Consumer complaint received 2025-02-27 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: Nelnet, Inc.
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I logged into my Nelnet account to schedule my XXXX student loan payment. When I logged in, I noticed that my payment due amount had almost doubled. I reached out to Nelnet via email and received a response asking me to call. I called and spoke to someone named XXXX who indicated that my payment amount went up because my XXXX XXXX XXXX was recently re-certified. I informed him that my XXXX was not due to be re-certified until XX/XX/XXXX, nor did I receive any notification that this date had changed. He claimed that I had opted for automatic re-certification and I told him that was incorrect. At this time, the login on the Nelnet website was not working so I could not verify anything XXXX was telling me. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from XXXX XXXX at Nelnet advising that " [ r ] ecent court rulings have delayed the recertification process for some borrowers with XXXX plans. To address this, Federal Student Aid ( FSA ) has permitted us to extend your anniversary date by XXXX year. No further action is required from you right now. We will notify you 90 days before your recertification deadline. '' I replied to this email thanking him and asking when this change would be reflected on my account, thinking that the error had been rectified based on my conversations with XXXX and XXXX. Because I did not receive an email response, I inquired, again, by email on XX/XX/XXXX to see when my account would be corrected. I did not receive a response until XX/XX/XXXX, at which time I was, once again, advised to call. 

I immediately called Nelnet and was unable to get through for almost an hour due to an error in their phone system. When I finally got through, I spoke to a woman named XXXX who was unable to assist me because the Nelnet system was down, but she assured me she would call me back. XXXX did call me back when the Nelnet system was back up and let me know that my payment due increase stems from a re-certification dating back to XX/XX/XXXX. Despite my having no memory of this re-certification, I asked XXXX why this payment increase was just being implemented now, almost XXXX years later. XXXX did not know and was able to transfer me to her supervisor. 

I spoke to a supervisor, whose name I unfortunately do not know, and was told that the increase in payment due stems from the alleged XXXX re-certification. I asked why the payment was being imposed now and did not receive an answer. I asked if Nelnet notified me of this increase and the supervisor admitted they did not. I asked why they did not notify me and she said " we sent you your monthly statement, that is all we have to do. '' I advised her that she was incorrect and asked her to please send me any documentation relating to this re-certification and increase. She advised that Nelnet does not have the paperwork relating to the re-certification because it was completed by the prior servicer, Great Lakes. I asked how Nelnet could impose the increase without the recertification, and she did not have an answer. She advised that she would send me all the documentation they have regarding my payment increase. I did not receive anything from her. 

After getting off the phone with the supervisor, I emailed a formal complaint, reading : " Dear Nelnet, I am writing to formally request an explanation regarding the recent increase in my monthly payment under my Income-Driven Repayment ( XXXX ) plan. My understanding is that this change stems from an IDR recertification that took place approximately XXXX years ago, yet my payment increase was only instituted this month. 

Under 34 C.F.R. 685.209, federal regulations require that borrowers receive timely notification of any payment changes, including a breakdown of how the new payment amount was calculated. I do not recall receiving any such notice before this change was implemented. 

To clarify my account status, I request the following information : XXXX detailed payment history from XXXX to the present, including any past calculated payment amounts and when they were applied. 
XXXX.A written explanation of why this increase was delayed and why it is being applied now instead of when the recertification was originally processed. 
XXXXCopies of any notices or communications sent to me regarding this payment change, including any required advance notice. 
XXXXA breakdown of how my new payment amount was calculated, including the income and family size data used. 

If this payment increase was applied in error or in violation of proper notice requirements, I request that my payment be adjusted accordingly and that any penalties or interest resulting from this issue be removed. 

Please provide a written response within 30 days. If I do not receive a satisfactory response, I may escalate this matter to the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ). 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please confirm receipt of this request and provide a response as soon as possible. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' I also mailed the same to Nelnet via certified mail on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Nelnet stating " Thank you for contacting Nelnet. Your account is on an XXXX XXXX. Your regular monthly payment amount is {$730.00} beginning XX/XX/XXXX. We understand that youre inquiring about your recent recertification of your income-driven repayment ( IDR ) plan. Recent court rulings have delayed the recertification process for some borrowers with IDR plans. To address this, Federal Student Aid ( FSA ) has permitted us to extend your anniversary date by XXXX year. No further action is required from you right now. We will notify you 90 days before your recertification deadline. '' There were no documents attached to this email. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call from XXXX at Nelnet, who informed me via telephone that Nelnet should not have increased my payment. He also set me a document via email containing a document reflecting my monthly payment due on each of my loans, and a cover letter indicating that these amounts were not calculated by Nelnet nor could Nelnet provided any disclosure documents. These documents did not answer my formal request or my initial inquiry and clearly did not solve my problem. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I paid my student loans to avoid issues and paid the increased amount despite my formal request and my disagreement with this amount. I have not received any communication from Nelnet concerning my request. However, today, I did receive the following email from Nelnet : " Dear XXXX, Thank you for your inquiry. 

Nelnet, as a contractor to the U.S. Department of Education ( ED ), is committed to adhering to all applicable laws and regulations concerning the management of customer data. Nelnet has not engaged in any activities that would expose data through unauthorized or unlawful means. 

We are contractually obligated to comply with federal government and ED record retentions laws and standards, including the Privacy Act of XXXX. Nelnet, as a contracted entity, is not permitted to copy, delete, archive, or transfer borrower data without the prior written consent from ED. Such consent is granted only when lawful and necessary.

Regarding loan discharge and forgiveness, Nelnet is authorized to discharge or forgive loans only under programs established by statute and the regulations thereof, and only when a borrower meets all program requirements as validated by ED. To learn more about current student loan discharge and forgiveness programs, please visit StudentAid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation. 

Please note that the Privacy Act of XXXX governs the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of personal information by federal agencies. Furthermore, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ( FERPA ) is designed to protect the privacy of student education records and grants students certain rights regarding their records. 

While both mandate adherence to fair information practices and restricts disclosure without consent, neither provides mechanisms for discharging student loans due to privacy violations. 

If you have specific questions or concerns about your account data, StudentAid.gov provides general information, including details about aid, enrollment history, and other assistance. If you have detailed questions about your account, please log in to your nelnet.studentaid.gov/ account or reach out to us at nelnet.studentaid.gov/content/contact. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX Your Nelnet Customer Service Team '' As you can see, I never inquired about privacy laws or loan forgiveness. Though it has not been a full 30 days since my initial formal request, I am escalating this to CFPB today because this response from Nelnet deeply concerns me. I am now not only concerned about their record keeping and unfair, deceptive, and predatory practices, but also about their lack of communication and potential crossing of wires which can result in extreme confusion and even privacy issues for borrowers. 

I am happy to provide any additional documentation regarding these issues should it be necessary.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation