Consumer complaint received 2016-08-10
Company: GREAT LAKES
State: IL
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Can't repay my loan
Sub-issue: Can't get flexible payment options

Complaint:
I received a letter from XXXX XXXX, in response to my letter to the XXXX. I am contacting you again because of the concerns I have with the interest rates on federal student loans. I am currently on the IBR plan with the government lender Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX, however ; I do not understand how my interest rates are so high considering these are federal loans. I have been paying my loans for the past 3 years on the IBR plan at $ XXXX/month, however ; because the large debt I have and the ridiculously high interest rates my loans continue to go up close to $ XXXX/month. It makes no sense to me to " help '' students by placing them into the IBR plan, yet continue to tack on over {$1200.00} in interest a month which exceeds my monthly payment. I ca n't afford to make the full $ XXXX/month payment, so yes the IBR plan is the best option for me at this time but from my understanding it 's supposed to be helping not hurting me in the long run. I originally took about {$160000.00} for my XXXX in 2012, and over the past 4 years while continuing to make payments my loans are at {$200000.00}. How does anyone in our government think this is even ok to be doing to people such as myself. You are making money off of borrowers in the most unethical way possible. The mortgage companies are giving loans to borrowers at a 3 % interest rate, but yet I am still being pounded with a 6.8 % interest rate. We continuously hear that the government is doing everything they can to help people drowning in debt, but we have yet to see anything like that. Again dropping the interest rates would help significantly. XXXX, a private lender, has a program called the interest rate reduction program that dropped my interest rates from 7.5 % to 3 %. I have been told that XXXX determines the interest rates on federal student loans, and if XXXX is all for helping people like myself how have they not done something about the interest rates for people that are paying their loans? Dropping the interest rate from 6.8 % to something around 3 % would help my family and I significantly. If my monthly payment of {$870.00} either went towards the principal or even STOPPED the monthly interest and placed my loans at a standstill this would help myself and probably a majority of the borrowers across the country who drowning in debt as well. Again I know the IBR plan is helping me now, but what happens 25 years from now when my loans have increased to {$400000.00} and I get taxed on that. I will owe close to {$70000.00} in taxes even after paying {$250000.00} over the 25 years. The government will be making {$150000.00} off of me alone, at this point I am better off quitting my job and continuing to stay on the IBR plan and only owe the {$70000.00} at the end. You give people like me no incentive to go out and become successful because it would be easier to sit at home and not pay a dime to their loans. I was not raised like that and have been driven to become successful, so why not help those that are doing something about it? XXXX thing we can all agree on is the student debt crisis is out of control, and only XXXX has the power to help not only those entering college but also people like me trying to dig themselves out of the debt. So please I ask you to take this letter seriously and do something to help.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation