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Student Loan Servicer Complaints - Student Loan Ombudsman - Financial Regulation

(Last reviewed or updated: December 22, 2022)

Concerned consumerThe Student Loan Ombudsman (“Ombudsman”), appointed by the Commissioner of Financial Regulation (“Commissioner”), serves as a liaison between student loan borrowers and federal or private student loan servicers. The Ombudsman receives and reviews complaints about student loan servicer issues from student loan borrowers and attempts to resolve the complaints.

Student loan servicer issues can include the following: failure to communicate with a borrower, errors in crediting principal and interest payments, misapplied payments, inaccurate interest rate calculations, billing errors related to servicer changes, loan consolidations, and/or inappropriate collection activity or tactics.

What steps should I take if I’m having a problem with my student loan servicer?

  1. First, try to resolve your dispute by directly contacting your student loan servicer. If appropriate, you can request that your case be escalated to a supervisor or manager. If you do not know which student loan servicer is servicing your loan, you should be able to retrieve this information from the National Student Loan Data System.
     
  2. If you believe your issue is not being resolved in a timely manner, send your questions in writing to the student loan servicer’s headquarters by certified mail and keep the proof of receipt signed by the student loan servicer. Note the dates, times, and contact names for all correspondence with the student loan servicer.
     
  3. If your student loan servicer does not respond to you in a timely manner, you can follow up with the student loan servicer’s ombudsman program, as well, if there is such a program.
     
  4. If the student loan servicer’s ombudsman does not respond in a timely manner, or if the student loan servicer does not have an ombudsman and you have a federal student loan, you can contact the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid (FSA) Ombudsman Group to determine if they can provide you with assistance.

    U.S. Department of Education
    FSA Ombudsman Group
    P.O. Box 1854
    Monticello, KY 42633
    Phone: 877-557-2575 (toll-free)
    Fax: 606-396-4821

How do I submit a complaint to the Maryland Student Loan Ombudsman?
If, after following the foregoing steps, your issue is not resolved with the student loan servicer or if you believe that your servicer is not being truthful about your options, or is being unresponsive, you can file a complaint using the Ombudsman Online Complaint Form.

Upon receipt, the Ombudsman will review your complaint, and if information or further explanation is required, the Ombudsman will contact you. Otherwise, the Ombudsman will contact the student loan servicer identified in your complaint in an effort to attempt to obtain a resolution to your complaint.

Student loan servicers are under no obligation to resolve your complaint despite the intervention by the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman cannot guarantee the successful resolution of your complaint. Please note: student loan servicers are neither licensed nor registered by the State of Maryland.

Filing a complaint with the Ombudsman provides the Commissioner with insight into issues related to student loan servicing in Maryland, and helps to prioritize issues. Additionally, the Ombudsman may refer any activity that is abusive, unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General for civil enforcement or criminal prosecution.

Read the Maryland Student Loan Borrower’s Bill of Rights

Visit the Student Loan Ombudsman page for additional resources.

Questions?
Telephone: 410-230-6077
Toll-free: 888-784-0136
E-mail: studentloan.ombudsman@maryland.gov