Harry noticed that his son Ari, a servicemember, was struggling with his car loan, so he reached out to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His story led to our investigation into an auto loan program that we found was using deceptive marketing and lending practices to target servicemembers.
This summer, we had the pleasure of meeting Dani who shared her story with us. Her story was similar to many of the stories we receive on student debt. She was struggling to make ends meet and pay down her student loans.
Last month, we published a report based on your stories and issued a call for industrywide reforms to protect consumers. Building on this work, today, we released our annual report on student loan complaints, taking a closer look at the problems experienced by certain student loan borrowers.
For borrowers who are experiencing financial distress and looking for a way to pay back their federal student loans, income-driven repayment plans can be the key to helping you make ends meet. But for some borrowers seeking to tie their federal loan payment to their income, we know the road can be rocky. You’ve told us about problems related to enrolling in income-driven repayment plans that ended up costing you hundreds of dollars in unexpected payments.
Listening to and elevating your voice matters to us because we are a federal agency devoted to protecting consumers. When you speak up, you offer invaluable insight into the financial products and services consumers depend on. Telling us about your experiences helps us to better serve you and make the financial marketplace work for Americans.
In Jorge’s words, “Within two weeks, everything was finalized . . . [I got] a letter saying it’s gone.” He continued, “Having a good credit score and a clean credit record is always good. No one was going to help me with my problem – and I took charge, by contacting the CFPB.”
Some borrowers have already shared with us their experiences with their student loan servicer (the company that sends a bill each month). We’ve released the first batch of your stories and we encourage you to take a look at what we’re hearing from the public at regulations.gov.
We know that buying a home can be complicated, and that’s why we’ve created tools to help home buyers understand and shop for mortgages. We’re glad that Navid and his wife got the help they needed, and we’re here for you, too!
Today, for the first time, we are making consumers’ complaint narratives – the heart and soul of the complaints we receive – public. These narratives are important because they tell the story of what happened in the consumers’ own words. Making these consumer narratives public amplifies the voice of the consumer.
We now want to hear from you. If you’ve had problems with student loan debt or run into repayment roadblocks, share your story.
