Consumer complaint received 2018-01-17
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC (NY)

Due to confusing communications from two of XXXX XXXX XXXX 's divisions, known as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) & Heartland XXXX, respectively, about which entity I should make loan payments to, I have unfairly experienced a blow to my FICO score that will affect me for years to come. 

Since XXXX graduation ( and again after law school ), I have had student loans serviced by XXXX. I have had a perfect, consistent record of paying the amounts due in full and on time. In approximately XX/XX/XXXXor XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX informed me that all my student loans serviced by XXXX would be thereafter serviced by " Heartland XXXX '' and all further payments should go to that entity. This impression was reinforced by confusing assertions on XXXX 's website ( XXXX ), which contained a prominent link to Heartland XXXX ( www.heartland.XXXX ) with the text " All of your Heartland XXXX accounts and transactions can be viewed in one place '' [ see attachment ECSI Screenshot 1 XXXX ]. On XXXX Heartland 's website ( http : //www.heartland.XXXX ), it says prominently " One Profile. All Your Accounts. '' [ See attachment XXXX Heartland Screenshot XXXX ] Following the link from XXXX 's website to Heartland XXXX 's website strongly suggested that Heartland XXXX 's website would contain all of a borrower 's accounts. Finally, the copyright notice at the bottom of XXXX 's website says " ( C ) XX/XX/XXXXHeartland XXXX, '' further implying that these are one and the same entity. These confusing communications continue even today. 

This turned out not to be true : inXX/XX/XXXX, I received a delinquency notice from XXXX for missed loan payments. [ See attachment XXXX StatementXX/XX/XXXX ] I immediately made the necessary payment to bring my loans current. Thereafter, I checked my credit report with XXXX and XXXX and found that I had lost approximately XXXX points on my FICO score due to delinquency for laughably small unpaid amounts of {$27.00} and {$40.00}. 

When I called XXXX customer service to explain what had happened and to request they remove the delinquency reports, the representative on the phone informed me that if I had not brought my loan current and instead requested a back-dated forbearance, they could have removed the delinquency reports. The representative further advised me that, since I had already brought my loans current, no forbearance could be granted and they could not remove the delinquency reports. 

As a borrower, it is not my job to work out a loan servicer 's complicated structure of parent companies, subsidiary companies, and divisions. I believe it is fair to ask for clear and unambiguous payment procedures, communications, and website copy. 

Due to XXXX/Heartland XXXX 's confusing communications, I  experienced a preciptous and unnecessary drop in my credit score which will impact me for years to come. I was and am perfectly willing and able to make my loan payments on time and am outraged to have received such a drastic punishment for XXXX/Heartland XXXX 's failure to effectively communicate proper payment procedures. The amounts that became delinquent are vanishingly small and I call on XXXX XXXX XXXX ( the company of which XXXX/Heartland XXXX are divisions ) to resolve this situation fairly.