Consumer complaint received 2024-04-07
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Account information incorrect
Company: EdFinancial Services (TX)

As of XXXX, XXXX, I was in possession of three XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( Parent loans ) serviced by EdFinancial Services ( XXXX ), totaling {$67000.00}. These loans were each used to fund my daughters college tuition at XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX  from XXXX to XXXX. 

In XXXX, XXXX, I purchased a home that included a new mortgage agreement. Within the agreement, the Mortgage company agreed to submit a check on my behalf to pay off the remaining balance on all three of my Parent loans. The Mortgage company placed the funds for my loans in an escrow account, and a check was posted on my behalf to EdFinanciaXXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I have attached a copy of the check as Exhibit 1. At that time, EdFinancial announced that it was transitioning to a new loan servicing platform, and would not provide me with my loan account number beyond the last four digits of the account. As a result, the check ( Exhibit 1 ) included my personal information, including my name, address, and the remaining loan balance, but did not include my full loan account number itself. I have attached a copy of EdFinancials notice of their transition as Exhibit 2. I received an email confirmation from the Mortgage Company that the check was cashed by EdFinancial on XX/XX/XXXX. I have attached a copy of the confirmation email as Exhibit 3.

For three months, I received no indication from EdFinancial that my payment from Exhibit 1 was successfully processed and applied to my Parent Loans. In XXXX, XXXX, my daughter informed me that she received a letter from EdFinancial that her personal student loans were incorrectly paid in full. I have attached EdFinancials letter as Exhibit 4. Separate from my Parent Loans, my daughter also possessed her own Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Student Loans ( Student Loans ) for her college tuition, totaling {$26000.00} before interest. Rather than correctly applying the payment from Exhibit 1 to my Parent Loans, EdFinancial wrongfully applied my payment to my daughters Student loans. In doing so, EdFinancial altered my daughters account information without her consent, so that her home address matched my current home address listed in Exhibit 1. Due to Edfinancials mistake, my parent loans have continued to accrue interest, while my daughters Student loans now reflect a negative balance, eligible for refund, of {$45000.00}. 

Since my daughter and I discovered EdFinancials mistake, we have each repeatedly contacted EdFinancials customer service team to resolve the issue. That month, I submitted formal inquiries through EdFinancials online portal informing them of their mistake in crediting my daughters account with payments that were clearly marked for my Parent loans. However, I received no indication that a correction had been made to my account. On XX/XX/XXXX, my daughter contacted EdFinancials customer support staff by phone, and was promised by EdFinancial that they would resolve the payment error on their end within 60 days. In a separate call with myself, my daughter, and EdFinancials customer support staff in XXXX, XXXX, EdFinancial again promised they would ( 1 ) fix the mistake with my Parent loans and my daughters Student loans with their financial department, and ( 2 ) not charge me for any interest accrued as a result of their mistake. Yet, in XXXX, XXXX, my daughter received an email from EdFinancial Services acknowledging the payment meant for my Parent loans, while failing to remove the {$45000.00} refund balance from my daughters Student loans. I have attached a copy of the email as Exhibit 5. In XXXX, XXXX, my daughter and I both received tax forms from EdFinancial that continue to show incorrect balances for each of our loans. I have attached a copy of the balance on my Parent loans as of XX/XX/XXXX as Exhibit 6.