CFPB Report Highlights Challenges Facing Servicemembers and Veterans with Student Loans

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its annual report on the top financial concerns facing servicemembers, veterans, and military families. The report finds that active duty and veteran students are encountering many financial challenges, including difficulties getting help from student loan servicers and transcript withholding by colleges and universities transcripts as a means to collect a debt or disputed fees. The report also identifies problems experienced by the military community with other financial products, such as an increase in reports of scams targeting older veterans.

"Servicemembers who have worked hard to get an education while serving our country should not face additional obstacles that cause financial strain or put career opportunities at risk," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. "The CFPB is committed to supporting and protecting the financial well-being of servicemembers, veterans, and their families."

Servicemembers, veterans, and their families have submitted more than 407,000 consumer complaints since the CFPB opened its doors in 2011. In 2023, they submitted nearly 84,600 complaints to the CFPB, a 27 percent increase from 2022 and a 98 percent increase from 2021. The number of complaints filed by servicemembers increased across all major consumer financial products, including credit or consumer reporting, debt collection, credit cards, checking or savings accounts, and mortgages.

Today's report identifies several areas of complaints from servicemembers related to student loans. In October 2023, after a three year pause, payments for federally owned student loans restarted. The return to repayment was followed by an increase in student loan complaints from many consumers, including servicemembers. For some servicemembers, particularly those stationed abroad or deployed, these challenges were exacerbated. Specifically, the report finds:

• Servicemembers, military families, and veterans report challenges when trying to contact or get help from their student loan servicer: Complaints suggest that servicemembers are spending hours trying to reach their student loan servicer and that those calls often fail to resolve their issue or the companies' callback features do not work. This challenge is particularly acute for servicemembers stationed overseas because the time-zone differences may further limit servicemembers' ability to reach their student loan servicer during regular call center hours.
• Servicemembers reported servicing errors preventing enrollment in income-driven repayment (IDR) plans: Many servicemembers report that their loan servicers are not correctly calculating their monthly payment amounts under IDR plans. For example, because military service can require servicemembers to move every two or three years, their spouses are often forced to change jobs, which can drastically affect a total household income. If incorrect income is used to calculate a borrower's monthly payment under an IDR plan, this can eventually lead to unnecessarily higher payments or affect eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
• Withholding of transcripts by colleges and universities may prevent servicemembers and veterans from receiving promotions, securing employment, or completing their degrees: Servicemembers' work obligations often require frequent relocations, and these changes in duty stations may require multiple transfers of credits before servicemembers finish their degrees. Timely access to transcripts is essential to ensure that there is as little disruption as possible. Further, when colleges and universities withhold transcripts as a means to collect a debt or disputed fees, servicemembers may be denied employment opportunities, including promotions within the military, and future higher education opportunities.

In addition to the findings related to student loans, today's report also highlights other financial challenges facing the military community, including an increase in complaints from older veterans. Older veterans often submitted complaints about fraud or scams, particularly those related to money transfer or service, and virtual currencies.

Read today's report, Office of Servicemember Affairs Annual Report, January-December 2023.

Consumers can submit complaints about financial products or services by visiting the CFPB's website or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).

Employees who believe their company has violated federal consumer financial protection laws are encouraged to send information about what they know to [email protected].