Posted by kingcade (timothykingcade.com)

Navient, a company that derived from Sallie Mae, has more than 12 million customers and services more than $300 billion of government and private student loans. In January, a lawsuit was filed against the student loan lender where the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) alleged that Navient “systematically and illegally failed borrowers at every stage of payment,” in many ways such as:

According to the CFPB, Navient also improperly directed borrowers into forbearance when these borrowers otherwise might have qualified for income-based repayment plans. The lender also failed to keep borrowers in income-based repayment plans informed of deadlines to maintain their eligibility under such plans.

Navient later denied all allegations and claimed the lawsuit was politically motivated. The company filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on March 24^th, claiming there have been no violations of actual servicing rules.

Does your student loan servicer owe you a fiduciary duty?

According to Navient, it is not a fiduciary financial advisor. The student loan lender claims that courts “routinely hold that servicers and lenders do not owe borrowers any specific fiduciary duties based upon their servicer/borrower relationship.”

This means that if you need guidance in choosing a repayment plan, Navient maintains that the lender is not responsible for counseling borrowers on alternative repayment plans. Navient further notes that the U.S. Department of Education does not pay Navient enough to provide sufficient customer service that the CFPB would like Navient to provide.

For borrowers who are struggling with student loan debt, relief options are available. Many student loan borrowers are unaware that they have rights and repayment options available to them, such as postponement of loan payments, reduction of payments or even a complete discharge of the debt. It is important you contact an experienced Miami bankruptcy attorney who can advise you of all your options. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. Since 1996 Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.