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Student Loan Debt: The Only Debt You Can’t Discharge in Bankruptcy
San Diego Free Press ^ | 09/30/2014 | John Lawrence

Posted on 09/30/2014 1:59:54 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Today’s students are being crushed with John Bunyan’s proverbial burden on their backs – student loan debt. Until relatively recently this debt could have been discharged in bankruptcy.

Then all that changed when Sallie Mae, the Student Loan Marketing Association, was privatized in 2004. Albert Lord, the new CEO, and his lobbyists went to work to change the laws so that student loans could not be discharged in bankruptcy. Today the cumulative student loan debt is more than $1 trillion.

While a generation ago a high school diploma was considered sufficient for a decent middle class entry level job, today it’s a college diploma even if the job itself could be easily accomplished by a person with just a high school education.

In Sallie Mae annual reports, CEO Albert Lord has boasted that the company’s extraordinary financial growth could be attributed to fees collected from defaulted loans, as well as loan origination growth. Lord, who personally invested hundreds of thousands of dollars (on the books) in politicians and PACs involved with education legislation is probably the largest individual beneficiary of student loan privatization.

In 2001, US News reported that Mr. Lord’s compensation for the year 2000 had skyrocketed to over $33 million. From 1999-2004, Sallie Mae’s top two executives, Al Lord and Tom Fitzpatrick, received compensation worth $225 million and $245 million, respectively. Both men have regularly topped Fortune Magazine’s list of highest paid CEO’s in the Washington D.C. Area. Albert Lord also put in a bid to purchase a major league baseball team, the Washington Nationals, with the wealth he extracted from defaulted borrowers.

(Excerpt) Read more at sandiegofreepress.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Education; Society
KEYWORDS: bankruptcy; debt; loan
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To: SeekAndFind
DAMN RIGHT!!! now if they really want it to be discharged, i say give a full frontal lobotomy, otherwise, no deal...
41 posted on 09/30/2014 2:56:46 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
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I guess I really lucked out. I worked for a large company that was going through a tremendous growth period. After being burned by hiring a lot of “educated idiots”, they decided to assess the current employees. I aced their tests and went on to profit monetarily and gained the experience to further expand my career.


42 posted on 09/30/2014 3:03:13 PM PDT by jy8z (When push comes disguised as nudge, I do not budge.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I sued a lawyer and he declared BK without disclosing to me. I did an exam on him and found that he paid his student debt off with a credit card THEN filed BK. He got away with it.


43 posted on 09/30/2014 3:05:32 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (The first stage of cultural death is denial.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

No argument from me - but for those going into a four year college a jc is not a bad option for the first two years


44 posted on 09/30/2014 3:23:09 PM PDT by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA (Tactical Firearms,Katy Tx: "the two enemies of guns, rust and politicians")
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To: SeekAndFind

Wait a minute. No one put a gun to their heads to make them take out a student loan. Besides, there are scores of state colleges and universities with tuition rates that are not bank-busting.


45 posted on 09/30/2014 3:24:55 PM PDT by ought-six ( Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
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To: SeekAndFind

>>Well, since she’s a lovely young lady... maybe she could marry a rich man or something. They’re always looking for lovely young ladies.

That could help solve her problems... :)
<<

At Pepperdine we called that the M R S degree.

And it happened A LOT!


46 posted on 09/30/2014 3:31:47 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (Zimmerman, Brown, Fast & Furious, IRS harassment, Philly ignorance: holdering in 1st degree)
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To: SeekAndFind

These colleges price gouge like crazy and nobody says anything, but anytime we have a gas shortage and some middle of nowhere gas station raises it’s price a buck, there’s every politician from here to the moon holding press conferences protesting.


47 posted on 09/30/2014 3:46:05 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (Obama Will Say 'War on Women' But Not 'War on ISIS)
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To: SeekAndFind

What is the financial sector impact if student loans were bankruptable again?


48 posted on 09/30/2014 4:32:46 PM PDT by tbw2
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To: CorporateStepsister

Dave Ramsey has said several times the problem with student loans is the parents not saying no. No, you won’t go out of state. No, you won’t live on campus. No, you will not enroll in a worthless degree because you enjoy reading about it. No, you will not flunk out of classes and not care about repeating remedial courses. No, you will not laze around and take six years to finish.


49 posted on 09/30/2014 4:34:29 PM PDT by tbw2
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To: MIchaelTArchangel

Geez don’t give them any ideas.......


50 posted on 09/30/2014 4:51:22 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego (s)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You also cannot discharge claims or judgments based on fraud.


51 posted on 09/30/2014 5:32:21 PM PDT by JewishRighter
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To: tbw2

You’re right; if more parents refused to co-sign the loans, there wouldn’t be a massive crisis. If parents ordered their kids to learn a trade and pay their own way I am certain that kids would be learning a work ethic, THEN going to university.

Then the fools would appreciate their time learning more and end up making productive use of their time at school. Frankly I am so sure that it would also mean we would be graduating a group of solid hardworking skilled professionals as well.


52 posted on 09/30/2014 6:42:41 PM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: leapfrog0202

Same here; let them pay their own way instead of taking out loans.


53 posted on 09/30/2014 6:44:55 PM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: SeekAndFind

Amazing...


54 posted on 09/30/2014 6:45:47 PM PDT by GOPJ ("The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants" - Albert Camus)
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To: freedumb2003

It’s emotional immaturity; they want to keep being taken care of.


55 posted on 09/30/2014 6:47:36 PM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: morphing libertarian

I just made my last payment. Celebrated by going to the range.


56 posted on 09/30/2014 8:48:42 PM PDT by bravo whiskey (we shouldn't fear the government. the government should fear us.)
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To: bravo whiskey

Nice


57 posted on 09/30/2014 9:00:58 PM PDT by morphing libertarian
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To: morphing libertarian

simple solution, make the universities/colleges/vocational schools EQUALLY liable for the debt.

higher education is nothing more than a free government money mill.


58 posted on 10/01/2014 11:45:30 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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