Consumer complaint received 2019-05-25
Company: TRANSWORLD SYSTEMS INC
State: MN
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Getting a loan
Sub-issue: Fraudulent loan

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX I was attending school at XXXX Community College in XXXX, MN. I was having a financially tough year so I asked a co-signor to help me take out a private loan while I was attending school. I received the loan in the spring of XX/XX/XXXX in the amount of {$20000.00}, initially from XXXX XXXX XXXX, and then sold to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Later that year I had to drop out of school due to a medical condition and I struggled the next few years to keep up on payments after my loan came out of deferment.

Over the course of a few years we were harassed by TransWorld collections and a couple other collection agencies as they changed hands. They demanded that we pay {$2500.00} down and $ XXXX monthly payments. I was a single mother of XXXX children at that time and made barely minimum wage and couldn't even afford to make ends meet regardless of this loan, so they began harassing my co-signor. We were unable to compromise with the company as they refused to take anything less than what was stated above even though we offered to pay what we could.

In XX/XX/XXXX we were served with paperwork that we were being sued. Not being experienced with this or financially able to hire an attorney, we had no clue what we were facing at court and just showed up. We lost and were socked with a judgment in the amount of {$36000.00}. Over the past 5 years we have been paying on the loan faithfully and have gotten the loan amount down to {$34000.00} and some change. I felt at that we would never get out from under this loan and they judgment meant we would never be able to own property until that loan was paid off. I wanted to get some answers as to how a loan almost doubled in the course of 5 years and what our options were to take care of this as quickly as possible. It just didn't feel right.

The summons that is currently on file with the courts states that we owed {$29000.00} in principal amount and over {$6000.00} in interest. I have asked the collection agency that we make our payments to if I could see the Master Promissory Note or original loan documents and they sent me a copy of the judgment. I called back and said that is not what I asked for and they state that they do not have either the MPN or original loan documents and didn't know who to ask.

Next I called around and was told to ask the school I was attending if they could find that information. I called XXXX  and they said the only loan information they had for me was Federal loans and not for that time period. I called XXXX  ( where we make our payments ) and asked them what school they had on file for that loan and they stated is was made out of XXXX XXXX   College. The only time I attended XXXX was in XX/XX/XXXX to get my XXXX licensure. I called the school anyway and they said they never certified a loan for me in that year, and for that matter they never would have certified a $ XXXX loan for a years schooling, and even today their max loan amount for yearly tuition is $ XXXX.

I was then given the tip to try the courthouse and they may have original loan paperwork on file. I went to the district courthouse where the judgement was filed and began the process of looking through the file.

The first thing I saw was an Affidavit of Lost Summons and Complaint. The file states that the Summons and Complaint that was served on myself and my co-signor was lost and the Plaintiff 's staff had exhausted their search for the original paperwork. There was also supposed to be a copy of the original loan documents as exhibit A which is also missing.

I have been advised that XXXX is under scrutiny for these same practices that I described above in my case, and that all student loans made under XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX during a certain time period are to be audited for accuracy. Knowing this company is under a class action lawsuit for faulty and missing paperwork I would like my file reviewed as well. I believe the collection practices of this company were such as to not give us the opportunity to pay and force us into lawsuit and ultimately judgement. The pretenses of this loan were made in ill faith and I believe were predatory in nature.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation