undue hardship

Bankruptcy Expert Claims It May Be Your Only Option if Biden’s $20K Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Fails
Shutterstock / Shutterstock

Shutterstock / Shutterstock

President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower could soon reach endgame if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against the plan this month, as many predict. If the plan is struck down, at least one legal expert says bankruptcy might be the only option for many borrowers.

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The reason is simple: Many borrowers won’t have enough funds when federal student loan payments resume sometime this summer following a pause of more than three years.

About 20% of student loan borrowers have already defaulted on a loan, according to Jonathan Petts, CEO of Upsolve, a non-profit organization that helps individuals file bankruptcy without using a private attorney. The total amount already in default is more than $124 billion.

“This demonstrates a clear need for a plan to help borrowers facing challenges with paying off their debts,” Petts told GOBankingRates in an email.

He said the Biden forgiveness plan is “likely to be struck down” by the SCOTUS, which means both loan payments and interest will resume not too long

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June 26, 2023 by ATTORNEY

It’s a ‘severe problem’ that student-loan borrowers are still facing roadblocks getting rid of their debt through bankruptcy, Elizabeth Warren says
Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

  • Elizabeth Warren called on the Justice Department to restore bankruptcy protections for student-loan borrowers.

  • Borrowers currently have to prove a difficult standard in court to get rid of their debt.

  • Biden’s administration has promised reform, but the process continues to be slow-moving.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is renewing the call to restore bankruptcy protections for student-loan borrowers.

Last week, President Joe Biden took a major step in providing relief to millions of borrowers by announcing up to $20,000 in student-loan forgiveness for those making under $125,000 a year. While that relief is expected to wipe out balances for 20 million borrowers, the majority will still have debt balances that some might seek to discharge in court through bankruptcy. But doing so has historically been very difficult, and Warren wants Attorney General Merrick Garland to ensure bankruptcy becomes a viable route to providing relief.

“To support the administration’s efforts to overhaul the student loan system and ensure that bankruptcy relief is a viable option for borrowers in severe financial straits, it is critical that you issue and implement this updated guidance without delay,” Warren wrote in a Thursday letter

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September 12, 2022 by ATTORNEY

Warren Grills DOJ on Why It’s Still Trying to Crush Student Debtors in Bankruptcy Court

Just over a week after President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to cancel $10,000 in federal student loan debt for most borrowers and reform the income-driven repayment program, his administration on Thursday was rebuked once again for its ongoing effort to deny bankruptcy relief to some of the nation’s most hard-pressed student debtors.

“Those who continue to struggle with student debt are in need of updated undue hardship guidance.”

In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) asked about the status of the Department of Justice’s “work to update guidance on how it handles undue hardship claims by student borrowers in bankruptcy proceedings.”

“To support the administration’s efforts to overhaul the student loan system and ensure that bankruptcy relief is a viable option for borrowers in severe financial straits,” Warren wrote, “it is critical that you issue and implement this updated guidance without delay.”

Although Biden spent years as a senator siding with lenders and making it more difficult for Americans to reduce educational loan repayment obligations in court, he promised last year to “allow for student debt to be relieved in bankruptcy,” which would help give overwhelmed borrowers a fresh financial start.

Nevertheless,

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September 11, 2022 by ATTORNEY
October 2023
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