Consumer complaint received 2026-04-20 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Can't temporarily delay making payments
Company: Maximus Federal Services, Inc.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
This complaint raises new legal issues not addressed in my two prior CFPB complaints against Aidvantage ( ID XXXX and ID XXXX ), both of which were closed without resolution. This complaint presents documentary evidence and procedural failures that the prior complaints did not properly raise. I am also a veteran of the Georgia XXXX XXXX XXXX, and I request this complaint be reviewed with the additional considerations applicable to servicemember and veteran borrowers. ISSUE 1 RETROACTIVE FORBEARANCE CONTRADICTS THE DELINQUENCY REPORTING : On XX/XX/XXXX, Aidvantage approved a RETROACTIVE FORBEARANCE on my four federal XXXX XXXX XXXX covering the period from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. This is confirmed in the Forbearance Approval Notice dated XX/XX/XXXX ( attached ). The notice explicitly states : " Your forbearance has been approved from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX '' and identifies this as a " Retroactive Forbearance. '' In Aidvantage 's response to my prior complaint ( ID XXXX ) dated XX/XX/XXXX, they confirmed : " On XX/XX/XXXX, your loans were brought current with a forbearance from 137 days past due. '' Counting 137 days back from XX/XX/XXXX places the delinquency start at approximately XX/XX/XXXX. Therefore, the ENTIRE reported delinquency period ( approximately XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ) falls ENTIRELY WITHIN the approved retroactive forbearance period ( XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ). Despite this, Aidvantage reported a 90-day delinquency to XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX on four separate loan tranches. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ), furnishers must report accurate and complete information. Once Aidvantage granted a retroactive forbearance officially changing the historical status of that period to " approved forbearance, '' continuing to report a 90-day delinquency during that same period is inaccurate and incomplete reporting. Aidvantage 's own Forbearance Approval Notice attempts to preempt this argument by stating the retroactive forbearance " doesn't remove the accurate reporting of previous delinquencies. '' This is Aidvantage 's internal policy position, not federal law. The FCRA requires furnishers to update reports to reflect the accurate status of the account. ISSUE 2 AIDVANTAGE FAILED TO VERIFY CURRENT CONTACT INFORMATION BEFORE NEGATIVE REPORTING : Before the delinquency period began in XX/XX/XXXX, my contact situation was as follows : - I had moved from XXXX, Florida to XXXX, Florida. The mailing address Aidvantage had on file ( XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, FL ) was a home I never lived at it belonged to my parents. During the relevant period, my parents then sold that home and moved elsewhere, meaning Aidvantage 's physical mailings were going to a property with no connection to me or my family whatsoever. - I had lost access to the email address Aidvantage had on file. An " email did not bounce '' status is not evidence that a borrower has active access to that inbox. - While my phone number was technically the same, my phone automatically blocks spam calls and unidentified numbers as is standard default behavior on modern smartphones. Aidvantage 's calls from unidentified XXXX were auto-filtered as spam and I never saw them. I never received any monthly statements, past due notices, or phone notifications during the delinquency period from any channel. In Aidvantage 's XX/XX/XXXX CFPB response ( complaint ID XXXX ), they defended their reporting by stating : " Servicers send past due notices based on best information. If a notice is returned, the servicer must attempt to find a new address. The notices were electronically per your preferred correspondence settings. We show that the email address used is valid. We also attempted to contact you by phone. '' This defense fails on every channel : 1. Physical mail was sent to a home I never lived at, which was then sold by the actual occupants. 2. " Email is valid '' only means the address did not bounce it does not confirm borrower access. 3. Phone calls from unidentified XXXX are routinely auto-blocked as spam on modern smartphones and do not constitute reasonable notification. Federal servicers have an obligation to take reasonable steps to verify borrower contact information is current and accessible before negative credit reporting. Aidvantage did none of this. They relied on stale information, reported me as delinquent to three credit bureaus without any confirmation that I had received any of their communications, and are now using their own failure to reach me as justification for the resulting damage. ISSUE 3 FAILURE TO OFFER INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT BEFORE NEGATIVE REPORTING : Aidvantage 's own XX/XX/XXXX correspondence confirms IDR plans were available with monthly payments potentially as low as {$0.00}. My XXXX Activity History shows no record of any IDR application, counseling, or offer from Aidvantage during the delinquency period. Had IDR been offered proactively ( as required for federal servicers dealing with delinquent borrowers ), my payment could have been {$0.00} and no delinquency would have occurred. ISSUE 4 SERVICEMEMBER AND VETERAN CONSIDERATIONS : I served in the Georgia XXXX XXXX XXXX. Federal student loan servicers have heightened obligations when servicing loans of servicemembers and veterans under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act ( SCRA ) and related federal guidance. Aidvantage 's failure to verify my current contact information, proactively offer IDR, and update credit reporting consistent with the retroactive forbearance is especially concerning given these heightened duties. I request that this complaint be reviewed with input from CFPB 's XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ADDITIONAL CONTEXT : I contacted Aidvantage 's XXXX XXXX XXXX twice ( XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX ) requesting resolution without success. On XX/XX/XXXX, my four XXXX XXXX XXXXs were consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan, which was transferred to XXXX for servicing on XX/XX/XXXX. My loans are now paid in full at Aidvantage. REQUESTED RESOLUTION : 1. Aidvantage to submit corrections to XXXX XXXX, and XXXX removing the 90-day late payment notations from all four XXXX XXXX XXXX tradelines ( master account XXXX, sub-accounts -1 through -4 ), consistent with the retroactive forbearance granted for XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. 2. Written confirmation that corrections have been submitted to all three credit bureaus. 3. A written explanation from Aidvantage addressing : ( a ) why the retroactive forbearance did not result in corresponding credit report correction ; ( b ) what specific steps were taken to verify my current contact information ( physical address, email access, phone ) before reporting negative credit information ; ( c ) whether any IDR counseling was offered during the delinquency period ; and ( d ) what servicemember-specific protections or accommodations were considered given my status as a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation