Consumer complaint received 2017-07-19
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: MN
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Private student loan debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
I co-signed on a  XXXX  educational loan for my ex-wife when we were still married. After our divorce, per our mutual agreement, she continued to make payments to Wells Fargo on that debt. I believe they had it set up as   XXXX   accounts. Around    XX/XX/XXXX   , due to a move she made and a   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX  , she fell behind on payments and did n't immediately realize her loans were past due. In   XX/XX/XXXX  , she was attempting to work with Wells Fargo to get the loans reinstated so she could bring the accounts to good standing. She did n't have any luck with that, despite her circumstances ( I believe they would only accept full payment ). I too was unable to make a full payment at that time. She later attempted to have the loans forgiven due to her   XXXX   and   XXXX   XXXX   and her inability to work, but they did not grant that request either, despite the statements on their website that mention forgiveness in those circumstances. My ex-wife  XXXX  last year in    XX/XX/XXXX   .
For my personal experience with this matter, I received no notification from Wells Fargo that the  XXXX  loan had been delinquent, sent to collections, or charged off until I saw a notation in my credit report and received a call from them in   XX/XX/XXXX  , ( and this was despite the fact that I had a different account with them, since they carried my mortgage at the time ). By the time I receive the very first notification of this matter when they called, they had already sent a negative notification on me to the credit reporting agencies, which negatively impacted my credit report and credit score. Because of it, I had a very difficult time getting a bank approval for a new home we purchased.
In   XX/XX/XXXX ,  I attempted to contact Wells Fargo by sending them a certified letter ( attached ) requesting that I would pay the outstanding balance in full, if they would agree to withdraw the negative report on my credit record. I received no acknowledgement from them regarding that letter. Since they made no attempt to contact me to avoid this situation in the beginning, and they made no attempt to resolve it after my offer, and the negative report was already out there, I had little incentive at that point to make any payments on this debt. ( Additional detail : Based on my credit report, it appears that the one account became delinquent in   XX/XX/XXXX  , sent to collections in   XX/XX/XXXX  , and charged off as of    XX/XX/XXXX   . The other shows delinquent as of    XX/XX/XXXX   , to collections as of   XX/XX/XXXX , and  charged off as of     XX/XX/XXXX . )  If I were financially able to take care of this debt now and make a total payment as they request, I would do so. But, because I am now a  XXXX  veteran (   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   rating ) and I can not work, I do not have income from a job and my VA benefit must go towards living expenses.
( If needed, I also have a copy of a letter that my ex-wife had drafted back in   XX/XX/XXXX  , explaining how this situation arose and what she had done up to that point to try to resolve it. )

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief