Consumer complaint received 2022-03-04
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: AES/PHEAA (NY)

I am being illegitimately billed for my federal student loan when it's eligible for the federal student loan pause. American Education Services ( AES XXXX XXXX Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency ( PHEAA ) hasn't adjusted my account to reflect that. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, my AES account showed that I didnt have a current payment due, it also shows my account has a past due bill for the {$320.00} I was illegitimately billed for in XX/XX/XXXX. Then I received an illegitimate bill on XXXX bringing the total due to {$650.00}. 

PHEAA/AES only services my federal student loan and doesnt not own my federal student loan. AES even acknowledged that in the attached American Education Services letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, AES clearly knew that I have a Federal Family Education Loan Program ( FFEL ) loan serviced by American Education Services/PHEAA . AES/PHEAA and contacted me last month to notify me of my Public Service Loan Forgiveness ineligibility since I have never been nor am I currently a public service employee. In the letter, you also see that because I have a Federal Family Education Loan Program ( FFEL ) loan AES suggested that I visit the PSLF Tool at XXXX : XXXX to see if I can take advantage of the limited waiver. BECAUSE I HAVE A FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN THAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL PROGRAMS. As I stated several times in my previous emails to AES ( see here for previous emails I sent to AES : XXXX : XXXX ), I applied for my student loan through FAFSA ( Free Application for Federal Student Aid ) in XXXX, graduated in XXXX, and American Education Services XXXX PHEAA started servicing my federal student loan in XXXX as seen in the attached letter from AES dated XX/XX/XXXX XXXX After my deferment expired on XX/XX/XXXX, on XX/XX/XXXX I received a surprise bill for my federal student loan for {$320.00} with a XX/XX/XXXX due date despite me being eligible for the federal student loan pause expiring in XX/XX/XXXX. Normally before my deferment or forbearance ends, AES/PHEAA send me a letter in my AES online account inbox AND in the mail to notify me about the deferment or forbearance end date and about my upcoming bill plus usually how much it will be afterwards. I received the attached letter dated XX/XX/XXXX from AES/PHEAA before my deferment was ending and the only mention of the bill amount but it does state the following : Why We Are Contacting You To remind you that the deferment on your loans will soon expire. 

What This Means To You Your loans listed below will be due for payments within 60 days of the deferment end date. 

Since my deferment ended on XX/XX/XXXX that means if there was no federal student loan pause my first bill after deferment would have been due XX/XX/XXXX not XX/XX/XXXX. Regardless, I should have no bill due until after XX/XX/XXXX if and when the federal student loan pause is lifted. I have a Federal Family Education Loan Program student loan serviced by American Education Services/PHEAA . According the attached screenshot below of the studentaid.gov site, my Federal Family Education Loan Program is eligible for the federal student loan pause expiring XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX also states some FFEL Program and HEAL loans are held by commercial lenders. XXXX a direct link to page with the listed eligible loans : https : XXXX I contacted AES/PHEAA executives, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX & XXXX XXXX, about the matter several times since XX/XX/XXXX yet they continue to allow XXXX crime ring to play games with my account. In the attached screenshot of the email I received from an AES XXXX, XXXX ( NMLS # XXXX ), on XX/XX/XXXX. She clearly didnt review my account thoroughly and is contacting me on behalf of XXXX crime ring ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX & XXXX XXXX Makeup XXXX XXXX aka @ modernmarv_, etc ). XXXX ( XXXX # XXXX ) acknowledges in her email that the Federal Family Education Loan Program is eligible for the federal student loan pause. She just fails to acknowledge that it is the type of loan I have. Furthermore, XXXX stresses that American Education Services only services bank-owned loans which is impossible because again I have never taken a bank-owned loan out in my life yet. It should be noted that American Education Services website contradicts XXXX email and states the following which can also be seen in the attached screenshot : American Education Services ( AES ) was established by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency ( PHEAA ) to guarantee and service a variety of Federal Family Education Loan Program ( FFELP ) and private ( alternative ) student loan products for our lending partners throughout the nation. 

Heres a link to the statement on their site : XXXX : XXXX Then on XX/XX/XXXX, I received the attached email message from Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX American Education Services XXXX AES ) stating in short that there was an investigation underway but I wasnt given a timeline for when the investigation would be completed. Also, the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office is being mentioned in the letter addressed to me when Ive never been a resident of Massachusetts, I live in New York, the U.S. Department of Education is based in Washington, XXXX, I attended college at XXXX XXXX in Pennsylvania, and PHEAA/AES is based in Pennsylvania. 

I have proven repeatedly in my numerous emails to AES/PHEAA that includes correspondence from AES stating XXXX have a federal student loan that I have a federal student loan eligible for the pause which should be info that is readily available to AES/PHEAA. I contacted AES/PHEAA to ensure that if the investigation unnecessarily passes the XX/XX/XXXX due date for the illegitimate {$320.00} bill I received from AES on XX/XX/XXXX that my account is not reported to the credit bureaus as delinquent as this matter is the wrongdoing of PHEAA/AES not mine. It is clear I have a Federal Family Education Loan Program student loan and it is clear my federal student loan is eligible for the Federal Student Loan Pause expiring XX/XX/XXXX. Yet, my AES account has yet to be corrected and I continue to receive bogus calls and correspondence from AES on behalf of XXXX  crime ring.