PDF Student Loan Debt and Older Adults

Student Loan Debt and Older Adults

Joanna K. Darcus, Staff Attorney National Consumer Law Center

January 29, 2019

Housekeeping

? All on mute. Use Questions function for substantive questions and for technical concerns.

? Problems getting on the webinar? Send an email to NCLER@acl..

? Written materials and a recording will be available at NCLER.. See also the chat box for this web address.

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About NCLER

The National Center on Law and Elder Rights (NCLER) provides the legal services and aging and disability communities with the tools and resources they need to serve older adults with the greatest economic and social needs. A centralized, onestop shop for legal assistance, NCLER provides Legal Training, Case Consultations, and Technical Assistance on Legal Systems Development. Justice in Aging administers the NCLER through a contract with the Administration for Community Living's Administration on Aging.

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About NCLC

Since 1969, the nonprofit National Consumer Law Center? (NCLC?) has used its expertise in consumer law and energy policy to work for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people, including older adults, in the U.S. NCLC's expertise includes policy analysis and advocacy; consumer law and energy publications; litigation; expert witness services, and training and advice for advocates. NCLC works with nonprofit and legal services organizations, private attorneys, policymakers, and federal and state government and courts across the nation to stop exploitative practices, help financially stressed families build and retain wealth, and advance economic fairness.

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Key Lessons

1. Student loan debt threatens the well-being and financial security of an increasing number of older adults.

2. The student loan type and status matter. 3. Older adults with federal student loans may have

very good options for making their payments affordable or recovering from default and stopping collection activity. 4. Private student loans present different problems and solutions from federal student loans.

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Older Adults with Student Loans

"The number of consumers age 60 and older with outstanding student loan debt quadrupled from 2005 to 2015, increasing from about 700,000 to 2.8 million."

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Snapshot of Older Consumers and Student Loan Debt (Jan. 2017), .

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Older Adults with Student Loans

There are no specific protections for older borrowers managing student loan debt.

This does not mean they lack options for managing their student loans. However, older borrowers are more likely to struggle to repay or have previously defaulted on their loans.

See Persis Yu, National Consumer Law Center, Pushed Into Poverty: How Student Loan Collections Threaten the Financial Security of Older Americans (May 2017), .

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What student loan problems do older adults face?

? Unaffordable monthly payments ? Confusion about options to manage loans ? Negative credit reporting upon default ? Loss of access to federal student loans and grants ? Involuntary debt collection activity:

? Federal Benefits Offset ? Administrative Wage Garnishment ? Tax Refund Offset ? Lawsuits & Judgment Execution

Ultimately, the problems and solutions depend on the loan type and status.

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