Since 2014, nearly 100 Idahoans have filed complaints against one of the nation’s third-largest student loan company, saying they were steered toward high-cost repayment plans.
The Idaho Statesman reported Friday on the complaints filed against Navient Corp.
“My monthly payment is way too high, and my interest rate keeps increasing. Navient will not work with me at all,” one Idaho student wrote in a complaint, as reported by Audrey Dutton of the Statesman. “I will die before this loan is ever paid off.”
Another key finding in the story: The Associated Press obtained a 2017 U.S. Education Department audit, previously unavailable to the public, which suggests Navient tried to inflate its profits by steering customers into costlier payment plans without discussing other options.
Five states have sued Navient over its practices, according to the Associated Press-Statesman report.
Navient disputed the audit’s conclusions.
“This (audit), when viewed as a whole, as well as dozens of other audits and reviews, show that Navient overwhelmingly performs in accordance with program rules while consistently helping borrowers choose the right options for their circumstances,” company spokesman Paul Hartwick, said in the Associated Press-Statesman report.