Consumer complaint received 2024-10-22
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: MOHELA (NY)

I have several problems with Navient. First, Ive been paying {$500.00} a month for years and my balance has only gone down about {$1000.00}. Second during XXXX when everyone elses federal student loans were deferred, Navient refused to defer my federal loans stating they were private. I also asked why I was still Accruing interest and I was told My loans were private. I argued with them stating, I have all of my federal loan paperwork from XXXX through the present. Nowhere does it state these are private loans. I was not informed until years later that Navient decided they no longer wanted to participate as a federal loan provider and privatized everyones loans. 

My original loan documents state my loans are all federal loans, so they should have been deferred during XXXX. But Navient refused to defer loans, and continued to charge interest, stating that my loans were private. I did not know I could transfer my loans from Navient to somewhere else at the time. However, when I looked up my account on the Navient website, my student loans were listed as federal student loans. But when I called Navient insisted they were private loans. 

During XXXX when everyone else had their student loans deferred, and interest accrual was halted, I was told I was not eligible for this. So to I continued to pay {$500.00} a month and did not see any savings from President Bidens deferral program.

My second complaint So I was not informed that Navient became a private company. US government transferred my loans to them after I finished my default repayment program. When this happened. Whenever I tried to get any answers from Navient, the customer service rep would hang up on me. Or would dismiss my claims. Or have some kind of deceptive tactic. I was told I could only repay the loan. I was not eligible for deferment. I was not eligible for forbearance.

After meeting with a lawyer who specializes in student loans, I was told that Navient was a private company. Which Navient never informed me of. And the lawyer suggested I transfer my loans back to the department of education. Im not really sure why my loans were given to a private company. Im not sure why they arent classified as federal loans even though my original loan documentation state clearly states their federal loans. 

After years of enduring their deception, I was finally able to transfer my loans back to the department of education. 

As my loans were not private, ( they are XXXX XXXX XXXX  ) is it possible to reclaim all the interest paid during the Covid deferment program. According to what I have read, under the Biden student loan deferment program, they should have not acquired any interest. And they should have been automatically deferred. 

Also, can someone please explain how my federal student loans, were anllowed to be privatized by Navient without any notification? This is a deceptive practice- and cost me thousands of dollars over the last five years. I should have been notified that my loans were being privatized, and were not protected by the Department of education. I should have been given the option to transfer my student loans back to the department of education.

Also. When I finished my default repayment program. I shouldve been notified that Navient was going to change the status of my loans from public to private. I never wouldve agreed to that.

Thank you for any help you may provide