Consumer complaint received 2026-03-05 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Private student loan
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Can't temporarily delay making payments
Company: SLM CORPORATION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint regarding hardship assistance on my private student loan serviced by Sallie Mae. I recently experienced a sudden loss of employment and am currently in a period of financial instability while I work to secure new income. Because of this unexpected change in my financial situation, I proactively contacted Sallie Mae to request hardship assistance so that I could avoid falling behind on my loan payments. Sallie Mae initially granted a short two-month forbearance. However, as my financial situation has not yet stabilized, as I am currently unemployed and still looking for jobs, I contacted their customer service again to request an extension of the forbearance or to inquire about any other available hardship programs that could temporarily reduce or delay payments. During this communication, I explained my circumstances and made it clear that my goal was to remain in good standing on my account and avoid delinquency while I worked to stabilize my finances. Unfortunately, I was informed that I do not qualify for any additional forbearance or hardship assistance beyond the two months already granted and that I would need to make 12 consecutive monthly payments in order to qualify for another porogram in a YEAR. I asked whether there were any alternative programs available such as additional temporary forbearance, reduced payments, interest-only payments, or other hardship relief options. I was told that none were available to me at this time. I am attempting to address this situation responsibly and proactively before my loan becomes delinquent. My intent is not to avoid repayment of my loan but rather to obtain temporary relief while I recover from an unexpected job loss and work toward restoring stable income. Without additional short-term hardship assistance, I am concerned that I may be placed into delinquency despite making good-faith efforts to communicate with my lender and request support. I am respectfully requesting that Sallie Mae review my account for any available hardship assistance options that may allow me to temporarily delay or reduce payments while I stabilize my financial situation. My goal is to remain in good standing and continue repayment once my financial circumstances improve.I would appreciate a review of my account by Sallie Maes hardship or customer advocacy team to determine whether any temporary relief options may be available. As someone who has made payments on these loans for the better half of a decade I am looking for a little bit of grace from a huge corporation like Sallie Mae. Timeline : XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX Laid off from my corporate job after 5+ years at the company XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX, XXXX Contacted Sallie Mae to request hardship assistance and was granted only 2 months of forbearance. Was told I could call back after the program ended to ask for additional forbearance/options. XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX Contacted Sallie Mae Customer Service about forbearance extension and was told I had to wait until the current program ended in order to see potential solutions. XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX Forbearance program ended. Next payment is expected on XX/XX/year>. XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX I contacted Sallie Mae again to request an extension of the forbearance or information about any other hardship options such as temporary reduced payments or interest-only payments.During this conversation I was informed that no additional forbearance or hardship assistance was available, despite explaining my financial hardship and desire to avoid delinquency. Current monthly payment amount : {$460.00}

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation