News Scoop

NEWS SCOOP: Sallie Mae Demands SUNY Colleges Turn Over Students' Personal Data

Ed Policy — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:00:00 -0400

Lenders that market private loans directly to students are increasingly using state open government laws to demand public colleges turn over personal data on their students.

Late last month, student loan giant Sallie Mae filed a

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.

NEWS SCOOP: College Aid Plan Details

Ed Policy — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:00:00 -0400

With release of a more than $20 billion higher education budget reconciliation plan that slashes student loan provider subsidies over the next five years and includes a groundbreaking pilot auction program that uses market forces to set student loan subsidy rates, the U.S. Congress moved to dramatically increase student financial aid. This…

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.

NEWS SCOOP: Sallie Mae Spending Spree to Buy Political Influence

Ed Policy — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:00:00 -0400

You can do a lot of things with $108,000 - send close to 50 students to community college for a year, fund 50 Pell Grants or donate 6,033 copies of the forthcoming Harry Potter book to your local school - to name just a few. But Sallie Mae is hoping $108,000 can…

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.

EXCLUSIVE: Education Department Official Implicated in Widening Student Loan Scandal

Ed Policy — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:00:00 -0400

Higher Ed Watch has learned that a top Education Department official held at least $100,000 worth of stock in a student loan company that may have substantially benefited from its ties to him.

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing by Education Lending Group (see chart…

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.

NEWS SCOOP: Stock Options Provided to Financial Aid Officers by Student Loan Provider

Ed Policy — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:00:00 -0400

As per an investigation by the New America Foundation, Higher Ed Watch has learned of several financial aid administrators who had significant personal investments in a publicly traded, for-profit student loan company. Following our request for university comment, an implicated Dean was…

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.

News Scoop: Sallie Mae Chairman Al Lord Being Investigated by House

Ed Policy — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Just when things were starting to look bad for the student loan industry, Sallie Mae Chairman Al Lord made them even worse.

Congressional leaders announced today they are investigating whether Mr. Lord received…

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.

NEWS SCOOP: New York State Attorney General Investigating Student Loan Deals

Ed Policy — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Higher Ed Watch has learned that the New York State Attorney General's Office has begun looking into the sweetheart deals that some lenders have struck with financial aid administrators to win student loan business.

In late December,

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.

NEWS SCOOP: Loan Company Offers Caribbean Junket to Financial Aid Officers

Ed Policy — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 01:00:00 -0400

Six weeks ago, Loan to Learn, a private student loan company, rose to defend the "integrity and intentions of financial aid professionals" accused of receiving cash and in-kind payments for driving students to particular college loan providers.

The company wrote an open letter saying, "It is Loan to…

Note: This post pre-dates Higher Ed Watch's shift to a new publishing system. For the complete original post, including any comments, please click here.