Protect Borrowers

@protectborrowers.bsky.social

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Protect Borrowers (fka—SBPC). We protect people from predatory lenders & fight for an economy where debt doesn’t limit opportunity. 🗞️press@protectborrowers.org

Screenshot of linked MS NOW op-ed, “How Donald Trump is wrecking the finances of families with student loan debt””
Photo of a family home with a title reading, “Power Failure: Energy bills are soaring, and more families are falling behind,” and mentioning The Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers’ new updated utility debt report.
Screenshot of image from James Baratta’s linked The American Prospect article, “Student Loan Borrowers Beware” featuring an aerial dancer handing out glass of champagne at the conference. Subtitle reads, “Champagne?”
Image of an aerialist plying financial aid officials with champagne paid for by private student lenders at the NASFAA 60th Anniversary Gala in 2026 from In Debt Substack post "Congress Wants to Make it Easier to Load Students Up with State-Based Private Student Loan Debt" by Aissa Canchola Bañez, July 29, 2026. https://indebt.substack.com/p/congress-wants-to-make-it-easier Original image source: The American Prospect article “Student Loan Borrowers Beware” by James Baratta from July 23, 2026.
Screenshot of AP’s line chart, “Over 9 million student loan borrowers are now in default.”
Image of the cover of the Substack post "Let Them Eat Credit" "As grocery prices skyrocket, Americans are going into debt just to eat, and Congress is making it worse." by Mark Huelsman on Protect Borrowers' Substack In Debt on July 23, 2026. https://indebt.substack.com/p/let-them-eat-credit
Screenshot of press release linked in comments, "‘One Big Bill’ Story Gathering Campaign Launches to Document the Financial Harm of OBBBA on Working Families With Student Loan Debt"
Screenshot of Protect Borrowers press release of BNPL report: https://protectborrowers.org/widespread-financial-desperation-pushing-americans-to-lean-on-fee-laden-bnpl/ "Widespread Financial Desperation Pushing Americans to Lean on Fee-Laden Buy Now, Pay Later Loans to Make Ends Meet, New Protect Borrowers Investigation Shows" New Poll Finds that Supermajority of Voters Supports Government Action to Rein in Predatory BNPL Industry, Protect Borrowers Calls on Policymakers to Take Action
“This was a simple but powerful case with serious implications for working people across the country,” said Protect Borrowers legal dir. Winston Berkman-Breen. “Today the Court recognized ED's unlawful attempt to empower the Trump Admin to target political opposition at the expense of borrowers & public service. This rule was clear overreach & has already harmed public service employers & workers across the country, including our 14 plaintiffs.
Albuquerque New Mexico: - 929,919 total metropolitan area population - Over 1 in 6 have student debt - $38,400 average student loan debt - 80% have credit card debt - 1 in 8 credit card borrowers are severely delinquent - Over 1 in 4 credit card borrowers are using over 75% of their credit limits - Nearly 40% have auto debt - $19,400 average auto loan debt SOURCES: tinyurl.com/fact-sheet-albuquerque-2026 JUNE 2026
Meme of “Weekend at Bernie’s movie poster with photos of Russ Vought’s and Trump’s faces, and the CFPB logo, superimposed on the faces.
Figure 1 from the linked report showing the 13 possible different companies a student loan borrower may get bounced between when trying to navigate the student loan system.
By our estimates, for undergraduate borrowers in a 4-year program who take the 6 months of interest forbearance and have the upcoming AY 2026-2027 interest rate of 6.52 percent: Eliminating the subsidized loan program would force undergraduate borrowers to pay off an additional $3,885 in interest alone. Dependent students would owe $32,639 by 6 months after graduation, as opposed to $28,754 under the current system. Independent students would owe $54,427 by 6 months after graduation, as opposed to $50,542 under the current system. If interest rates were to increase to the statutory cap of 8.25 percent, borrowers would be in even worse financial straits. Student loan borrowers could expect to owe an additional $1,000 in interest for each year that they are deprived of the interest subsidy, on average.
Screenshot of today's NYT front page with an annotation pointing to Cowley's article about households in America using credit to get by "Consumers Lean on a ‘Hamster Wheel’ of Credit to Manage Rising Costs" https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/10/business/consumers-credit-inflation-costs.html
Justice for borrowers cheated out of their dreams [icon of a ladder leading up to the clouds with a giant bag labeled “debt” on it, breaking the rungs].
“The gender pay gap + student debt = a double burden for women.”
No family should face food or housing insecurity because of unaffordable student loan payments.
“Higher education has become a barrier to the middle class,” with a graphic of a boulder blocking a pathway.
Predatory student loan servicing companies harm hardworking families.
“Older borrowers with student debt must not be forgotten and left behind,” with a graphic of a fist raised in solidarity.
“Student debt cancellation is critical for millions of hardworking, struggling families,” with an icon of a family.
Student debt WIDENS the racial wealth gap [words are in a gap between icons of mountains]
For #BlackHistoryMonth, Let’s remember that Student Debt Perpetuates the Racial Wealth Gap. [icons of broken grap caps]
"This work matters. It’s a lifeline for borrowers and a safeguard against a system that too often fails them. Dismantling this function is unconscionable and will cost real people real money." — Julia Barnard, illegally fired top student loan industry watchdog
“For-profit college lobby lawmakers for sweetheart deals while they rip students off.” [icon of a broken heart]
Education not debt.
Screenshot of a @ZachSchermele tweet reading “Markey says DOGE stands for “Department of Gutting Education”
Linda McMahon's loyalty must be to borrowers. Not to Trump and his Project 2025 agenda. #StopProject2025
Linda McMahon is a Trump loyalist who will rubber stamp his Project 2025 policies that will hurt public ed and worsen the student debt crisis. [icon of a rubber stamp reading “warning”]
Nearly two-thirds of voters oppose efforts to tax scholarship and fellowship assistance that students and families rely on to cover the cost of college [bar graph indicating these stats from the linked poll https://protectborrowers.org/new-poll-overwhelming-bipartisan-majority-reject-cuts-to-the-student-loan-safety-net-and-financial-aid/ ]
Fewer than 1-in-6 Democrats, 1-in-4 independents, and 1-in-3 Republicans back the GOP's plan to gut income-based repayment options for student debt [bar graph indicating these stats from the linked poll https://protectborrowers.org/new-poll-overwhelming-bipartisan-majority-reject-cuts-to-the-student-loan-safety-net-and-financial-aid/ ]
New poll: Voters across party lines and demographics oppose attacks on borrowers & the student loan safety net to fund tax cuts for the rich. [logo of Groundwork Collaborative, logo of Data for Progress, logo of Student Borrower Protection Center]
FREE WEBINAR: What to know about your student loans right now REGISTER: https://bit.ly/FEB-19TH-EVENT Wednesday, February 19th, 12 pm et
Corruption and negligence are features of the student loan system, not bugs [icons of bugs].
“We have been paying off our student loans since 1996. We now owe $133000 because Navient states that we didn't make any payment for 5 years... Contacted Department of Education and made a complaint, but stated it was up to us to work it out with Navient. No help for us. My wife is collection social security and I'm on track to retire in 5 years. No help for us!” - “Robert R & Holly, WI
Employers use traps to turn their employees into debtors [icon of a bear trap].
Follow the money [image of a maze leading to a shark hoarding money].
Polling data showing A Majority of Voters Across Age and Education Lines Oppose an Executive Action to Abolish the U.S. Department of Education. January 31 to February 2, 2025 survey of 1,294 U.S. likely voters. [Groundwork Collaborative logo] [Data for Progress logo] [Student Borrower Protection Center logo]
Student debt hardship wasn’t inevitable.
Private, for-profit “online program managers” known as OPMs are putting students at risk [icon of an arrow].