Are private individuals able to buy these bad debts?
It looks like they were targeted purchases, can others do it too, or is it limited to those with Liberal connections?
Anyone can buy a bad debt. So long as the party holding it has lost confidence in collecting it to the point where they will accept pennies on the dollar.
My guess these are debts owed by marginal people who signed up and spent their monies, who should have never gone to college and who are continuing to be marginal. Debt that would never be paid.