Consumer complaint received 2021-03-01
Product: Student loan — Private student loan
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Can't temporarily delay making payments
Company: SLM CORPORATION (NY)

I am writing regarding me being cosigned on a private student Sallie Mae loan, but the primary borrower is someone else. The loan adds to XXXX dollars from a XXXX loan with 11 % interest variable and another with a fixed 3.5 % all done without me truly looking at this, until I started calling the company for details because they said I was allowed to review the loan which I thought I could not do. The borrower is XXXX XXXX. The borrower had been living with me for almost a year. 

The college was assisting her with the loans. Supposedly, a big mistake was made here. I never really understood student loans or lending practices. The borrower said she was applying for a loan, presented Sallie Mae as a federal loan. What I have been reading about this company, it says they handle Federal loans. But they keep sending mail to my place and she is no where to be found. 

The borrower was never straight forward with me about this loan but required an address for her to receive mail. Neither was XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, a for profit making college in the city of New York. The borrower was staying with me in my parents home during the year XXXX, the year my father 's health declined with almost a full year of hospitalization back and forth affecting us during the XXXX Season of that year. I spent most of the time in the hospital and the borrower was home, sometimes by themselves. I felt Sallie Mae was asking to many questions about finances about me for someone else taking a loan. Now, I never applied for this loan or placed a physical signature on any document. My understanding with the borrower was, the address was for her to have the bills sent, not for me to be responsible for the loans because I was not the student. XXXX understood this very clearly. 

With all my personal family issues affected the relationship between borrower and myself. She eventually left to move into a college dorm due to my emotional distress. Supposedly, my address was needed for her to receive statements from Sallie Mae, which led me to believe they were Federal Loans that is all.

From the beginning, I did not personally feel right about the cosigner issue, first I did not understand why a student loan needed a cosigner, if bankruptcy was not applicable to student loans and because my job at the time was in jeopardy, she told me she needed money to cover the cost or else she could not continue college. Meanwhile, I was under the impression that Sallie Mae was a government servicer. I said please go for the government loan without cosigner because I can not respond, please, to resolve this issue. I do not want to be tied to this loan, perhaps decline the money if other parties are subject to payment. 


The borrower themselves, had a multitude of health problems, all related to her XXXX  from a XXXX years ago, and other issues requiring she take iron infusion, she was under a lot of pressure to finish college on the grounds and I quote " I am eventually going XXXX '' I need to get my XXXX XXXX because she always wanted to be an Art Teacher, between my father and this situation, I am on under an emotional chokehold. She was an older graduate in her 40s came out in a local newspaper back in Alabama, she survived Hurricane Katrina, graduated from XXXX XXXX XXXX, in Alabama, onto an Art School in XXXX XXXX  XXXX, where I worked. 

She graduated with honors, was now living at the dorm during the summer of 2019, and that summer Sallie Mae started sending letters that the actual process of payment begins on XX/XX/2019, I told her what she will do. She was responsive answered emails and calls, said, she is reviewing her options to get me off the loan by either refinancing or consolidation of all her loans because a huge mistake was made here, if she is guilty of it. Her eyes started bothering her, frequent headaches and so on, she did not know whether she can obtain employment, live in XXXX so went back to Alabama for better weather for her eyes. Emails and calls continued. 

I even called Sallie Mae on her behalf they offered a XXXX form and if she can get the doctors to provide the documents, they were willing to review and provide a waiver and I am no longer obligated, as told to me by Sallie Mae, if the borrower dies or becomes permanently XXXX cosigners fall off. Around XXXX and XXXX, the correspondence started to decline. I asked the representatives at Sallie Mae, if they are a government loan, they never responded with a clear answer. 

She kept saying I am working on it, she did not want to originally go on forbearance because of accruing interests, I agreed, but she said that maybe she should and forbearance was first granted from XXXX until XXXX XXXX, when suddenly I needed to be in isolation by the standards of my new job, because I live with vulnerable elderly parents. 

By this time, my father was XXXX confined to a XXXX  and on dialysis. My dad is a veteran. When President Trump suspended payments on student loans with no interest, I said that provides relief, but Sallie Mae sends a bill, I obviously can not respond to this, from where, so she was informed by me, no response, after, she was taking care of it was the last response. 

When I delivered the last official message, she had been at the XXXX  XXXX and she sent me a scan and I did see her name about what was found in both her eyes. So, these emails were cordial and respectful, at least I want to believe, but when we all went into isolation I kept emailing until the emails were no longer deliverable. 

I called Sallie Mae to inquire whether they have heard from her, the answer was no, I have been the one calling, they provided me a phone number for her, but it no longer was functioning number. 

She ran a credit bill without my consent, for medical eye supplies, I tolerated this for a total of XXXX I had to close this. 

She has always said you wont pay for it meaning me so don't worry about this, I will take care of this. I have email correspondences and texts that verify she was working on this to resolve the issue, telling me she was responsible and honorable. 


But she continued to say her school was not covering the cost and along comes Sallie Mae, I thought that was government, mind you too much is already on my mind, my father and my job constantly telling us we may lose our employment, I did not believe until we were all laid off. 

These texts are on my XXXX and some old emails. Finally when contact slipped I called Sallie Mae taking it to the complaints department to even a fraud department, which involved a police report, making the case serious, but I do not know her whereabouts or what happened to her, if something did happen. Its a tough one The relationship I have with the borrower was one which has extended for about 20 years, today does not exist, I don't know what happened to her. The last message was " this will be taken care of '' If its true that supposedly I am also responsible for payment against my will, then Sallie Mae approved a loan knowing that I had a large Federal Student Loan, plus about to lose a job. Turns out XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX contacted the borrower through mails sent to me. This seems to be another loan that is 159 days past due, I have those letters. I even sent the letter via email but no response. 

The borrower assured me they would handle this by consolidation or refinance, upon them graduating which they did in 2019. Sallie Mae now wanted payments, supposedly the borrower had health issues and may not be able to work. I did send the documents to a church she attended for Sallie Mae before COVID 19, but she was no longer a part of the congregation.

COVID-19 hits a week later and the borrower is nowhere to be found and Sallie Mae does not seem to comprehend this in the beginning, so I have no choice but to put this loan on forbearance, they gave a COVID-19 forbearance, its all I can do because they said I could do this as a cosigner, but I reject this because I never applied for a Sallie Mae Loan with signature. I let them know and they remain silent. Now, i feel the representation of this company is secretive and no longer feel comfortable in communicating with Sallie Mae.

The complaints office of consumer affairs was informed and an option provided here, was if I file with a local civil court this should get her attention, but if I can produce a document with a judge ruling in my favor regarding this, send Sallie Mae the document and they will honor this and remove my name from the loan. Again, I need a written statement, i receive the run around and no response or email only when they want to collect money. Also, if the loan has no borrower to be found and I dont have the option for release then its void, as I was told by the complaints department, why pay this if I can not. I just told them I'm up against the wall, I can not pay, so they have been warned by me for a whole year. Whether they care or not, I must watch out for myself now that the borrower is no where to be found.

Obviously, I reached out to borrower and no signal or even concern, so its a mystery. I can not judge where she is at or what happened. Its the end of the year, no concern about the civil issues, bankruptcy, or the 159 days behind with XXXX simply no response. 

I am supposedly cosigned according to Sallie Mae, not according to me and i can not take this extra debt upon me, it will only be fair to allow me to at least declare bankruptcy. After all no loan forgiveness is offered or other programs for these kinds of loans now that I did my research.

I just have elderly folks, one a veteran father who is XXXX and they are more important than a private student loan company from almost a nonexistent borrower is how I feel, I must be upfront here. Because this time I must put my parents first, its a moral justification, which I don't expect a bank to understand but its my family, I understand. I do not have children nor am I married. I had a brother who XXXX  at XXXX, I spend my life taking care of my parents