Consumer complaint received 2019-10-24
Product: Student loan — Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Don't agree with the fees charged
Company: SIMM Associates, Inc. (CA)

I am currently a " XXXX and XXXX '' XXXX veteran who has had my federal student loans discharged ; however, I am experiencing severe credit problems and financial difficulty due to predatory private student loans taken out prior to XXXX. I have been unsuccessful in trying to verify who my current servicer/ the " owner '' of these loans is, but have been lead to believe that I owe XXXX XXXX XXXX and their current collection agency, SIMM ASSOCIATES {$110.00}, XXXX ( according to my XXXX XXXX app ) with ever increasing interest since XX/XX/XXXX. I have not been able to contact XXXX XXXX XXXX directly due to them not having contact information available to the public. The only written correspondence I have received was regarding a threatened lawsuit if I refused to pay their collection agency. I have sent my VA letter verifying my XXXX and XXXX XXXX to SIMM ASSOCIATES which also states that I have a very limited income and that I am prevented from working due to my XXXX ( I have no taxable income ). I have repeatedly called the collection agency to find out who my current servicer of these student loans is, but they continue to fail to give me a direct answer. They told me XXXX XXXX XXXX, but after talking to them, I do not have a balance with that company. Then I was told that XXXX XXXX XXXX owns them, but I am unable to verify this. In addition, I was told that my private student loans " never go away '' by customer service at SIMM ASSOCIATES, and that the only way to stop the ever increasing interest and repair my credit was to pay over $ 2,000XXXX month or settle my balance by paying at least {$70000.00} ( my disability checks are only about {$3100.00} in XXXX XXXX XXXX County , CA ( XXXX ). I have updated my contact information with SIMM ASSOCIATES and requested that my account manager, XXXX XXXX return my phone calls, but have received neither written nor phone correspondence from them. I am unmarried, and the original co-signer of these private loans, my father XXXX XXXX died in XX/XX/XXXX. In addition, I have a copy of his will, which specifically states that even though I was his only child, I had no legal right to his estate. Basically, I'm on my own financially trying to deal with this. Besides negatively impacting my credit, I have been denied housing and VA- backed home loans, SIMM ASSOCIATES has threatened to repossess my ex-husband 's vehicle that I co-signed on, and my mental health has deteriorated significantly ( my XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX are mental-health related, which prevent me from working ). I was recently hospitalized from XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX at a VA  hospital in XXXX , AZ for XXXX XXXX problems, including stress related to potential bankruptcy, student loan debt and reduced income following my divorce in early XXXX, which the VA has documented. When XXXX " XXXX XXXX XXXX, '' I came across lots of information regarding fraudulent collections and contact information for attorneys for victims such as myself who have been paying on these loans without any proof that XXXX actually has the legal right to collect on these debts. As previously stated, I have a very limited income and it will cause further debt and financial/ credit problems and emotional detriment if I am forced to get a lawyer regarding these issues. Please help!!!