The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Loan servicer settles charges it deceived student borrowers about lower-cost payment plans and loan forgiveness

Federal student loan servicer ACS Education Services agreed to a $9 million settlement Friday for steering distressed borrowers away from income-based repayment plans towards other, more expensive options. It also addresses claims that ACS deceived borrowers about the availability of loan forgiveness after a borrower works for 10 years in a public-service job. 

In addition to paying penalties and restitution to borrowers, ACS has agreed not to service loans for the major federal programs or private loans for five years. Most eligible borrowers will receive between $100 and $450. 

“Students rely on college to be a ladder to success, but too often prohibitive costs and disingenuous loan servicers trap students in a quicksand of debt,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “ACS has systematically failed borrowers by refusing to educate them on more effective federal repayment options, and instead, pushing them towards options that padded their bottom line.”

Baby boomers provide information on daily living, including relationships and stress

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty is back in the classroom every week this fall, once as a teacher and twice as a student.

Many baby boomers are interested in pursuing their education, whether for profit, leisure, or cultural enrichment – whether they go to a local adult-education class, attend an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute course at a nearby university, or take off on an educational trip with Road Scholar.

Our baby boomer group, too, is interested in education. They write hundreds of articles every year to provide helpful information to boomers. Here’s this week’s offering:

Trump administration stalled in its efforts to eliminate protections for student loan borrowers

The U.S. Department of Education will miss a November deadline to repeal the Obama-era revisions that help student loan borrowers for the 2019 school year. The rule erases the federal student debt of borrowers defrauded by colleges.

Adopted in the 1990s, the rule cancels federal loans for students whose colleges used deceptive or illegal tactics to encourage them to get loans to attend.

The Obama administration revisions streamlined the claims process and shifted more of the cost to schools for discharging loans. The changes were scheduled to take effect in July, but the department postponed them for a year and said it would appointment a new rulemaking committee to rewrite the entire regulation. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wanted more time for the committee work on its revisions.

Operators of debt relief companies agree to settle FTC charges

Five operators of a student loan debt relief scam have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they bilked millions from consumers by falsely claiming to enroll consumers in loan forgiveness programs, costing up to $1,000 in illegal upfront fees.

The settlements are with the following individual defendants and their companies:

• Benjamin Naderi, Alliance Document Preparation
• Shawn Gabbaie, SBB Holdings
• Avinidav Rubeni, United Legal Center
• Ramiar Reuveni, Grads Doc Prep
• Farzan Azinkhan
• Michael Ratliff

The commission obtained default judgments against two more corporate defendants, Elite Doc Prep and Elite Consulting Service.

Baby boomers discuss life’s challenges and pleasures

Ah, sunny California. I just returned from a few days in Sacramento to attend a play in which my granddaughter had one of the starring parts in “Much Ado About Nothing.”

I had a terrific time. The teens are members of the Young Professionals Conservancy, which is part of the Sacramento Theater Company’s School of the Arts. Rachel played Signora Leonata, a respected, well-to-do, elderly noble at whose home, in Messina, Italy, the action is set. As governor of Messina, she is second in social power only to Don Pedro, an important nobleman from Aragon. Leonata oversees romantic high jinx between her daughter and niece and Pedro’s family and soldiers.

I’m amazed at the talent of these young performers to bring Shakespeare alive.

Meanwhile, baby boomer bloggers are writing about life’s challenges and pleasures. Their articles include:

Nine student loan debt relief companies are being sued for scam

A lawsuit filed Thursday against nine student loan debt relief companies, their financing company, and two leaders in several of the companies alleges that the defendants illegally advertise, sell, and finance student debt relief services to thousands of consumers nationwide. 

It  alleges that defendants  claim to be affiliated with the federal government, make misrepresentations to induce consumers to enroll in their services, and charge consumers illegal upfront fees and/or high interest rates. The defendants usually charge a consumer more than $1,000 for their services, which are available for free through the federal government or the consumer’s student loan servicer.

“New Yorkers are already struggling under a mountain of student loan debt,” said Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood “These companies sought to line their own pockets by taking advantage of students who were simply trying to pay for their education.”

Court rules that delayed student protections could take effect in October

A federal judge gave the U.S. Department of Education less than 30 days on Monday to decide whether to further delay carrying out a 2016 rule designed to protect students from being ripped off by for-profit colleges. The judge was skeptical that the department would be able to issue a new delay rule that complies with the law within that time.

The judge’s ruling came in a case filed by Public Citizen and the Project on Predatory Student Lending on behalf of two former students of a for-profit college. The court also set an expedited schedule to consider an industry challenge to the 2016 rule. If no further action occurs, the 2016 protections will go into effect in early October. The judge ruled on Sept. 12 that the department didn’t comply with the law when it repeatedly delayed the 2016 rule.

“We are pleased that U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss recognizes the importance of resolving this case swiftly,” said Adam Pulver, an attorney for Public Citizen, a citizens’ advocacy organization. “Judge Moss correctly noted that this case is about delay and that ‘time is of the essence.’”

DeVos kills rule that holds for-profit schools accountable

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Education will rescind the Gainful Employment Rule, a federal regulation designed to protect students and taxpayers from predatory for-profit schools:

“With today’s announcement, the Department of Education is yet again putting the interests of predatory for-profit schools ahead of the interests of students and taxpayers,” said New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood.   

The rule protected students and taxpayers by requiring for-profit schools to meet student outcome benchmarks in order to qualify for federal funds. 

“The Department’s plan to rescind the Gainful Employment Rule removes this important accountability standard, easing the way for unscrupulous for-profit schools to rake in billions of dollars in federal funding, while providing poor-quality programs that leave graduates with insurmountable debt,” Underwood said. "Rescinding the rule is a derogation of the Department’s duty to protect students from exploitation and taxpayers from the waste of federal funds.”

Eighteen attorneys general filed a lawsuit last year against the department challenging its unlawful delay of the Gainful Employment Rule.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How to buy safer back-to-school supplies for kids

It’s time for back-to-school shopping. Many parents and teachers buying school supplies look for a “non-toxic” label on the products. However, many products don’t have that label. U.S. PIRG Education Fund is releasing a guide that advises consumers which products are actually non-toxic and which to avoid.

"This fall, parents and teachers can use our safe shopping guide to help them purchase school supplies,” said Dev Gowda, campaign director for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Campaign for Toxic-Free Products. “We should feel safe knowing we’re sending our kids off to school with supplies that don’t contain toxic chemicals.”

U.S. PIRG Education Fund tested dozens of school supplies including markers, crayons, dry erase markers, glue, 3-ring binders, spiral notebooks, lunchboxes, and water bottles. It found several supplies containing asbestos, lead, benzene, and other dangerous chemicals. The “School Supplies Safe Shopping Guide” warns consumers about those products, and offers suggestions for safer alternatives.

Are you ready for back-to-school shopping?

It’s hard to believe, but August is almost here, and soon kids will be headed back to school.

To help parents save money, WalletHub, a personal-finance website, has released the results of its “2018 Back-to-School Shopping Survey” and “Sales-Tax Holiday Calendar” to help parents save hundreds.

Highlights of the reports include: