For Christmas this year, President Barack Obama signed into a law a bill from Congress aimed at encouraging major student loan debt collectors to help borrowers avoid late fees.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 stretches over 887 pages, but it is a small excerpt that makes the difference, according to The Huffington Post.
In the past, the Education Department has fielded complaints from borrowers who claimed its contracted collectors did not do enough to get them into helpful repayment plans or to avoid late fees. The ED subsequently came under fire from various lawmakers and student borrower advocates for allowing such activity to go on with little or no repercussions.
As a result, the four major collectors - Great Lakes, Navient, Nelnet, and FedLoan Servicing - have a much higher delinquency rate than smaller collectors. The new bill, signed into law about a week before Christmas, requires the ED to treat all its student loan debt collectors the same, The HP reported.
"This provision is a win for student loan borrowers, ensuring that they receive effective, personalized loan servicing that guides them through their repayment period successfully, and for taxpayers, who deserve a system that maximizes existing and proven resources," Debra Chromy, president of the Education Finance Council, said in a statement.
The Obama Administration has made it a point to treat student loan borrowers better, as was the objective for a Presidential Memorandum Obama passed in March called the "Student Aid Bill of Rights." Obama is also still pushing to appropriate federal funding to the most deserving schools, per his divisive college ratings plan.
While the ED can take its time negotiating contracts with loan servicers, it will have until March to adopt the bill's guidelines. In addition to holding the major servicers to high standards, the bill is also expected to push more business toward the smaller servicers that have consistently generated positive feedback from borrowers.
