Student Loan Tip: Get Help From an Ombudsman

By Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach

Should you ever have a dispute with your lender or loan servicer about anything related to your federal student loans, there is a government agency that may be of assistance in resolving that dispute. It’s called the Federal Student Aid Office of the Ombudsman (http://www.ombudsman.ed.gov).

However, always try to work things out first with your lender by using this online “Self Resolution Checklist” from the Ombudsman’s office: http://ombudsman.ed.gov/resources/toolschecklists/selfresolution-checklist.html.

But let’s say you think your loan was mistakenly placed in default by your lender – maybe you were in school at least half-time, you had a loan deferment or forbearance, or you actually made payments on your loan – and you can’t get a satisfactory resolution of the issue, then it’s time to reach out to the Ombudsman’s office.

Here is a link to the section of the Ombudsman’s website that gives you more information about handling defaulted student loans: http://ombudsman.ed.gov/loandefault.html.

For more information on paying off your student loans, check out my book, Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom. Get the book now at Amazon.com.