Student Loan Attorneys in Houston, TX

Do You Have Student Loan Debt?

Forty-one million Americans have student loans owned or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. The total amount of student loan debt in the United States is approximately $1,100,000,000,000.00 (1.1 trillion dollars). For comparison, U.S. total credit card debt is estimated to be approximately $3.34 trillion dollars.

Recent data from the U.S. Department of Education indicate that approximately one-third of borrowers with student loans were more than five days late on a student loan. Estimates indicate that six to seventeen percent of loans are more than thirty days late.

What is Your Next Step in Student Loan Debt?

Should the student loan lenders and loan servicers be worried about delinquencies? Not really. Government-backed student loans continue to gather interest until paid. Various federal laws assist lenders to collect student loans. Student loans are generally not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Section 523 (a) (8) of the Bankruptcy Code allows the discharge of student loans in bankruptcy only upon a showing that the student loan imposes an undue hardship on the borrower. While this would seem easy to demonstrate, the standard applied by the courts requires the debtor to demonstrate that:

Making payments on your student loan will not allow you and your dependents to maintain even a minimal standard of living,
That there is almost no chance that your financial situation will change
That you have made a good faith effort to repay the loan.

Student loans are easy to get for college, graduate school, and many other forms of education. Examples include culinary arts, mechanics, carpentry, locksmith, drafting, cosmetology, truck driving, and many other trades. The main loan servicers that manage federal student loans are Navient Corp. (formerly Sallie Mae), Nelnet, Inc., Great Lakes Higher Education Corp. & Affiliates, and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency aka FedLoan Servicing.

Taking on a student loan for a traditional college seems to be a step toward a brighter future. College graduates may earn significantly more money than persons who do not attend college. See “The Economic Value of College Majors” published by Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy (https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Exec-Summary-web-B.pdf, Anthony P. Carenvale, Ban Cheah and Andrew R. Hanson, 2015).

On the other hand, for-profit colleges may not provide the expected step up the ladder to economic prosperity. In “HomeRoom,” the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education, it is reported that for-profit colleges represent only about 13% of the total higher education population, but account for about 31% of all student loans and about 50% of all student loan defaults. See “Fact: Too many career-training programs lead to low wages, high debt.” (https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Exec-Summary-web-B.pdf).

Should you or your family member be worried about taking on a student loan?

Yes, you should be very cautious. Because of government backing, student loans are deceptively easy to get. Because of federal law and government policy, student loans continue to accrue interest until paid and adversely affect the lives of the borrower and the borrower’s family.

Important Concepts About Student Loan Debt:

Be cautious about taking on a student loan. Be particularly cautious if the loan is to attend a for-profit college or career-training school.

Be cautious about guaranteeing a student loan for anyone else.

If you have a student loan, recognize that you will likely need to pay it.

If you have a student loan that you cannot pay:

seek help through the Department of Education for deferments and other programs, and
talk to a qualified consumer bankruptcy attorney.

Contact us today to learn more about how Keeling Law Firm can help you today and other services we have to offer such as:

Need student loan help? Contact Keeling Law Firm today!

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