Student Loan Servicer Complaints - Student Loan Ombudsman - Financial Regulation
(Last reviewed or updated: July 31, 2024)
The Student Loan Ombudsman (“Ombudsman”), selected by the Commissioner of Financial Regulation (“Commissioner”), serves as a connection between student loan borrowers and federal or private student loan servicers. The Ombudsman gets complaints from student loan borrowers and attempts to resolve those complaints.
Student loan servicer issues can include: 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?
- 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 get this information from the studentaid.gov.
- 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 or to the servicer’s ombudsman program, as well, if there is such a program by certified mail. Keep the proof of mail receipt signed by the student loan servicer. Note the dates, times, and contact names for all communication with the student loan servicer.
- If the student loan servicer’s headquarters or ombudsman does not respond in a timely manner, 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 help.
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 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.
The Ombudsman will review your complaint, and if information or further explanation is needed, 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 not required to fix the issue as desired when contacted by the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman cannot guarantee the successful resolution of your complaint.
Filing a complaint with the Ombudsman provides the Office 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