GREAT LAKES

2018-10-04

Gonzales, LA

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Account information incorrect
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-10-03

Carver, MA

Written notification about debt

Debt collection: Federal student loan debt

Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Complaint: : I have disputed this item with the credit reporting agency and they reported you confirmed the account as valid. I honestly do not believe to ever have any relationship with this collection agency or original creditor. Also there are several inaccuracies with this account the way it's reporting and that's a total violation of FCRA and FDCPA laws and regulations. In a good faith effort to resolve the matter amicably, I must demand proof of this debt, specifically the alleged contract or other instrument bearing my signature, as well as proof of your authority in this matter. Absent such proof, you must correct any erroneous reports of this past debt as mine. I am writing to request that you please provide the following information : 1. Please evidence your authorization under 15 USC 1692 ( e ) and 15 USC 1692 ( f ) in this alleged matter. 2. What is your authorization of law for your collection of information? 3. What is your authorization of law for your collection of this alleged debt? 4. Please evidence your authorization to do business or operate in this state. 5. Please evidence proof of the alleged debt, including the alleged contract or other instrument bearing my signature. 6. Please provide a complete account history, including any charges added for collection activity.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-10-03

Broomall, PA

Incorrect information on your report

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Account information incorrect
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-10-03

Queens, NY

Written notification about debt

Debt collection: Federal student loan debt

Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Complaint: This student loan company by the name of Great Lakes is charging me more than {$67000.00} in federal student loans. This corporation has increased my debit with these hidden fees like Capitalized Interest and so forth. The timeframe to pay this loan is unreasonable and not feasable. Great Lakes also reported this debt on all 3 credit reporting agencies without my consent and approval.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-10-01

TX

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Account status incorrect
Complaint: My direct student loan accounts were in a defaulted status at the beginning of the year and my XX/XX/XXXX income tax refund was intercepted on XX/XX/XXXX to pay off the defaulted student loans. However, the accounts are still reflecting as seriously past due on each of my credit reports and the credit bureaus have not been willing to correct this information.My dispute letters were sent out on XX/XX/XXXX and no updates reflecting the account as current have been made
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-27

Bakersfield, CA

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Was not notified of investigation status or results
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-27

Honolulu, HI

Trouble during payment process

Mortgage: Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)

Complaint: XXXX XXXX suppose to cover our loan payments when my husband a Veteran was XXXX. XXXX XXXX sent us a letter with the claim # - XXXX, benefit # - XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX told us our loans were not covered but we had chosen coverage when we applied for security purposes in case something happens. See attached documents that was sent to us by an employee of XXXX showing we had chosen insurance coverage. Same with our loan documents where it's showing we had chosen the insurance coverage for our payments. When we brought up this issue, we inquired about the coverage, XXXX XXXX employee said my husband is not XXXX although we showed his medical condition was based upon determination from the military veterans affairs and his doctors. XXXX XXXX is liable to disclose eligibility of customers under insurance coverage and we ask XXXX XXXX to make payments accordingly to our loans that was never applied.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-25

Aloma, FL

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-25

Portland, OR

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: These are student loans I have been repaying since I completed my XXXX in 2000. In the past six months, my income-based repayment plan was rejected ( even though I made the exact same amount as the previous year ) so after exhausting all options, we finally agreed over the phone to a graduated repayment plan over 12 years that would begin around {$150.00} per month, with incremental increases each year, until year 12 when the increase would be about {$500.00} per month. The last thing the customer service representative stated after agreeing to terms and conditions is Great Lakes does not service these types of repayments so my student loans would be sold. XXXX is now the holder of the loans and claims they have no record of the terms and conditions agreed upon between Great Lakes and myself. I have contacted Great Lakes requesting my customer service history and they stated they will only release those records through legal channels. I am seeking resolution by securing full and non-redacted access to my Great Lakes customer service history for the past 12 months.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-24

Greensboro, NC

Incorrect information on your report

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Account status incorrect
Complaint: I have several months that are not being reported to the credit bureaus that shows my account as current for all months. The missing months includes that following : XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, and XXXX XXXX.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-23

Bon Air, SC

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-23

Hamburg, MN

Struggling to repay your loan

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Can't temporarily delay making payments
Complaint: I am writing this letter as a complaint against both XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and The XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for violation of the SCRA laws. I took out student loans from XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX and XXXX for a combined amount of {$21.00}, XXXX. When I joined the XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, I sent notice to all my financial lenders a form indicating I was going into XXXX XXXX. I was on XXXX XXXX in the XXXX from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. I am enclosing the official form ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) as record of the dates. During that time, I was also XXXX to a hostile environment ( XXXX XXXX ) for the dates of XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ( Letter attached ). With the SCRA laws, my payment were to be deferred 180 days after my separation date of XX/XX/XXXX ( approximately XX/XX/XXXX ). However, in XX/XX/XXXX I received notice from the MN Department of Revenue that they kept my state refund to apply to my debt. I also received a letter in XX/XX/XXXX that the Wisconsin Department of Revenue kept my federal tax refund of {$1000.00} to put towards my debt. This is when I started contacting Great Lakes. Great Lakes is claiming they never received notice of XXXX XXXX or the request to reduce interest on my loans. They sent my loans to the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX who sent my debt to a collection agency stating I was in default. Numerous phone calls to try to resolve the issue did nothing. They would not accept my XXXX XXXX XXXX and did not want me to send them the forms to show I was on XXXX XXXX. I finally wrote to the US House of Representatives for assistance on XX/XX/XXXX. They took my information and paperwork and wrote to the XXXX XXXX XXXX on my behalf. The response from the XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( attached ) indicates they were going to pull my account back from collections, refund my tax refunds, remove my loans from a default status and return the loan to Great Lakes so I may work with them. It is now XX/XX/XXXX and of the above actions, the only thing that has happened is the refund of my tax refunds. My credit bureaus are still showing default and the loan has not yet been returned to Great Lakes. This has caused me financial difficulties in trying to apply for other VA loans and get approved. My expectation is that my loans reflect the 6 % or lower APR that was to be applied throughout my XXXX XXXX status, deferment that was supposed to take place and the 0 % for the time I was in a hostile environment which was then to be deferred for 60 months. In addition, I want all negative credit bureau reporting of default or collections to be removed and the trade line from the XXXX XXXX XXXX to be deleted since they were sent to them in violation of the SCRA. Any compensation that would apply due to the violations of the SCRA laws are also expected, up to and including waivers of monies owned and fines and/or citations to Great Lakes.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-23

Somerset, KY

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Account information incorrect
Complaint: XXXX XXXX is incorrectly reporting to all 3 major credit bureaus incorrect balances and payment history. They can not legally report Higher credit limits over the amount of the amount of the loans that I have taken out. These items have been disputed twice in the past year with each bureau and neither time have they failed to comply with rules and regulations to correct their errors. The amount of my loans do not total they amounts they are reporting and I have never received any documentation from them reflecting that they have verified the amounts I owe verses the total of my loans. If they can not verify the appropriate information and that all the debts they are reporting are correct then they are required by laws to remove those items from my bureaus.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-20

NY

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: This student loan servicer, XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, deliberately placed my loans into forbearance, so they could make money on the interest being collected, without my knowledge or my permission. I made them and the US Department of Education aware that I would be entering into a full-time program, in XX/XX/XXXX. I recently became aware of what was going on once I received a notice informing me that repayment is due on my loans in 30 days. Instead of placing my prior loans into deferment, they told me on XX/XX/XXXX, that " they were doing me a favor, and they did this will all their loans. I XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. They revoked my 6-month grace period that all students receive after deferment from a full-time educational program, by initiating this ILLEGAL tactic in order to turn a profit. This loan servicer failed to inform me of what was going on and employed the illegal/fraudulent practices of their fellow loan servicing company, XXXX. Thousands of dollars of interest have been generated on loans in which I was guaranteed 0 % interest rate growth while in school. Instead, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and the US Department of Education have failed borrowers by letting this type of behavior continue to go unchecked. This company told me flat out " WE DO THIS TO ALMOST EVERYONE, AND NO ONE COMPLAINS. '' This is fraud and should be looked into.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-19

Plymouth, FL

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: Took me off automatic billing so that interest would build up and they would be payed more in the end. They should not stop auto pay unless I ask them too!
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-19

Chicago, IL

Written notification about debt

Debt collection: Private student loan debt

Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-19

Austin, TX

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-18

East Palatka, FL

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Was not notified of investigation status or results
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-17

Ft Lauderdale, FL

Struggling to repay your loan

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Problem lowering your monthly payments
Complaint: I applied for an income-driven repayment plan for my 3 accounts that are serviced by Great Lakes. There was only one application involved, and I was advised by telephone that based upon my reported income, my total payment was going to be reduced from about {$990.00} to about {$700.00}. However, when I provided my proof of income by fax, I was given a new monthly payment of {$4400.00} ( which is about 50 % of my monthly take home pay ) and put on an accelerated repayment plan to have my loans paid off within 7 years. This was exactly the opposite of the plan in which I applied for, which was made abundantly clear both within my IDR repayment plan application, and the proof of income that I provided to Great Lakes. This situation happens almost every single year when I re-apply for my IDR plan.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-16

Ft Lauderdale, FL

Struggling to repay your loan

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Can't temporarily delay making payments
Complaint: ******This is the first email I received from them confirming my deferment because I had processed it at the end of the semester. I informed them I would graduate in XXXX. ****** Tue, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Re : Stafford Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Dear XXXX : We've updated our records to show that you've been continuously enrolled and plan on being in school at least half-time through XX/XX/XXXX. Once you are no longer enrolled at least half-time, you will enter a 6-month grace period. We will send you a payment schedule that details your repayment terms before your first payment is due. If you've already received a payment schedule for this account, you may disregard it. Finally, please be sure to keep your contact information up to date so we can stay in touch with you regarding your student loan account. Sincerely, Great Lakes Borrower Services *******I then receive this email months after my deferment had been processed and I had already registered full-time for the fall semester. ******** Tue, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Re : Stafford Loan Account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) Hi XXXX, Payments on your student loans are now due. This is a good time to review your payment schedule, which provides monthly payment amounts, due dates, and other important information about your loans. Here 's what you need to do. Access your payment schedule. Each of your student loan accounts has a payment schedule you can view at any time on mygreatlakes.org. Make sure you're ready to pay back your loans. Making on-time payments helps you build good credit, which is important when looking for a job, securing housing, or buying a car. Options are available if you need them. Unable to make full payments? Log into mygreatlakes.org to find the best repayment option for you. A plan with a lower monthly payment may cost you a little more in the long run, but you'll have a payment you can afford. Having financial difficulties? You can also explore postponing your payments with deferment or forbearance. We'll send you a billing statement soon. Whatever path you take to repay your loan, we're here to help. Contact us if you can't make a payment or have questions about your loans. Sincerely, Great Lakes Borrower Services ********I sent a request of contact directly from their website in regards to my loan and as to why I was getting billed after getting a deferment approved in XXXX -- This is the email they or their automated response system, responded with. ********** Thu, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX RE : School and financial aid : I'm currently in school or going back to school, and I want to know why I'm getting billed << XXXX XXXX XXXX >> Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. I appreciate you informing us that you will be returning to school in the near future. Students who are attending classes at least half-time may be eligible for an in-school deferment. To determine whether or not you will need to complete an In-School Deferment Request form, or if your school will send enrollment information to Great Lakes, please reply with the following information : The full name of the school you are or will be attending. The date you did or will begin classes ( month/day/year ). Whether you are or will be a full-time or half-time student. ( we can not accept part-time ). When you will complete your program ( month/year ). You are responsible for the monthly payments as scheduled until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. If you are unable to make payments until you are approved for an in-school deferment you have a variety of options available on our website at mygreatlakes.org, including : Temporarily postponing your payments with a deferment or forbearance. Lowering your monthly payment by selecting a different payment plan. Weve created Options for Managing Repayment which you can review. It provides an overview of each option and important considerations. When you log into your account at our website, you will find detailed information and tools that can help you determine if one of these options will work for you. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ********To which I responded with my schedule and answered every question they asked. ******* Thu, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX PM XXXX College XX/XX/XXXX Full-Time XX/XX/XXXX will complete my AA image1.jpeg Sent from my XXXX *******I then get a call a few days later from a representative from Great Lakes and they tell me that they need an invoice of payment for my classes and that it will all be corrected and my deferment reinstated before the due date. I was told to send it to the same email******** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Please confirm that this will defer my student loan payments. Thank you image1.png ********They respond with this email which makes the situation worse by warning me that I would now get charged interest on a forbearance request. All stemming from their incompetence and lack of proper communication. ******** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. We can not update your enrollment status with a school bill receipt. Students who are attending classes at least half-time may be eligible for an in-school deferment. If you are attending at least half-time, your school, XXXX College, automatically sends us electronic updates. Please note that this may take up to two months after your first day of classes. Upon receipt of the electronic enrollment verification, your request for deferment will be evaluated, and you will be advised of the status of your account. You are responsible for the monthly payments as scheduled until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. If you are not eligible for an in-school deferment or are unable to make payments until the deferment is approved, you have a variety of options available on our website at mygreatlakes.org, including : Temporarily postponing your payments with a deferment or forbearance. Lowering your monthly payment by selecting a different repayment plan. Applying for loan discharge, where in certain situations your loan may be forgiven Weve created Options for Managing Repayment which you can review. It provides an overview of each option and important considerations. When you log into your account at our website, you will find detailed information and tools that can help you determine if one of these options will work for you. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ******I then respond with this email****** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX I was called by one of your reps a few days back. They asked me to send paid invoice to this email. They told me that, that would be everything I would have to do. Ive been going back and forth now with this and getting different information. I was told it would be updated and I would not need to pay on the XXXX if I sent the information. Im in school and I registered months back and I informed you guys months back that I was still in school. I need this taken care of because I will not be making those payments on the XXXX of this month. Thank you Sent from my XXXX ********To which they respond with this***** Wed, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. If you are having difficulty making your payments while you are waiting for your enrollment verification to be sent from your school, you may qualify for a forbearance. Please keep in mind that during forbearance, you wont be required to make payments, but youre still responsible for any interest that accrues and capitalizes. This means that you could end up paying more interest over the life of your loan. To apply and to have your request processed immediately, you may have the option to request a forbearance at our website, mygreatlakes.org. If you are unable to access it online, please call us at the number provided below. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ********I respond infuriated at this point, no one can seem to give me clear information and it's all a useless back and forth, all while I should be focused on my studies and not wasting hours trying to solve this issue. I work full-time and go to school full-time. ***** Mon, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX No, I need this taken care of correctly. This abuse, Im still in school and informed your department months back that I was still enrolled. I need this to be corrected immediately. I am in school and should not have to worry about this at the moment. Please take care of this ASAP. I refuse to pay this month and I refuse to request forbearance. I need a deferment to be processed in a timely manner. X X Sent from my XXXX *******They then respond with this information ONE day before my " due date '' ***** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. We have not received current enrollment information from your school. If you are attending classes at least half time, you may be eligible for a deferment. In order for us to place an in-school deferment on your account, we either need a completed In-School Deferment Request form or an enrollment history from your school. You may download an In-School Deferment Request form from our website. You will need to : Log in to your account at mygreatlakes.org. Click Forms under the Resources list at the bottom of the page. Click Deferment. Expand the list of forms by clicking Already know what form you need? Find it here. Please note that Section 4 of the In-School Deferment Request form will need to be completed by an authorized official from your school. The completed forms may be returned to Great Lakes by any of the following methods : Fax : ( XXXX ) XXXX Email : XXXX Mail : Great Lakes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX The option is also available at our website to upload documents to your file for processing. Log in. Click on the Magnifying Glass on the right hand side of the Navigation Bar. Click Upload Documents. Select Submit Forms and Support Files Tab. Select Document Name from the drop down list. Click on Browse to attach your document. Select Submit File ( s ). Please remember that you are still responsible for any scheduled payments until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. ******I have now received this email stating I missed a payment and that it may affect my credit. I am now going to get affected on my credit report and have additional interest on my account because of their massive incompetence and lack of proper communication and abusive efforts. ******** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Oops. Re : Stafford Loan Account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) We haven't yet received your student loan payment. We realize you're new to paying back your loans and there are lots of reasons why it may be late. We want to make sure you have all the information you need to successfully pay back your loans, including three helpful tips to get you started. Sign up for account access on mygreatlakes.org. It's the easiest and fastest way to manage your loans. Make payments using Auto Pay and you may be eligible for an interest rate reduction. Enrollment is free and convenient. Change your repayment option to one that's more affordable. If you recently made a payment, please log in to mygreatlakes.org or call us for automated account information to confirm we've received it. Make On-Time Payments to Build Good Credit Missing your first payment can quickly snowball into a past due account and damaged credit. Poor credit can be a factor when looking for a job, securing housing, buying a car, or applying for additional financial aid if you're headed back to school. Making on-time payments helps build good credit. Contact us for help in figuring out an affordable solution.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-13

Sarasota, FL

Communication tactics

Debt collection: I do not know

You told them to stop contacting you, but they keep trying
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-12

Aqua, PA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Need information about your loan balance or loan terms
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-12

Belle Isle, FL

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-11

Oxford, GA

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Complaint: XXXX has been non-compliant with removing the unverified account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX which has been deleted by XXXX and XXXX. XXXX and XXXX have both completed their research and determined that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX was not established by myself but XXXX keeps verifying this accounts. Also, when I called the company they responded that XXXX did not send them all of the verifying evidence to confirm each account is unverified.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2018-09-10

Ft Wayne, IN

Incorrect information on your report

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Information belongs to someone else
Complaint: Great lakes is trying to say I owe XXXX for student loans I never took out or received money for. The college XXXX online University is now shut down my credits aren't acknowledge by other universities anywhere I don't understand what's going on. I've never made a payment because I do not acknowledge this as my debt.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response