The Department of Education (Education) and its contracted loan servicers provide a range of information to borrowers about their federal Direct Loans for higher education, such as repayment plans and procedures, but some borrowers GAO interviewed reported difficulties with contacting servicers through their call centers. Borrowers noted similar concerns in Education's 2014 and 2015 customer satisfaction surveys, and Education identified servicers' call center hours as a key item needing improvement. Education officials said they have no minimum standard for call center hours and each servicer sets its own. As a result, some borrowers have limited access to assistance. For example, a borrower on the West Coast may have an East Coast servicer whose call center hours end at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time (see figure below). A federal taskforce on student loan servicing recommends minimum requirements for effective customer service. Unless Education establishes a minimum standard for call center hours to improve access and align with its strategic goal of providing superior customer service, some borrowers will have difficulty obtaining information to manage their loans, and be more at risk for delinquency or default. More...

By Miles Brignall. A woman who was told in 2010 that she had paid off her student loan in full has become the latest person to fall foul of the “shambolic” Student Loans Company. Six years after apparently making her final repayment the government-owned organisation has, out of the blue, claimed that Louise Winmill still owes £1,112 – plus interest. More...

By Student finance. This year I finally managed to clear my student loan that had been hanging over my head for 12 years. More...