Know Before You Owe Private Student Loan Act of 2012

Bill: 112-hr-6273
Sponsor: Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2]
Introduced: 2012-08-02 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer affairs
Credit and credit markets
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Higher education
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2012-08-02
text: 
Know Before You Owe Private Student Loan Act of 2012 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a lender, before issuing a private education loan for a student attending an institution of higher education (IHE), to obtain the IHE's certification of: (1) the student's enrollment status, (2) the student's cost of attendance, and (3) the difference between that cost and the student's estimated financial assistance. Eliminates the requirement that such lenders obtain a self-certification form from the private education loan applicant. 
 
Allows a lender to issue such loan without a certification if there is no response from the relevant IHE within 15 business days of the lender's request for the certification. 
 
Requires private educational lenders to: (1) send loan statements to borrowers at least once every three months a student is enrolled at an IHE; (2) notify the relevant IHE, in writing, of the loan amount and the student to whom it applies no later than the date funds are issued; and (3) submit an annual report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) containing information the CFPB requires concerning private student loans.
 
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require IHEs, before providing lenders with certifications, to determine whether students have exhausted their options for title IV assistance and notify borrowers of: (1) the availability of such assistance; (2) their ability to choose their own private educational lender; (3) the impact of the proposed private education loan on their eligibility for other financial assistance; and (4) their right to accept or reject a private education loan within 30 days of the lender's approval of their application, and to cancel the loan within 3 business days of its consummation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-10-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.
action_date: 2012-09-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
action_date: 2012-08-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-08-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-08-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2012-08-02
text: Introduced in House