Take Action Now! Memo from TICAS.org

I received this memo from TICAS today (insomnia works wonders when you're an advocate. Ha.).

In any event, I wanted to spread the word ASAP, and I urge all of you to take immediate action. I have been leery about the effectiveness of this bill for discharging student loan debt, precisely because of the quotes I've been seeing from Sallie Mae spokespeople. That means I'll be getting in touch with some Senators' offices first thing Tuesday morning (when I'm done with my own work in Seoul and already home for the night).

Anyway, here's what I received from TICAS:

Take Action: No Sallie Mae Oversight in Senate Bill?

The financial reform bill pending in the Senate does not give the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau full authority over all private student loans.  In fact, the new bureau may not even have enforcement authority over Sallie Mae, the largest private student lender. 
The House-passed version of the bill would give the new consumer protection entity full oversight over all private student loans.  The House bill would also require lenders to confirm with the school that the student is eligible to borrow the requested amount and has been notified of any untapped federal loan eligibility. This gives schools a critical opportunity to counsel students before they take out a private loan.

Please urge your Senators to give the consumer protection bureau full authority over all private student loans to help make sure they are only used as a last resort, when absolutely necessary.

 On a final note, many thanks to those of you who have offered testimonials for my proposed book plan on the student lending crisis. I will certainly keep everyone abreast on the forthcoming developments of that . . .