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Here's what student-loan borrowers need to know about the Navient lawsuit

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is suing Navient Corp., the nation’s largest student loan servicer, accusing it of 'systematically and illegally failing borrowers at every stage of repayment.' 

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Nick Tomecek/AP Photo/File
A graduate of Northwest Florida State College wears her cap during commencement in Niceville, Fla. in May 2014. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and two state attorney generals filed lawsuits against Navient, the country’s largest servicer of student loans, for illegal practices Wednesday.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is suing Navient Corp., the nation’s largest student loan servicer, accusing it of “systematically and illegally failing borrowers at every stage of repayment,” according to a press release Wednesday. The CFPB is asking Navient to compensate the borrowers the agency says were harmed.

Among other things, the CFPB alleges that since at least January 2010, Navient misallocated payments, steered struggling borrowers toward multiple forbearances instead of income-driven repayment plans, and provided unclear information about how to re-enroll in income-driven repayment plans and how to qualify for a co-signer release.

Navient denied the CFPB’s allegations in a statement Wednesday, saying they are false and politically motivated. The student loan giant, which broke off from Sallie Mae Bank, one of the largest lenders of private student loans, in 2014, currently services more than $300 billion in federal and private student loans for more than 12 million borrowers.

The Illinois and Washington attorneys general also filed suits against Navient on Wednesday. Navient said in subsequent statements Wednesday that allegations by the Illinois and Washington attorneys general were also politically driven and “unfounded.”

“Time will tell” what impact these lawsuits have on borrowers, says Betsy Mayotte, director of consumer outreach and compliance at American Student Assistance, a nonprofit that helps students pay for college. But regardless of outcomes, borrowers should regularly check their student loan accounts to make sure their loans are being serviced correctly, she says.

How to check if Navient is your loan servicer

Your student loan servicer is the company you make payments to each month. It’s not always the same company that lent you money in the first place.

The Department of Education is the lender for all federal student loans, but it contracts with private, third-party companies, including Navient, to handle loan servicing. Log on to the Federal Student Aid website to find your federal loan servicer. In addition to Navient, other major federal loan servicers include FedLoan Servicing, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates and Nelnet.

What to do if you’re frustrated with your student loan servicer

When it comes to student loan servicing, “consumers cannot easily take their business elsewhere,” Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said in a statement Wednesday.

It is possible to switch student loan servicers through federal consolidation or student loan refinancing. But you shouldn’t consolidate or refinance solely to switch servicers because there are potential risks associated with each, says Adam Minsky, a Boston-based lawyer specializing in student loans. Also, there’s no guarantee you’ll be better off with a different servicer.

“The other servicers aren’t exactly rainbows and sunshine,” Minsky says.

If you’re stuck with your servicer, there are a number of things you can do to voice your concerns and protect yourself as a borrower: File complaints, check your credit report for errors, school yourself on your repayment options and watch out for companies that charge fees for student loan help.

FILE COMPLAINTS

You can file complaints to one or multiple of the following entities:

The CFPB alleges that Navient ignores borrowers’ complaints. But getting your concerns in writing is still worth doing, if only to improve the system for others, Seth Frotman, student loan ombudsman and assistant director of the office for students at the CFPB, said in a press call Wednesday.

“We receive thousands of complaints,” Frotman said. “That has dramatically informed our work around improving the student loan servicing market.”

CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT FOR ERRORS

One of the CFPB’s allegations is that Navient incorrectly reported disabled borrowers’ accounts as “in default” when the borrowers had actually gotten loan relief through the government’s Total and Permanent Disability discharge program. To guard against a mistake like that, which could severely hurt your credit score, check your credit report for errors. You can get one free credit report every year from each of the three major credit bureaus.

GET UP TO SPEED ON YOUR REPAYMENT OPTIONS

Student loan servicers are supposed to help you understand the various student loan repayment options. By learning about the options yourself, you can be empowered to hold your loan servicer to that standard. Keep in mind, though, that each of the following options has risks.

  • Income-driven repayment plans can lower your monthly federal student loan payments by capping your payment at a percentage of your income. They also offer loan forgiveness after you make on-time payments for 20 or 25 years, depending on the plan.
  • Student loan forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, can relieve your federal student loan debt if you work for a certain type of employer and make on-time payments for a certain period of time.
  • Federal consolidation doesn’t lower your monthly payments or save you money, but it’s sometimes necessary to do in order to qualify for income-driven repayment or a forgiveness program. Consolidating is frequently confused with student loan refinancing, which is a way to save money on interest by getting a lower rate.
WATCH OUT FOR COMPANIES THAT CHARGE FEES FOR HELP

You can sign up for the above options on your own for free. But some companies that aren’t affiliated with the Department of Education capitalize on subpar student loan servicing practices by charging fees to enroll borrowers in free federal student loan programs. So-called student debt relief companies often advertise messages such as “Obama Student Loan Forgiveness” on Facebook and Google. If you’re tempted by such an offer, know that you don’t have to pay for student loan help.

If your servicer isn’t answering your student loan questions, reach out to the Department of Education or your state’s attorney general’s office for help.

Teddy Nykiel is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: teddy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @teddynykiel.

This story originally appeared on NerdWallet.

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