-XXXX DEPT forced them to add XXXX XXXX direct plus loans to my applications without my permission. They stated that they had to due to XXXX XXXX DEPT, having jurisdiction over them! They don't have jurisdiction over me as the consolidator! I have a right to transfer my loans to another servicer if I choose. This is the matter
03/14/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	CA 902XX	Web
The loan servicer is Great Lakes. On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a {$3000.00} payment on an account that is in a paid ahead status through XXXX. The account has five " tokens '' with a different balance that make up the total balance due on the ascount. I directed 100 % of the {$3000.00} payment to a specific token number on that account. However, not all of the {$3000.00} went towards that token ( it went towards other tokens too XXXX. I called Great Lakes and the representative and supervisor said that my payment was applied to satisfy my minimum monthly payment of {$740.00}, and the remainder went towards the specific token. But my minimum monthly payment is {$0.00} because I am in a paid ahead status ( I have been in a paid ahead status for well over two years on the account ). I can understand this to be the rule if the borrower is not in a paid ahead status, so in that case, the borrower would have to satisfy the monthly payment first before applying the rest of the money as he wishes. But when a borrower, like me, who has no minimum monthly payment and still can not apply my money as I wish is nothing but a penalty for paying early. It is a penalty because the {$740.00} first went to pay the interest of other tokens before the interest and principal on the token I applied it to. This means I can not satisfy more of the principal on the token I am targeting, which in effect, ends up costing me more money. Thus a penalty.
02/13/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't get flexible payment options	IN 46205	Web
I have my loans through Great Lakes, and for the 2nd year in a row, they have taken too long to update my Income Driven Repayment ( specifically, PAYE ) after receiving my application. My student loans are for XXXX ( located in XXXX ). Last year, they had my application approximately 1 month before my current PAYE plan would expire, and they failed to update my status so I had to go into forbearance for 1 month until they updated my account. This year, they 'll have had my application for more than 3 months before my next payment is due in XXXX, and again they did not update my account so my XX/XX/XXXX payment is set to increase by more than 10x, which I can not afford. I feel their delays at this point are intentional in order to get more money out of me, which is dishonest at best and more likely criminal. I called them today and was told I 'll be getting an updated payment schedule after XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX, and my payment will only more than triple due to my wife and I filing together and the associated increased income, and yet I had NO information for the last 2.5 months from Great Lakes that my payment would be increasing by that much. Right now, I 'm stuck waiting until after XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX to see if I receive my updated pay schedule like I 'm supposed to, and if I do n't, I guess I 'll conveniently ( for them ) have to go into forbearance again while they fix it ... again. This is ridiculous.
10/22/2017	Yes	Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports Credit reporting	Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem Their investigation did not fix an error on your report	KY 42503	Web
My student loans are currently reflecting incorrectly on all of the major credit bureaus. I have investigated and just now sent in for a complete investigation/audit to XXXX for refund issues with XXXX Kentucky University and XXXX XXXX XXXX. Since obtaining my loans I was never properly Advised that by not doing a small income driven payment I would be saving myself apparently now thousands of dollars. Each time I have contacted them I was placed only on a forbearance. As of now XXXX XXXX is reflecting the following to the bureaus which has my debt to income ratio WAY over the limits and is causing me to not be able to obtain loans and causing me negative harm and higher premiums on loans and insurance. I tried contacting the consumer to find out why the balance ( amount that I have borrowed is right @ XXXX more than the what I originally borrowed ) and I get no where but transferred around. It can not be possible that I have generated XXXX interest on my account and if I have it is their fault for not placing me on a program where I would have at least been paying the interest while I was in school. They false advertise and their customer service lies to students about the options they have. According to the FCRA if ANY Company falsely reports information and the Bureaus do not fully investigate ( which I have asked to do on multiple occasions ) They are required to remove this account from my files.
08/07/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	VA 22204	Web
I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX with a request to change the way my prepayments are applied so that the full prepayment amount goes towards the highest interest rate loan instead of first being applied as a normal monthly payment XXXX first part of the payment is applied to the principal of all of the loans even though this is an excess payment ). This is causing me to pay more in interest than I would be paying if all of the excess payment went towards the highest interest loan. As stated in 34 CFR 682.209 ( b ) ( 2 ) ( ii ) I have the right opt out of having my prepayments applied as future installments ( see end for the link ). So far my prepayments have been applied to future installments to the point that I do not need to make a payment until 24 months in the future. At this point I would like to stop my prepayments from being applied as future installments and instead have my prepayments go 100 % towards the principal of the highest interest rate loan ( after fees and interest ). XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX has told me that it is impossible to opt out of having my prepayments applied as future installments despite being clearly stated in the Act. XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX has also not provided me with any documentation that shows that my prepayments have to be applied in this matter. The master promissory note that I signed does not mention anything about this. XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX
05/23/2018	Yes	Debt collection Private student loan debt	False statements or representation Impersonated attorney, law enforcement, or government official	CA 961XX	Web
hello, I received a letter promising " student loan consolidation & payment reduction program '' in the mail which I stupidly fell for. The top left of the letter says " FINAL NOTICE, contact XXXX, Assigned dept. Preferred Doc Solutions, NOTICE DAY : XX/XX/2018 '' The letter also informed me to login to my XXXX ID account, which did not work so I called the number on the letter ( XXXXXXXX ) I talked with a man who convinced me that I would need to change my XXXX password, which I game him my new password. I gave him all of my information because he told me he worked for the Department of Education and I foolishly believed him. He received my social security number, drivers license, address, parents address, and all of my XXXX information. After hearing his promising proposal of completely bringing my student loan debt down to XXXX dollars, I stupidly electronically signed a bunch of stuff that he sent in an email and then gave him my debit card information so that I could pay the " fees '' relation to the loans being completely forgiven. He then put me through to a different woman who confirmed all of my information and told me she was sending me a " welcome packet '' with information that I would have to return back to them " immediately ''. I shouldn't have fallen for this scam, but the .gov website and being told that this man was a department of education employee really had me convinced.
05/05/2017	Yes	Student loan Private student loan	Dealing with your lender or servicer Need information about your loan balance or loan terms	OH 43202	Web
On XXXX / XXXX / XXXX , I contacted Great lake s Borrowing Service to discuss concerns regarding how interest is being applied to my student loans. I have XXXX loans serviced by Great Lakes s Borrowing Service. XXXX balance is at {$20000.00} and the other is a balance of {$9300.00}. My total payment is {$270.00}. I had recently started making a small increase in my payment to {$300.00}. Over the course of 8 payments at {$300.00}, I noticed that my interest was not decreasing, but increasing. When I called to discuss my concern, it was n't until the operator looked further into the matter, when he discovered that my loan was an Adjustable Rate loan. This news was concerning to hear, because I looked on their website for information regarding my interest rate, and there is no information regarding my rate was adjustable. I requested to speak with a supervisor, and the supervisor told me that I should look to my master promissory note for full disclosure. The supervisor said he would make note of my request because he too thought that this information should be listed on the site. My issue is that I had no idea that my loan was an adjustable rate, and I was hardly getting no where with the balance. Please help, I believe that Great Lakes withheld important information regarding my loan being an adjustable rate on their website. Nothing on their website shows when and how the rate adjusts.
12/16/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	MN 55369	Web
I applied for the XXXX XXXX XXXX program. I sent in the application after working at XXXX XXXX XXXX for 5 years as a highly qualified full-time XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX XXXX. In section two of the application, I marked that I XXXX at an eligible XXXX XXXX then below that it says to check all that apply so I checked the box that says that I was a highly qualified full-time XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX XXXX with a forgiveness amount of up to {$17000.00}. Then I also checked the box below that because it also applied to me since being a XXXX XXXX I am also considers a full-time XXXX XXXX XXXX with a forgiveness amount of {$5000.00}. When I got the letter back from the loan service that said my application was accepted in XX/XX/XXXX2017, they only forgave {$5000.00} when it should have been {$17000.00} since I am a full time XXXX XXXX. So when I called about this I got many different messages, some people sent me to other places when later I found out that they do all of the paperwork and accepting in house. Then one person told me since I checked the second box they are required to only forgive me the lowest amount. Then I had to have my XXXX send in a letter on district letterhead that said I was a full time XXXX XXXX for those years. This is not necessary and they are making me jump through hoops that I should not need to jump through since I followed the instructions on the application form.
04/06/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Having problems with customer service	NE 681XX	Web
I believe my student loan servicer, Great Lakes, is engaged in some shady practices. I have personally stayed on top of it, but I am tired of having to constantly make sure I 'm not getting screwed over and I 'm concerned that other people are getting screwed over because they do n't know any better. Here are some examples : I 've been repaying since XXXX XXXX. I started on IBR and moved to RePaye when it became available ( XXXX ). When I attempted to renew my IDR app in XXXX, Great Lakes " misprocessed '' my application and used my salary rather than my XXXX from my tax return. I know they are supposed to use XXXX, but none of my peers appeared to know that at the time. How many students are n't getting the relief they need or forgoing retirement and healthcare spending in order to make their student loan payments? When I renewed this year, they tried to move me off of RePaye to the more expensive IBR plan. After I called, their customer service rep said this was a mistake and that I would remain on the RePaye plan. Finally, Great Lakes claims that if I do n't renew my IDR app yearly, my monthly student loan payment will go up to {$1300.00}. However, when I use the studentloans.gov estimator, the standard repayment plan payment is only {$790.00}. The {$1300.00} number is the number that I am expected to pay at the END of the RePaye payment term. This does n't seem correct to me.
04/01/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't get flexible payment options	SD 57104	Web
My loans are being serviced by Great Lakes and they are the worst servicer I have dealt with, They are not offering any financial hardship assistance to me whatsoever and I do not want to continue to work with this agency. I spoke with XXXX in the wage garnishment department who was rude, misinformed, avoiding to answer questions, refused to give her last name, refused to get a manager on the phone when requested and not helpful at all. I then had to hangup on her because she offered no assistance and called back and spoke with a lady who claimed she was a supervisor who the other representative claimed their were none available and I spoke to XXXX XXXX, who was not very helpful either and spoke down to me and my representative and would not offer me an affordable payment arrangement after I had given her my income information. I told her that I could not afford that and she insisted on that amount to be paid in order to stop my garnishment. I offered to pay an amount that was more affordable and was turned down to do that. This lady works off commission and gets paid if she get money from me and I just want to resolve my loans with reasonable payments so that I can feed my XXXX children and still pay my rent. This is deplorable and I want this agency to be removed from servicing my loans and allow me to consolidate since that is the only reasonable solution for me at this point.
11/14/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	MI 49423	Web
I received a phone call from one of my past colleges ( XXXX XXXX XXXX College ) notifying me that I had loans that were close to defaulting. I had never elected loans and had not been aware of any student loans in my name. I got in contact with the loan provider and found out that there were 12 loans in my name totaling nearly {$30000.00}. I made two payments soon after the initial phone call totaling {$2000.00}. After seeking advice, I mailed the Great Lakes two letters requesting copies of the loan document ( s ) and proof that I had taken the loan and requested that my credit score be restored due to being unaware of the loans. The letters were dated XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, Great Lakes provided a copy of the loan document. The loan document bore a digital signature, providing no proof of the identity of the person who took the loan. The document listed my name, but was missing all other personal information ( birthdate, social security number, and driver 's license number ). Furthermore, the document did not suggest that I would have ever received any communication regarding the loan as the document listed a mailing address, email address, and phone number that were not my own. Legal counsel was sought and I am mailing an additional letter to Great Lakes in response to the loan document provided. I am requesting a response from Great Lakes within 30 days of receipt.
05/26/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	IL 60637	Web
I called my federal student loan provider Great Lakes to confirm about item # XXXX : I 'm thinking of serving as a XXXX XXXX or XXXX volunteer and plan to request a deferment or forbearance on my Direct Loans. If I 'm not making payments during my service period, can I receive credit toward PSLF? The customer service agent ( I believe her name was XXXX ) stated to me that I would not be able to received credits PSLF, even though under the federal government its stated otherwise. The agent stated that I would need to make 12 separate payments and that I am not able to make the lump slums payment and received the credit for PSLF. I am extremely frustrated because, I am a hard working student working to keep up with my student loans and more importantly be smart with payment in order to receive PSLF credits during my services as an XXXX volunteer. I would like for Great Lakes to invest in honest and fair business practices. I do not think this institution should be acting as private money-hungry bank center. I also believe, the federal government needs to do a better job making sure that these private sector they partner with are honest and are in compliance with federal regulations. I am going to call them again with an attorney on the other line to process this request. It 's unfortunate that hard working citizens of this country have to go this far to get a fair treatment.
03/15/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Incorrect information on your report Information belongs to someone else	NJ 08753	Web
I wasn't in school at this time In XXXX and I just noticed that I never Borrowed XXXX for XXXX University to me this looks like fraud I just noticed this now. Total Borrowed : {$27000.00} Outstanding Principal as of XX/XX/XXXX : {$34000.00} Outstanding Interest as of XX/XX/XXXX : {$1800.00} Interest Rate : 7.00 % Cumulative Payment Amount : {$390.00} Date Entered Repayment : XX/XX/XXXX Most Recent Payment Effective Date : XX/XX/XXXX Loan Period Begin Date : Loan Period End Date : School : SCHOOL CODE FOR CONSOLIDATION LOANS Enrollment Status : GRADUATED as of XX/XX/XXXX Loan Disbursement Date Disbursement Amount XX/XX/XXXX {$1.00} XX/XX/XXXX {$27000.00} Loan Status Status Effective Date IN REPAYMENT XX/XX/XXXX FORBEARANCE XX/XX/XXXX DEFERRED XX/XX/XXXX IN REPAYMENT XX/XX/XXXX FORBEARANCE XX/XX/XXXX IN REPAYMENT XX/XX/XXXX FORBEARANCE XX/XX/XXXX IN REPAYMENT XX/XX/XXXX FORBEARANCE XX/XX/XXXX DEFERRED XX/XX/XXXX FORBEARANCE XX/XX/XXXX IN REPAYMENT XX/XX/XXXX FORBEARANCE XX/XX/XXXX IN REPAYMENT XX/XX/XXXX Also devry is charging me for 2 classes that I withdrew from.Devry couldn't get it correct the first time with the paperwork of when I changed my major and they still had me in two classes of. ECT-125-0 Electronic Systems II w/Lab Credit Hours : 4 Final Grade : W Posted : XX/XX/XXXX ECT-125-0 Electronic Systems II w/Lab Credit Hours : 4 Final Grade : W Posted : XX/XX/XXXX
01/22/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Received bad information about my loan	OH 44857	Web
In XXXX I requested to be put on the Income based repayment plan. I was ( and am still ) working but could not afford my bill. After some demanding they did put me on the IBR plan at Navient. Every year I have diligently renewed my application. In XXXX, I had lost my job and pretty quickly was hired by a non- profit. I called Navient and asked how this affected my IBR plan. They told me that I was still eligible and that my loan would only be for 10 years as long as I requested each year for my IBR renewal. In XXXX, I learned that ( on my own, not from Navient ) that it is a good idea to check with your loan company to be sure that you have Qualifying payments and loan forgiveness. I began then to send the forms for loan forgiveness. It was not until XX/XX/XXXX that I learned that my student loans were not eligible for forgiveness unless I consolidated them to a different loan company - XXXX. So in XX/XX/XXXX I began the process of consolidating to XX/XX/XXXX since I still work for a non- profit at very low wages and still can not afford my student loan payment. I feel however, that Navient did an injustice by not telling me that my student loans were not eligible sooner and not notifying me in anyway that I would need to consolidate with a different company. I lost seven years of qualifying payments for loan forgiveness and had to start all over again at 120 payments.
06/02/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Need information about my balance/terms	OH 440XX	Web
I submitted my application to renew my income-driven repayment plan before the deadline in XXXX. When asked to submit income verification, I mailed both mine and my husband 's paystubs. I was later notified that my paystub was insufficient and needed to send in a self-certified statement of self-employment income, stating either my monthly or annual expected income. At this time, I asked if my husband 's income verification was sufficient, and was informed that it was. I gladly obliged the request, with a statement of monthly expected gross income. I was then notified that that was n't good enough, and I needed to submit a statement of expected annual income. Again, I obliged, copying the requested verbage word-for-word. It was at this point I was informed that I needed to verify my husband 's income. Since I had already done so, had ascertained that his information was received and was sufficient, and had waited XXXX4 weeks between each request, I refused to participate any longer in the unnecessary back-and-forth. I called to ensure all necessary paperwork had been received, which it had, and submitted proof of acceptance of all necessary paperwork. It is now XXXX and I am still receiving requests for my husband 's income verification. I 've now made 4 monthly payments that I can not afford, and I can not afford to wait any longer for them to process my application.
08/18/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IL 60647	Web
I have sent documentation to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX three times to determine my income-based repayment plan. Each time I was given a different amount to pay. They have determined my income-based payments incorrectly each time. I have called several times, over five, and have spoken to supervisors. No one seems to get it. As I have explained, I am a XXXX. My pay rate changes daily and seasonally. Simply sending in my two week pay sub will not give you an accurate account of how much money I make. I do not receive pay checks, it all goes to taxes and then some. Great Lakes seems to think that they can take a number they see on my pay stub and multiply it by 52 weeks and that 's automatically my income for the year, which could n't be more wrong. I have also attached my tax information per the IRS website and still was given an outrageous amount to pay, although I am making basically the same amount I did the previous year. It was raised over {$45.00} dollars. I have been with Great Lakes for over five years and have never had a payment amount this high. I have tried several times to explain this to Great Lakes representatives and each time their solution has been to send in another pay stub. So it could be calculated wrong again? Never in my life have I experienced such ignorance with a loan lending company, and I hope to resolve this issue without taking further action.
11/13/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Struggling to repay your loan Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan	MS 391XX	Web
My first concern is how I owe the US Department of education has multiple debt collectors which makes it much easier to go into default. Second, one of their debt collectors, Great Lakes, has caused my credit score to lower in the past 60 days making me have a late payment that I never was able to dispute, which I can because I'm not on a stable monthly income to pay $ XXXX monthly. I also have not been contacted about the billing process. Unlike XXXX, they have not contacted me through mail, email ( if they have I'm sure i missed it because i get TONS OF DAILY MAIL ), nor by phone. The only communication that they use with me is emails and I feel its because they know I might not open them and that's because I get tons of emails and most of them are easily to be missed if I'm not expecting them. However, I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING IN THE MAIL FROM THEM TO MY PHYSICAL ADDRESS! It seems as if Great Lakes are purposely trying to make my credit score down, like manipulating it for their own purpose. It seems as if they are trying to squeeze money I may have out of me ( which i don't have ) or trying to punish me for not paying. This has been affecting my credit score, but have not been able to find out any details until the so-called late payment was just reported. They are manipulating my credit score for profits or payback. PLEASE HELP ME, I feel BULLIED!!
08/26/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	IL 60068	Web
On XX/XX/XXXX, I had an unauthorized ACH from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in the amount of {$160.00}. I notified XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX of the error given that all my student loans were paid off in XXXX. The lender refused to reverse the payment without the party that authorized the transaction to confirm despite the fact that clearly the transaction was not authorized given I 'm the owner of the checking account that is now disputing the charge. The lender then noted that I should just discuss the matter with my own bank and let them handle the dispute. I told the Great Lakes representative that they should be the one reversing the charge given they made the error and were the ones that initiated the ACH. The representative later indicated that they would put in the stop request ; however, it would take 30-45 days to make the adjustment. I indicated that this action was absurd that I should carry the burden for 30-45 days considering it was an unauthorized transaction. There was little remorse from the lender for the error. They also indicated that they could not confront the party that caused the unauthorized transaction. Once again, all of my loans are paid off and there should be no reason for this lender to be debiting my account. I also think it is ridiculous that a consumer should be carrying the unauthorized charge on his/her own account for 30-45 days.
01/31/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	NC 28210	Web	Servicemember
After consulting with Great Lakes, I made XXXX substantial payments totalling {$40000.00} on XXXX student loans before they went into repayment status. I made these large payments upon receipt of email correspondence where my funds would be applied towards my monthly payments, prolonging the length of time until my first payment was due. From my Great Lakes email asking if a lump-sum payment would increase the time I owed {$0.00} per month until the lump-sum ran out at the appropriate PAYE monthly rate : " When you pay a large, lump-sum towards your account, you create several options for yourself. When your account is paid ahead, you 've basically created your own forbearance time. You can stop making payments and still be considered current for the number of months the large payment covered ... '' I made these large lump sums under that understanding, to create my own forbearance time until aprox. XX/XX/XXXX. Great Lakes now claims they recalculated my account and what ever forbearance months I had built up/remaining were wiped clean XX/XX/XXXX. I would have never made these lump-sum payments but for the reliance on Great Lake 's misleading, inaccurate, and fraudulent communication. I can provide the email upon which I relied if needed. Great Lakes ID : XXXX XXXX Plus : XXXX - Lump-sum payments {$23000.00} Stafford : XXXX - Lump-sum payments made {$16000.00}
09/20/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Received bad information about your loan	NY 106XX	Web
This student loan servicer, XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, deliberately placed my loans into forbearance, so they could make money on the interest being collected, without my knowledge or my permission. I made them and the US Department of Education aware that I would be entering into a full-time program, in XX/XX/XXXX. I recently became aware of what was going on once I received a notice informing me that repayment is due on my loans in 30 days. Instead of placing my prior loans into deferment, they told me on XX/XX/XXXX, that " they were doing me a favor, and they did this will all their loans. I XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. They revoked my 6-month grace period that all students receive after deferment from a full-time educational program, by initiating this ILLEGAL tactic in order to turn a profit. This loan servicer failed to inform me of what was going on and employed the illegal/fraudulent practices of their fellow loan servicing company, XXXX. Thousands of dollars of interest have been generated on loans in which I was guaranteed 0 % interest rate growth while in school. Instead, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and the US Department of Education have failed borrowers by letting this type of behavior continue to go unchecked. This company told me flat out " WE DO THIS TO ALMOST EVERYONE, AND NO ONE COMPLAINS. '' This is fraud and should be looked into.
10/29/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are handled	MI 48038	Web
My daughter was attending the XXXX XXXX XXXX but they were closing there doors and only offering online classes to students for them to finish off in order to receive their degrees. We were not informed about the situation when she first started there. They then told us that she could transfer to the XXXX campus seeing as she would have difficulty with the online courses with her XXXX which are documented and were turned in. I informed them that she had doctors appointments and testing that needed to be done for her medications and asked if the following semester would be better. They told me no that it would be fine for her to start that semester it would be no problem at all. As it turns out, they said she missed to much time and kicked her out. they advised us that she could n't come back until she paid for that semester in which was already paid by fasfa and direct plus. We have talked the companies that hold the but nothing has been done so far and they keep wanting us to make payments. She has had to enroll at another college in order to continue her education that works with her XXXX, but her pell and other grants have been reduced due to all of this and XXXX was giving her classes that she was n't prepared for due to requisites not being followed or classes she did n't need. I feel that we should n't be penalized for the time she spent at XXXX.
09/15/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	VA 23229	Web	Servicemember
I have a student loan that has been serviced by Great Lakes. In XX/XX/XXXX, my income driven repayment application was approved, and on XX/XX/XXXX, I made my first payment under IDR. In XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted documentation that I work for a XXXX XXXX. In early XX/XX/XXXX, I renewed by income driven repayment application. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received confirmation that I was approved. On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a payment of {$500.00} to Great Lakes. On XX/XX/XXXX, I got a notice from XXXX XXXX XXXX that they were now my servicer and that my account was delinquent. Evidently, when they transferred my loan from Great Lakes at the end of XX/XX/XXXX, they failed to transfer my last payment to Great Lakes. They also did not transfer any information about my income driven repayment plan. I have repeatedly contacted Great Lakes and XXXX to find out how I can get my balance to reflect my XX/XX/XXXX payment. As it stands right now, my account is showing up as delinquent, even though I made a payment in XX/XX/XXXX. In addition, they 're claiming I 've only made 7 qualifying payments under PSLF, even though I 've been making payments early ever since going on the IDR plan. Every time I talk to XXXX, I get a different, albeit not helpful, response. No one seems to know where my last payment went and when it will be reflected. I am being penalized for XXXX 's mistakes.
11/14/2018	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Keep getting calls about your loan	WI 531XX	Web	Servicemember
Hello XXXX of XXXX I made a payment of {$18000.00} to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, which was my payoff amount. I received a letter stating my loans were all paid in full and I no longer have any loans in default with them or the collection agencies they are affiliated with. Than XXXX of XXXX while applying for a VA loan I had a flag on my credit reporting I still had an unpaid balance so I contacted both Great Lakes and the collection Company XXXX. It turns out they did not have record of my payment, however I was smart to have my bank cut the check and send it by certified mail, so I had a paper trail. They found the miscommunication and sent another letter XX/XX/XXXX stating my loan was paid in full. Fast forward to XX/XX/XXXX, I got another letter saying I had owed a total of {$1400.00}, which was refunded back to the account because because charged interest to me on the payment they lost than found. Well once again XX/XX/XXXX, I am dealing with the same problem and it affects my credit not to mention the frustration and anxiety I have to deal with when talking to these people. I have all the emails they sent clearing me and the letter clearing me. I am fed up and tired of being bullied by their creditor XXXX. I want to file a formal complaint as well as seeking restitution against Great Lakes and XXXX. Can you help me please. Thank you, XXXX XXXX
03/06/2019	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Trouble with how payments are being handled	ME 046XX	Web
I am supposed to pay {$230.00} per month on my federal loans to Great Lakes. I have been paying {$250.00} or more and have the excess go towards the highest interest rate ( XXXX % ). I called at XX/XX/XXXX to pay off the loan. On that date it was {$690.00}. I asked about transferring the excess to the next highest loan ( XXXX % ) and was a told to do that now because the XXXX would have a {$0.00}. So I did. A week later ( I checked my account daily ) I received a message from Great Lakes telling me they deducted the {$230.00} payment 1st ( even though not due till XX/XX/XXXX ) and then the remaining amount on my loan where I wanted the excess to go ... .they put the on the XXXX % because I was told to change as soon as I got off the phone on XX/XX/XXXX. I called XX/XX/XXXX and told them the {$690.00} went on the wrong account. They told me the {$230.00} had to come off 1st ( even though I am paid ahead ) and they would credit the other loan. They did not tell me this on XX/XX/XXXX. More than 48 hours have passed and they still not have corrected the payment. I called them again XX/XX/XXXX and they said there was a request in but it had not gone thru yet. I was told the only way to have the payments done correctly is if they do it on the day the loan is due ... .however ... they do not apply the payments that day so they don't even know what is due.
04/30/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with your lender or servicer Need information about your loan balance or loan terms	NC 27617	Web
I consolidated my student loans in XXXX XXXX . I began repaying my loans in XXXX XXXX . I understand that my payments will apply only to interest until my interest balance is XXXX and then they will apply to principal. The payment history page of XXXX XXXX 's website does not show how change in my interest balance. The payment history shows the date of payment, my total payment, how much of my payment was applied to interest/principal, and then my total principal balance. There is no column to display total interest balance, which would show my interest total decreasing as I make my monthly payments. I have searched the website and the only place where I can see my total interest balance is on the home page, but there is no history option to show me what the interest was before I made my payments, and how the balance has decreased each month. This is disconcerting because, just by looking at the payment history, it is impossible to see how my monthly payments are affecting my overall balance. Great Lakes should include an interest balance column of the payment history chart to clearly show how my payments are applying to interest over time. Otherwise, there is no way for me to verify that my payments are applying correctly and instead I have to just rely that my payments are properly being applied to my interest balance.
03/31/2017	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Can't repay my loan Can't get flexible payment options	WA 98275	Web
I have a student loan with Great Lakes. In requested a {$0.00} dollar payment plan in XXXX as I was unemployed and working with a XXXX ( XXXX XXXX ) and unable to make my {$650.00} dollar loan payment. I sent them a request and copy of my pay stubs from XXXX XXXX. The repayment plan was never initiated ( although XXXX did ). I then changed employers three months later to another XXXX ( XXXX ) and submitted another request for a {$0.00} based payment plan. Upon their Great Lakes request I sent them a copy of my pay stubs and that requested was still pending as of XX/XX/XXXX. Again I contacted them about my pending application and Great Lakes stated they needed a copy of my Income Tax Return for XXXX which was faxed to them on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX from the XXXX Office # XXXX. As of today I am still waiting for the payment plan to be approved. Every time I log into my account with Great Lakes it gives the status that my application is being processed. They recently put my account in forbearance but I am being charged over a thousand dollars in interest that would not have occurred if I had gotten the payment plan ( which the DOE / XXXX ) stated would be {$0.00} a month based on my income for 1 year and no interest accrued. It seems to be that Great Lakes is pulling a XXXX XXXX to get additional money from me that I ca n't afford. Can you help?
11/01/2016	Yes	Student loan Federal student loan servicing	Dealing with my lender or servicer Don't agree with fees charged	VA 23235	Web
I have a Parent PLUS Loans with XXXX DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION XXXX XXXX ) that is being serviced by Great Lakes Borrower Services. In XX/XX/XXXX I filed for XXXX XXXX Bankruptcy in XXXX Florida after my divorce. The terms of the bankruptcy were to repay all debt at 100 % of principal. Great Lakes filed a claim with the court {$17000.00}. The loan principal howev