Consumer complaint received 2024-12-27 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: MOHELA
State: AK

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern ; I would like to file a formal complaint against XXXX Mohela for their improper denial of my school misconduct application. Despite XXXX saying they are committed to getting relief to borrowers, their blatant refusal to properly review applications and evidence, but also their inability to give sufficient explanations as to why denials are being doled out, indicates they have very different motives. 
On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I received an application from XXXX to file a claim of school misconduct in order to have my private loans XXXX. I was shocked, and very skeptical. Like a greedy, fraudulent, corrupt fox offering to guard the hen house, it seemed unlikely that XXXX would hold up its end of the bargain. I mean, XXXX XXXX did conspire with for-profit schools to meet Title IV in cases where the schools otherwise wouldnt have been able to. But I had to try. So I spent the next 7 months gathering mountains of evidence and filling out the application in a way that was clear, concise, and left very little to interpret. After all, I didnt want to risk my application being overlooked simply because I gave them too much work. I laid everything out in an easy to read format with an evidentiary table of contents. I grouped pictures and articles and lawsuits as they related to each question asked in the application. Most importantly, I provided copies of my borrowers defense approval, screen shots of IADTs website, catalog, and brochure, highlighting and outlining their own contradictions and predatory tactics, and showing the tangible aftermath of my direct experience. That along with my application answers, would have been enough, if XXXX had actually looked. I submitted my application on XXXX XXXX, XXXX. Even though the first page of the application said it would take up to 30 days, they requested I give them 60 days instead. So I waited. I knew the transfer of my loans over to Mohela was coming soon. So at 30 days, I checked in just to see if any progress had been made, and to verify that the switch to Mohela XXXX going to affect the decision. I was told there had been no progress, but the change wouldnt affect anything. So I continued to wait. When the 60 day mark came on XX/XX/XXXX and I still hadnt heard anything, I inquired again. Later that same day, I suddenly received XXXX denial letters in my Mohela inbox. Both back dated for XX/XX/XXXX. Since submitting my application, I checked my XXXX Mohela inbox, my email, and even my regular mail regularly, waiting for the results. So when Mohela responded on XXXX stating my denials were sent on the XXXX, I was confused. They hadn't been. I checked before I even reached out. But that wasn't the only thing that didn't make sense. The reason for being denied according to the letter was as follows : A variety of factors are considered in determining whether a private loan should be XXXX based on school misconduct and you do not meet the requirements for discharge based on misconduct by your school. 
In no way does this explain specifically what those factors are, nor does it explain what constitutes misconduct in their eyes. Furthermore, they offered no insight as to why the evidence I provided didnt meet those requirements, but that same, or similar evidence, when submitted by other victims, did. So I emailed Mohela again, asking for clarification. I just received a response this morning ( XX/XX/XXXX ) claiming that my application was reviewed but they can't tell me why MY application was denied, just that it was holistically determined that I didn't qualify. It was that " holistic '' approach that makes it impossible to tell me why. All it says is that I didn't provide the information needed. But I did. 
As has been mentioned countless times by Senator Warren and other prominent lawmakers, XXXX would easily be able to identify all of the fraudulent debts for borrowers who have been harmed without requiring any type of application, if they bothered to look. If XXXX and Mohela were really interested in addressing all valid misconduct claims, there wouldnt be any need for borrowers to apply at all. Inviting us to apply without providing a clear path to cancellation only serves to give them carte XXXX to deny requests, thus taking away any rights we have as consumers, as borrowers, to appeal the decision under the FTCs Holder Rule. This legal somersault should in and of itself open XXXX and Mohela up to an investigation by the FTC and the CFPB. This is far from being the first time XXXX Mohela has tried to run a different play out of the same play book. There have been countless lawsuits pushing back against their aversion to accountability. I dont know why we thought things would be different this time. 
For them to say the discharge process is in the early stages despite having already denied a majority of the applicants, is incredibly insulting to those of us who have worked so hard to complete their confusing and convoluted application. This feels like nothing more than a ruse, a ploy to pretend they were willing to do the right thing, in an attempt to distract lawmakers and students, to keep us busy while they waited for all these questionable loans to move over to Mohela. Now that XXXX is no longer the owner of these debts, and can no longer be held liable under the Holder Rule, there is no incentive for them to forgive fraudulent loans. Case in point, XXXX 's response to my CFPB complaint this morning states that I should contact Mohela because XXXX is no longer the holder of my loans. This is an epic game of whack a mole. These lenders can abate responsibility by sending debts around to other lenders while the courts and govt agencies get mired in bureaucracy and red tape. At this rate, if the FTC and CFPB dont hold these lenders accountable across the board, justice will never come to those of us who deserve it. 
I suspect after I submit this complaint, any response coming from XXXX, or Mohela, will probably come with a tone of condescension, as they have in the past. Theyll apologize and try to gaslight me into believing that they really did look through my application, and that despite all the evidence I submitted, somehow it doesnt apply to me. But Im not the scared, XXXX kid I used to be, XXXX cant be gaslit into submission. And XXXX no longer alone. CFPB, please hold these lenders accountable. Something has to give. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation