[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-1008]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 14, 1994]


_______________________________________________________________________

Part V





Department of Education





_______________________________________________________________________



34 CFR Part 682




Federal Family Education Loan Program; Proposed Rule
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Part 682

RIN 1840-AB83

 
Federal Family Education Loan Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to amend the regulations governing the 
Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. The FFEL Program consists 
of the Federal Stafford, Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS), 
Federal PLUS, and the Federal Consolidation Loan programs. These 
amendments are needed to implement changes made to the Higher Education 
Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), by the Higher Education Amendments of 
1992. The proposed regulations would amend the FFEL Program loan 
cancellation provisions and enhance the ability of lenders and guaranty 
agencies to service and collect FFEL Program loans.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 14, 1994.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed regulations should be 
addressed to Pamela A. Moran, Acting Chief, Loans Branch, Division of 
Policy Development, Policy, Training, and Analysis Service, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW. (room 4310, ROB-3), 
Washington, DC 20202-5449.
    A copy of any comments that concern information collection 
requirements should also be sent to the Office of Management and Budget 
at the address listed in the Paperwork Reduction Act section of this 
preamble.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Harris, Senior Program 
Specialist, Loans Branch, Division of Policy Development, Policy, 
Training, and Analysis Service, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW. (room 4310, ROB-3), Washington, DC 20202-5449. 
Telephone: (202) 708-8242. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 
time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Secretary is proposing to revise 34 CFR part 682 to implement 
changes made to the HEA by the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 
(Pub. L. 102-325), enacted July 23, 1992, as well as certain changes 
added by Public Law 103-208, enacted December 20, 1993. These 
regulations seek to improve the efficiency of federal student aid 
programs, and, by so doing, to improve their capacity to enhance 
opportunities for postsecondary education.

Summary of Comments From Regional Meetings

    In compliance with section 492(a) of the HEA, the Secretary 
convened regional meetings during September 1992 to obtain public 
involvement in the development of proposed regulations. The purpose of 
the meetings was to ``provide for a comprehensive discussion and 
exchange of information concerning the implementation'' of certain 
parts of Public Law 102-325. In addition, attendees at the regional 
meetings were asked to nominate individuals to act as negotiators in 
the negotiated rulemaking process required by section 492(b) of the 
HEA.
    The regional meetings were conducted for two days each in San 
Francisco, California; New York, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; and Kansas 
City, Missouri. Each participant at the regional meetings was assigned 
to one of six groups which were asked to discuss particular issue areas 
identified by the Department. Each group at the regional meetings 
prepared a report of its discussion and recommendations and those 
reports were presented to the Department for consideration during the 
preparation of the proposed regulations.
    The issues addressed in this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking were 
discussed by one of the groups at each regional meeting. The specific 
recommendations made at those meetings are addressed below. The 
Secretary considered these comments in preparing draft proposed 
regulations.

1. Loan Discharge for Borrowers Attending Schools That Close

    Public Law 102-325 added section 437(c) to the HEA to provide that 
loans will be canceled for student borrowers who are unable to complete 
their program of study because the school closed. The specific issues 
described below were discussed in connection with this section.
a. Criteria
    The statute requires that, to qualify for a cancellation, the 
borrower must be ``unable to complete his or her program'' because the 
school closed. Participants at the San Francisco meeting recommended 
that the cancellation be available to student borrowers who are in 
attendance at the school at the time the school closes, or are on a 
leave of absence or left the school within 60 days prior to the 
school's closure because of deteriorating conditions at the school. The 
participants at the New York meeting agreed that students who are 
registered at the time the school closed should have their loans 
canceled but recommended that the benefit also be provided to borrowers 
who left within 90 days prior to the school's closure. Participants at 
the Kansas City meeting endorsed the 60-day time frame but also 
recommended that the regulations focus on the date of any announcement 
that the school is closing if that is earlier than the actual date that 
the school closed. Participants at the Atlanta meeting recommended that 
loan cancellation be provided to students who are in attendance or on a 
leave of absence at the time the school closed.
b. Prior Payments
    Participants at all of the meetings agreed that any payments made 
by the borrower prior to discharge of the loan should be refunded.
c. Teach-Outs
    Participants at the meetings discussed whether a loan made to a 
student who is offered a teach-out of the program in which the student 
was enrolled should be canceled. The participants at the Atlanta 
meeting concluded that a loan should not be discharged if the student 
completed a teach-out during the academic year for which the loan was 
made, but that the loan should be discharged if the borrower did not 
take or did not complete a teach-out during that time. Participants at 
the New York and Kansas City meetings concluded that a borrower should 
have the option of whether to accept a teach-out and should have the 
loan discharged if the student does not choose or does not complete a 
teach-out program. Attendees at the San Francisco meeting stated that 
they believed that teach-outs do not work well in practice and that 
loans should be canceled if a borrower does not choose to complete the 
program through a teach-out.
d. Extent of Cancellation
    Attendees at each of the meetings also discussed whether loans 
should be canceled only for the academic term for which the borrower 
received the loan or whether all loans received for the program should 
be canceled. Attendees at the Atlanta meeting agreed that only the loan 
made for the period in which the school closed should be canceled. 
Participants at the meetings in New York and San Francisco (and a 
substantial minority in Atlanta) recommended that the regulations 
distinguish between students enrolled in certificate programs and 
students enrolled in degree programs. The attendees at those meetings 
believed that certificate students were unlikely to be able to transfer 
the credits earned at the closed school and should have all loans 
canceled, but that students attending degree-granting schools are 
likely to be able to transfer their credits and should only receive 
cancellation of the loan for the period in which the school closed.
e. Process and Documentation Requirements
    Attendees at the San Francisco meeting recommended that the 
Secretary be responsible for notifying the guaranty agencies when a 
school closes and that the agencies would be responsible for notifying 
the lenders of the loans eligible for cancellation. The attendees at 
that meeting also recommended that collection activity be suspended on 
the affected loans and that public service announcements be used to 
notify possibly affected students but that the students not be required 
to complete any applications or paperwork to prove their entitlement. 
The attendees at the Atlanta meeting also recommended that the 
Secretary or a State agency be responsible for determining that a 
school has closed and that the agencies would notify the affected 
lenders. The attendees at that meeting also recommended that the 
borrower not be required to provide documentation and recommended that 
credit bureau reporting be suspended during the investigation of 
possibly affected loans. Attendees at the New York meeting recommended 
that the date of a school's closure be determined by the applicable 
State licensing authority and also recommended that the student not be 
required to provide documentation of eligibility for cancellation of 
the loan.

2. Discharge of Loans for Borrowers Whose Eligibility was Falsely 
Certified by the School

    Section 437(c) to the HEA also provided that loans will be canceled 
for borrowers whose eligibility to borrow was falsely certified by the 
school. The specific issues described below were discussed in 
connection with this section.
a. Definition of ``False Certification''
    Participants at the San Francisco meeting recommended that the 
Department's regulations provide that the following situations should 
be considered ``false certification:'' a school certifies an 
application for a borrower who is not eligible because he or she does 
not have the ability to benefit from the training offered; there is 
fraud by the school in completing or certifying the loan application or 
the school cashes checks without the borrower's endorsement; or the 
school submits an incorrect budget, wrong expected family contribution, 
or other information vital to the determination of the borrower's 
eligibility. The participants at the Atlanta meeting recommended that 
the definition of ``false certification'' include forged checks, 
falsification of the student's program eligibility or eligibility for a 
particular loan amount, and falsification of the borrower's signature. 
Participants at the New York meeting recommended that the Department 
define ``false certification'' as including the situation in which the 
school falsely certifies that it is an eligible institution.
b. Need for Showing of Intent
    Participants at the San Francisco meeting recommended that the 
regulations provide that ``false certification'' must relate to the 
school's intent to deceive and not include a clerical error. The 
participants at the New York meeting, who also discussed this issue, 
did not reach a consensus regarding the requirement for a showing of 
intent by the school.
c. Procedures
    Only the attendees at the Atlanta meeting discussed the procedures 
that should be utilized in implementing the provision for discharge of 
loans in cases of false certification. Participants at the Atlanta 
meeting recommended that the regulations provide that the determination 
of a false certification can be made by the Department, the guaranty 
agency, or the courts. They also recommended that if the guaranty 
agency makes the decision, the regulations should allow the school to 
appeal that decision to the Secretary. Participants at that meeting 
also recommended that a lender be required to notify the guaranty 
agency within 30 days of receiving a complaint that a loan was falsely 
certified and that collection activity be suspended while the agency 
investigates the claim. The agency would be required to complete its 
investigation within 6 months.

3. Repayment of Bankruptcy Claims

    Public Law 102-325 changed the procedure for payment of bankruptcy 
claims by the Department and requires the Secretary to repay the loan 
if collection of the loan is stayed under Title 11 of the Bankruptcy 
Code. Participants at all of the regional meetings recommended that the 
Department define ``stay'' in accordance with the current definition in 
the Bankruptcy Code. However, in response to the Department's question 
regarding the appropriate procedure for handling loans that are not 
ultimately discharged in bankruptcy, there were differences of opinion. 
The attendees at the San Francisco meeting recommended that if a loan 
was not likely to be discharged by the bankruptcy court, the guaranty 
agency should obtain the loan from the lender and hold it until the 
bankruptcy court action is completed and then return it to the lender. 
Attendees at the New York meeting recommended that lenders be permitted 
to file bankruptcy claims for payment directly to the Secretary and if 
the Secretary wanted the guaranty agency to service the account, the 
agency should be permitted to receive at least a portion of any 
repayment. They also recommended that the lender be given the option to 
repurchase any loan that is not discharged in bankruptcy. Participants 
at the Atlanta meeting recommended that lenders be required to 
repurchase any loans not discharged on which a claim was paid. Because 
this amendment has now been superseded by section 2(c)(63) of Public 
Law 103-208, which incorporated the provisions found in current FFEL 
Program regulations, these comments are now moot.

4. Garnishment

    The last statutory provision reflected in these proposed 
regulations is section 488A of the HEA, which establishes a national 
wage garnishment law. That section was added by Public Law 102-164, the 
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991, and was not discussed 
during the regional meetings or the negotiated rulemaking sessions.

Negotiated Rulemaking

    After completion of the regional meetings, the Department prepared 
draft proposed regulations to implement the provisions of Public Law 
102-325 relating to the FFEL Program. In accordance with the 
requirements of section 492(b) of the HEA, those regulations were 
submitted to a negotiated rulemaking process. During the weeks of 
January 4-8 and February 1-5, 1993, the Department met with negotiators 
selected from among individuals nominated by attendees at the regional 
meetings.
    The discussion below of the proposed regulations reflects those 
areas where the negotiators reached a consensus and the proposed 
regulations reflect that agreement. The discussion below also indicates 
where consensus was not reached during the negotiations. However, the 
negotiators did not choose to discuss every part of the proposed 
regulations. Accordingly, the discussion below of those issues not 
discussed during the negotiations reflects only the views of the 
Secretary.

Proposed Regulatory Changes

Section 682.202  Permissible Charges by Lenders to Borrowers

    The proposed regulations would implement the requirements of 
section 427A of the HEA. The changes in this section include the 
creation of variable interest rates for new Stafford loan borrowers and 
the return of excess interest to certain Stafford loan borrowers.
    The Secretary estimates that lenders collectively will need an 
additional 250,000 hours to comply with the requirement that excess 
interest be returned to certain Stafford loan borrowers. This 
requirement is taken directly from the HEA.

Section 682.208  Due Diligence in Servicing a Loan

    The proposed regulations would implement the requirements of 
section 428(b)(2)(F) of the HEA. Under the regulations, in cases where 
the holder of the loan remains the same, but there is a servicing 
change that results in a change in the identity of the party to whom 
the borrower must send payments or direct communications, the Secretary 
would apply the same borrower notification requirements that are 
required by current regulations at 34 CFR 682.208(e) when a loan is 
sold or transferred.
    The Secretary does not view this requirement as one that imposes 
any additional burden because lenders and servicers already notify 
borrowers, as a normal business practice, whenever there is a servicing 
change that results in a change in the identity of the party to whom 
the borrower must send payments or direct communications. This 
requirement is taken directly from the HEA.

Section 682.402  Death, Disability, Closed School, False Certification, 
and Bankruptcy Payments

    The proposed regulations would implement the requirements of 
section 437 of the HEA. The regulations reflect the new statutory 
provision for cancellation of a parent's PLUS loan if the student for 
whom the parent borrowed died. This was not a subject of controversy at 
the regional meetings or during the negotiations.
    The proposed regulations implement the requirements of the HEA with 
regard to the discharge of a borrower's liability on an FFEL Program 
loan if the student was unable to complete an educational program 
because of the closure of the school. In developing criteria to be used 
to determine a borrower's eligibility for a closed school loan 
discharge, the Secretary believes that a student who completed his or 
her educational program by transferring academic credits or hours 
earned at the closed school to another school, or who completed the 
program through a teach-out of the educational program at a different 
school, should not qualify for a loan cancellation. The Secretary 
believes that the closed school discharge was intended to benefit 
students who could not complete their education because their school 
closed, and does not believe that a student who was able to complete 
the educational program for which the loan paid should be able to avoid 
repaying that loan. The Secretary is particularly interested in 
receiving public comment as to the appropriate treatment of a 
borrower's loan obligations if the educational program for which the 
loan was obtained was a multi-year program and the student was able to 
complete one or more years of that program.
    The Secretary also believes, contrary to the majority sentiment 
expressed at the regional meetings and by the negotiators, that a 
borrower should submit to the holder a sworn statement that 
demonstrates that the borrower is eligible for a closed school 
discharge to assist the Secretary or the Secretary's designees in 
pursuing claims against the closed school, and to secure the borrowers 
written commitment to the representations on which he or she seeks 
relief. The Secretary believes that an affidavit or sworn statement is 
essential in protecting the interests of the federal taxpayer, and 
therefore proposes that one be obtained from the student as a condition 
of loan discharge. By virtue of Federal law (28 U.S.C. 1746), this 
affidavit or statement need not be notarized, but the borrower must 
state in the document that the borrower makes the statement under 
penalty of perjury.
    The Secretary agrees with the sentiment expressed at the regional 
meetings and by the negotiators that conditions at the school 
immediately preceding its closing may cause a deterioration in the 
educational program that would cause a student to withdraw. A student 
who withdraws under these circumstances should be deemed to have been 
unable to complete his or her educational program because of the 
school's closure. For purposes of considering the borrower eligible for 
loan discharge, and to balance the interests of the borrower and the 
federal taxpayers (who ultimately must pay the cost of each cancelled 
loan), the Secretary proposes to limit this withdrawal period to not 
more than 90 days prior to the date the school closed.

False Certification by a School of a Student's Eligibility To Borrow

    Participants in the regional meetings and the negotiators offered a 
wide variety of different actions by the school or the borrower that 
they believed should be considered a false certification of eligibility 
to borrow; these included virtually every express or implied 
representation in any way related to the FFEL Program made by the 
student to the school, or by the school to the lender, guarantor, 
accrediting agency, state authority, or the Secretary. The Secretary 
has not adopted these views in the proposed regulations, because the 
language of the statute itself and its legislative history shows that 
the intended scope of the authority to discharge loan obligations is 
considerably narrower than these commenters suggest. The statute 
authorizes discharge only if the school made a false ``certification of 
the student's eligibility,'' a term used only in the FFEL Program 
regulations, where it refers, only to those representations made by the 
school on the loan application itself regarding the status of the loan 
applicant (or the student for whom a parent wishes to obtain a PLUS 
loan) as an eligible student, 34 CFR 682.603; 682.201; and 668.7, and 
not to other written representations that relate to the borrower's 
request for a loan, the school's participation in the FFEL Program, or 
the quality of the schools program, facilities, or placement services. 
The legislative history further explains that this provision was 
intended to provide relief where the student was ``left without the 
skills needed to obtain employment'' because of the false certification 
of eligibility. H. R. Rep. No. 447, 102d Cong. 2d Sess. 52 (1991). The 
scope of the relief proposed by the Secretary here is guided by these 
two principles: that the false certification be that made by the school 
on the loan application regarding the borrower's eligibility, and that 
the falsity of the certification be directly related to the failure to 
provide necessary skills for employment.
    Some negotiators urged that grounds for cancellation should include 
such falsifications as forgery of the borrower's signature on the loan 
application or on the loan disbursement check. However, these 
representations are not part of the process of the ``certification of 
the student's eligibility to borrow.'' Moreover, as a practical matter, 
a borrower victimized by a forged loan application can be injured only 
if the borrower's endorsement is then forged on the loan disbursement 
check, or the check is negotiated without the borrower's endorsement at 
all. In either case, the borrower is generally not liable because such 
a loan is generally not legally enforceable. Therefore, not only does 
forgery not constitute a falsification in the loan ``certification'' 
process, but the borrower who is the victim of a forgery and did not 
receive the proceeds of the loan already has a complete defense to 
repayment of the loan, and needs no cancellation relief under this new 
section.
    Other negotiation participants suggested that erroneous school 
representations on a loan application regarding such matters as the 
borrower's (or student's) income, resources, family contribution, or 
recommended loan amount should be sufficient to constitute grounds for 
cancellation under this section. This kind of error could result in the 
borrower receiving a loan in a larger amount than he or she qualifies 
to receive. However, that student may nevertheless receive quality 
training at the school, and this kind of error or misrepresentation 
does not directly or invariably cause the borrower to be ``left without 
the skills needed to obtain employment.'' In addition, errors or 
misstatements of the borrower's financial need frequently result in the 
borrower receiving a loan either that only marginally exceeds the 
amount for which he or she actually qualified, or that qualified only 
for reinsurance but not for interest subsidies. Section 437(c) directs 
the discharge of the ``borrower's liability on the loan''--language 
that does not suggest that a partial discharge was contemplated or 
intended; discharging the borrower from financial obligation for the 
entire loan in such circumstances where the misstatement of financial 
need affects only part of the loan, or only the borrower's right to 
interest subsidies on all or part of that loan, is a remedy completely 
out of proportion to any injury suffered by the borrower as a result of 
the erroneous certification of his or her financial need. For these 
reasons, the Secretary concludes that erroneous representations of the 
borrower's financial need are not the kind of false certifications for 
which section 437 was intended to provide relief.
    In general, participants at the regional meetings and the 
negotiations recognized that grounds for cancellation of a loan 
obligation under section 437 of the HEA should include a case where a 
student was unable to obtain employment after attending the school, and 
the school had falsely certified that the student had the ability to 
benefit from the school's training. This kind of falsification is both 
part of the loan certification process and results in a student being 
left without needed skills. Therefore, the proposed regulations focus 
on the school's false representation that the student had the ability 
to benefit as the grounds for cancellation under this new provision.
    The statute and regulations have addressed the ability-to-benefit 
requirement for many years, and the proposed regulations reflect both 
the legal elements of that requirement and some enforcement 
perspectives developed in implementing it. For example, the school has 
always been required to test the ability to benefit only of those 
applicants who did not have a high school diploma, and the school 
therefore does not certify anything regarding the ability to benefit of 
high school graduates. Since 1987, students who had a general education 
diploma, or obtained one after enrolling, and students who lacked both 
a GED and a high school diploma but completed an institutionally 
prescribed remedial education program, have been deemed by Congress to 
have the ability to benefit, and the rule would incorporate that 
congressional judgement.
    The regulations therefore would generally permit relief in the case 
of a student whom the school was required to test for ability to 
benefit, but either failed to test at all, or tested in disregard of 
the requirements for proper use of the test adopted. Schools have a 
continuing legal obligation to administer tests, subject to criteria 
developed by the school's accreditor, in compliance with test 
protocols. These criteria and protocols may include requirements 
related both to the accuracy of the test results as to the individual 
tested and to the continuing development and validation of the test 
mechanism. Non-compliance with testing requirements may warrant 
administrative sanctions against the school, but a false certification 
claim under this provision requires the Department to determine a 
different question.
    A false certification claim depends not on whether the school met 
all its obligations with regard to testing, but on whether a test 
already given lacks credibility as a measure of the student's ability 
to benefit so that the Department should, in the absence of other 
evidence, regard the student as lacking that ability. The Secretary 
expects that practical, specific standards will be needed to help 
identify those deviations from testing requirements that support an 
inference that the student lacked ability to benefit. For example, use 
of photocopied versions of tests by the school or test administrator 
may violate the requirements of the test publisher, but may have no 
direct effect on the accuracy of the assessment of the student's 
ability to benefit. Use of an indefensibly low cutoff score by the 
school on an ability-to-benefit test does not discredit an assessment 
of the ability of those students who score above a legitimate cutoff 
score, such as those now published by the Secretary. Similarly, minor 
deviations from required time limits may have little effect on the 
validity of the test results. The Secretary intends to address these 
practical considerations in the final regulations, and invites public 
comment on the content of those standards or guidelines.
    In applying these standards, moreover, the Secretary has 
consistently recognized that a student may actually have the ability to 
benefit from the school's training even though the school does not test 
that student's ability or does so improperly. The proposed regulations 
therefore recognize that a student who actually obtains employment in 
the occupation for which the school's program was designed to prepare 
him or her had the actual ability to benefit from that training without 
regard to whether the school falsified its test of ability to benefit.
    A student not properly tested for ability to benefit who 
nevertheless completes the program of instruction can reasonably be 
considered to have found the training consistent with his or her 
aptitude, and the proposed regulations would provide for cancellation 
only if the a student had unsuccessfully tried to find employment in 
the occupation for which the program was designed to prepare him or 
her. Conversely, a student not properly tested who withdraws from the 
course can be reasonably regarded as having found the training not 
consistent with his or her aptitude, and the proposed regulations grant 
relief to this kind of student (or a parent PLUS borrower who borrowed 
on behalf of the student) unless the student actually obtained 
employment in that occupation.
    Consistent with the approach that the student's ability to benefit 
should be evaluated realistically, the proposed regulations would 
recognize that those individuals admitted on the basis of their ability 
to benefit who met one or more of the several statutory requirements 
would nevertheless be regarded as not having had that ability if they 
had a physical, mental, or personal impediment to employment in, or 
performance of the physical duties of, the occupation for which the 
program was designed. Individuals with certain kinds of criminal 
records or a history of mental illness may be barred from some 
positions for which the school proposed to train them, and these 
students could not benefit from the training even if they successfully 
completed a test sanctioned by both the industry and school's 
accrediting agency. Other students may lack the physical ability to 
perform a job for which their grades on an industry and accreditor-
approved test might otherwise show an ability to perform. Both kinds of 
students would qualify (or qualify the parent PLUS borrower) for relief 
under these regulations.
    A number of other kinds of falsification were considered as 
potential grounds for discharge of the loan under this provision, 
including a school's acceptance of a student into an ineligible 
program, but they were not adopted in these proposed regulations. As 
explained earlier, the statute uses fairly precise language to describe 
the grounds for discharge under this provision, and that language, by 
authorizing discharge where there has been a false certification ``by 
the eligible institution,'' does not authorize relief where the falsity 
relates to the eligibility of the institution itself. Thus, although 
misrepresentations regarding the school's financial or administrative 
capability, including the school's placement services or the quality of 
the school's facilities, faculty, or equipment, may well have induced 
the individual to enroll at the school, those representations are not 
part of the process of ``certification'' of the student's eligibility 
to borrow, tend to constitute claims that the institution was in fact 
not an ``eligible institution,'' and are not the kind of 
representations for which this statute authorizes relief. These 
proposed regulations therefore do not treat falsifications by the 
institution about itself as grounds for discharge.
    For the vocational schools that are the primary focus of this 
statutory provision, representations about the eligibility of the 
institution include representations about the eligibility of its 
programs, and, under the statute and regulations, the institution is 
virtually defined in terms of the programs it offers. 20 U.S.C. 1088 
(1992); 34 CFR 600.7, 668.7(a)(2)(v). Therefore, because the statute 
confines relief precisely to instances of false certifications 
regarding the eligibility of the student, not on representations that 
would tend to show that the institution itself was not eligible, the 
Secretary does not believe that the statute authorizes relief where the 
alleged misrepresentation goes to the eligibility of the program in 
which the student was enrolled. For these reasons, relief under the 
proposed regulations would not permit a borrower to secure cancellation 
by challenging the eligibility of the program or the school itself, but 
would require a demonstration by the student that the school failed to 
test (or tested improperly) his or her ability to benefit and that he 
or she did not secure employment in the occupation for which the school 
stated its program was designed to prepare the student.

Bankruptcy Claims

    Section 437(a) of the HEA as amended by the Higher Education 
Amendments of 1992 allowed a lender to submit and receive payment on a 
bankruptcy claim on the date on which the borrower filed for relief in 
bankruptcy, an action that ``stays collection'' of the loan, rather 
than when the loan was discharged, as under prior law. The proposed 
regulations submitted to the negotiation process would have revised 
current regulations as needed to implement this change. Other features 
of current bankruptcy claim processing were to remain unchanged. 
Section 2(c)(63) of Public Law 103-208 reinstated standards for payment 
of bankruptcy claims consistent with those now found in FFEL Program 
regulations at 34 CFR 682.402(d)(5); pursuant to section 5 of Public 
Law 103-208, this most recent change took effect as if enacted as part 
of the 1992 amendments. Any regulations needed to implement this 
change, moreover, are not subject to negotiated rulemaking requirements 
of section 492. To implement the new law, the Secretary is here 
withdrawing those proposals found in 34 CFR 682.402(f)(5) and (g)(2) 
(iv) and (v) as presented to the negotiators prior to the enactment of 
Public Law 103-208, and will leave in effect the provisions of current 
34 CFR 682.402(d)(5), redesignated here as Sec. 682.402(g)(5), and 
current Sec. 682.402(e)(2)(ii), redesignated here as 
Sec. 682.402(g)(2)(iv).
    By allowing a filing of a claim on the date ``collection of the 
loan is stayed''--the date of the filing of the petition by the 
borrower, or, in a Chapter 13 case, by the endorser or the borrower--
rather than the date a borrower receives a discharge, the statute might 
be read to permit claims to be submitted if an endorser files, rather 
than, as under prior law, only in borrower bankruptcies. Nothing in the 
amendments suggested that such a result was intended, and the proposed 
regulations would permit the submission of a bankruptcy claim only in 
the case of a borrower bankruptcy.
    The proposed regulations would continue to require lenders to file 
proofs of claim in the bankruptcy proceeding, unless the guaranty 
agency directs otherwise or the holder is officially notified by the 
court that no assets are available for distribution. If the guaranty 
agency later receives notice that assets have become available, the 
guarantor must file a proof of claim at that point.
    Participants in the negotiated rulemaking proceedings noted that a 
growing number of discharges were being received by borrowers who file 
sequential bankruptcy petitions, particularly those who first file for 
relief in Chapter 13. During the pendency of the prior bankruptcy case, 
loans in repayment less than seven years are non-dischargeable without 
proof of undue hardship, yet cannot be enforced by the holder according 
to their original terms; little or nothing may be paid on those loans 
during the proceeding. Rather than attempting to show that repayment 
would constitute an undue hardship, or negotiating an income-sensitive 
repayment arrangement with the holder, borrowers who complete their 
Chapter 13 proceeding may then file a second bankruptcy petition, 
making sure that the second is filed more than seven years after the 
loan entered repayment.
    The Bankruptcy Code excludes the period of ``any applicable 
suspension of the repayment period'' from the seven-year period during 
which loans are dischargeable only for undue hardship. 11 U.S.C. 
523(a)(8)(A). If the term ``suspension of the repayment period'' is 
read, as these borrowers contend, to include only forbearance or 
deferments granted by the holder of the loan, the reality of the 
forbearance imposed by virtue of the automatic stay in the prior 
bankruptcy--which barred enforcement of the loan according to its terms 
during the pendency of the bankruptcy--would be ignored, and borrowers 
who have neither made the required seven-year attempt to repay nor 
demonstrated undue hardship would obtain a discharge in the second 
bankruptcy. The Secretary does not consider this interpretation of the 
statute to be consistent with its purpose, and the only court that has 
addressed this precise issue has concluded that the period during which 
enforcement of a loan is stayed in a prior bankruptcy is an 
``applicable suspension of the repayment period'' for purposes of 
computing the seven-year period for a subsequent bankruptcy. In re 
Saburah, 136 B.R. 246, 254 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 1992).
    In light of the above discussion, the Secretary proposes to 
interpret the term ``applicable suspension of the repayment period'' to 
include periods during which the automatic stay in a bankruptcy 
proceeding is in effect. The Secretary further recognizes that a 
borrower who in fact meets his or her obligation under the original 
repayment agreement during the bankruptcy has acted in a manner 
consistent with the intent of the statute, and this proposed 
interpretation would not regard the period of the first bankruptcy as a 
period of suspension of repayment for the borrower.
    The death and bankruptcy requirements in proposed Sec. 682.402 are 
taken directly from the HEA. There is no change to the current 
disability cancellation.

Closed School Cancellations

    The closed school cancellation provision is taken, in large part, 
directly from the mandates of the HEA, although the proposed 
regulations reflect some areas of necessary interpretation. The 
discussion that follows is grouped into three major areas where the 
Secretary and the negotiators had discretion to interpret the statutory 
closed school cancellation provision:

1. Student Withdrawal Prior to the Closing of the School

    There was unanimous agreement among the negotiators and the 
Secretary that it would be inequitable to strictly limit a closed 
school cancellation to only those students who were in attendance at 
the school on the date that the school officially closed. As discussed 
earlier, conditions at the school immediately preceding its closing may 
have caused a deterioration in the educational program that would have 
prompted a student to withdraw. Such a student should not lose 
entitlement to a loan cancellation because of his or her prescience or 
inability to tolerate the school's deterioration. To balance the 
interests of students and the federal taxpayers (who ultimately must 
pay the cost of each cancelled loan), the Secretary proposes to limit 
this withdrawal period to not more than 90 days prior to the date the 
school closed.

2. Student Use of Teach-out or Transfer of Academic Credits

    As discussed earlier, the Secretary does not believe that a student 
who completed the educational program for which the loan was intended, 
even though the completion occurred through a teach-out at another 
school or by the student's transfer of academic credits earned at the 
closed school, should be able to avoid repaying that loan. The student 
is not required to transfer those credits or make use of a teach-out 
opportunity, but if the student chooses to do so, then the Secretary 
believes that, because the student was able to complete the educational 
program, it would be unfair to require the Federal taxpayer to pay the 
student's loan.

3. Student Statement Requirement

    The Secretary believes that a statement made by the student under 
penalty of perjury demonstrating eligibility for a closed school 
discharge should be obtained from the student to assist the Secretary 
or the Secretary's designees in pursuing claims against the closed 
school. Without this statement, the Secretary's ability to protect the 
interests of the Federal taxpayer would be frustrated.

Section 682.410  Fiscal, Administrative, and Enforcement Requirements

    The administrative wage garnishment requirements are taken directly 
from the HEA.
    The proposed regulations provide an alternative to the prescribed 
collection requirements in Sec. 682.410(b) if a guaranty agency uses 
collection agencies and administrative wage garnishment. Through these 
regulations, the Secretary expects to maximize default collections by 
the Department of Education, guaranty agencies, and the Internal 
Revenue Service.
    The proposed regulations implement the national wage garnishment 
provision in section 488A of the HEA, under which guaranty agencies or 
the Secretary may garnish up to 10 percent of the wages of a borrower 
who has defaulted on an FFEL Program loan or who is not making required 
payments under a repayment agreement. Under the proposed regulations, 
at least 30 days before garnishment proceedings are initiated the 
borrower must be given written notice informing him or her of the 
nature and amount of the loan obligation to be collected, the intention 
of the guaranty agency to initiate proceedings to collect the debt 
through deductions from pay, and an explanation of the borrower's 
rights regarding the proposed action.
    The proposed regulations provide the borrower with an opportunity 
to inspect and copy records related to the debt, establish a new 
repayment agreement, and receive a hearing concerning the existence or 
amount of the debt and the terms of a repayment schedule. In addition, 
no withholding of a debtor's wages may occur in the case of an 
individual who has been involuntarily separated from employment until 
that individual has been reemployed continuously for at least 12 
months. These proposed regulations would replace current regulatory 
provisions that authorize wage garnishment by guaranty agencies in 
certain circumstances.
    Section 488A of the HEA protects borrowers by prohibiting employers 
from taking disciplinary action against an individual based on the fact 
that the individual's wages are subject to garnishment. The statute 
permits a borrower to sue an employer who takes such an action, and 
authorizes the court to award attorneys' fees, punitive damages, back 
pay, reinstatement, or other remedies the court believes reasonably 
necessary.
    Section 488A(a) of the HEA preempts state laws that might prohibit 
garnishment to collect student loan debts. The Secretary particularly 
requests comments on whether there are other state laws that might 
frustrate the purpose of section 488A and should be preempted. The 
Secretary asks commenters to provide specific information on those 
laws.

Section 682.411  Due Diligence by Lenders in the Collection of Guaranty 
Agency Loans

    The proposed regulations implement the requirements of the HEA by 
requiring lenders to warn borrowers and endorsers about the possibility 
that their wages may be garnished by the guaranty agency if they 
default on their repayment obligations.
    There are minimal burdens, if any, that will be associated with 
including a warning about possible wage garnishment in the delinquency 
letters that are already required to be sent to borrowers.

Executive Order 12866

    These proposed regulations have been reviewed in accordance with 
Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order the Secretary has 
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
    The potential costs associated with the proposed regulations are 
those resulting from statutory requirements and those determined by the 
Secretary to be necessary for administering this program effectively 
and efficiently, as discussed in those sections of the preamble that 
relate to specific sections of the regulations. Burdens specifically 
associated with information collection requirements, if any, are 
identified and explained elsewhere in this preamble under the heading

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980

    In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative 
and qualitative--of these proposed regulations, the Secretary has 
determined that the benefits of the proposed regulations justify the 
costs, and do not interfere with State, local, and tribal governments 
in the exercise of their governmental functions.
    To assist the Department in complying with the specific 
requirements of Executive Order 12866, the Secretary invites comment on 
whether there may be further opportunities to reduce any potential 
costs or increase potential benefits resulting from these proposed 
regulations without impeding the effective and efficient administration 
of the program.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Secretary certifies that these proposed regulations would not 
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities.
    Certain reporting, recordkeeping, and compliance requirements are 
imposed on guaranty agencies, lenders, and schools by the regulations. 
These requirements, however, would not have a significant impact 
because they would not impose excessive regulatory burdens or require 
unnecessary Federal supervision.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980

    Sections 682.208, 682.402, and 682.410 contain information 
collection requirements. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1980, the Department of Education will submit a copy of these sections 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review. (44 U.S.C. 
3504(h))
    These regulations affect the following types of entities that 
participate in the FFEL Program: Guaranty agencies, lenders, and 
schools. The Department needs and uses this information to properly 
carry out its responsibility to administer certain aspects of the HEA.
    Annual public reporting burden for this collection of information 
is not expected to significantly increase. The collection and reporting 
of the information in Secs. 682.208 and 682.410 reflect normal business 
practice, whereas the closed school cancellation provision of 
Sec. 682.402 essentially substitutes a closed school claim for a 
default claim that normally would have occurred if the student did not 
repay a loan made for attendance at a school that closed.
    Organizations and individuals desiring to submit comments on the 
information collection requirements should direct them to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, room 3002, New Executive 
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503; Attention: Daniel J. Chenok.

Invitation To Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding these proposed regulations.
    All comments submitted in response to these proposed regulations 
will be available for public inspection, during and after the comment 
period, in ROB-3, room 4310, 7th and D Streets, SW., Washington, DC, 
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday of 
each week except Federal holidays.

Assessment of Educational Impact

    The Secretary particularly requests comments on whether the 
proposed regulations in this document would require transmission of 
information that is being gathered by or is available from any other 
agency or authority of the United States.

List of Subjects in 34 CFR Part 682

    Administrative practice and procedure, Colleges and universities, 
Education, Loan programs-education, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Student aid, Vocational education.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: 84.032 Federal 
Family Education Loan Program)

    Dated: January 11, 1994.
Richard W. Riley,
Secretary of Education.

    The Secretary proposes to amend title 34 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations by revising part 682 as follows:

PART 682--FEDERAL FAMILY EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM

    1. The authority citation for part 682 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1071 to 1087-2, unless otherwise noted.

    2. Section 682.202 has been amended by revising paragraphs (a) 
introductory text, and (a)(1) through (a)(4); adding a new paragraph 
(a)(6); and revising paragraphs (c) and (d) to read as follows:


Sec. 682.202  Permissible charges by lenders to borrowers.

* * * * *
    (a) Interest. The applicable interest rates for FFEL Program loans 
are given in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(4) of this section.
    (1) Stafford Loan Program. (i) If the borrower, on the date the 
promissory note evidencing the loan is signed, has an outstanding 
balance of principal or interest on a previous Stafford loan, the 
interest rate is the applicable interest rate on that previous Stafford 
loan.
    (ii) If the borrower, on the date the promissory note evidencing 
the loan is signed, has no outstanding balance on any FFEL Program 
loan, and the first disbursement is made--
    (A) Prior to October 1, 1992, for a loan covering a period of 
instruction beginning on or after July 1, 1988, the interest rate is 8 
percent until 48 months elapse after the repayment period begins, and 
10 percent thereafter; or
    (B) On or after October 1, 1992, the interest rate is a variable 
rate, applicable to each July 1-June 30 period, that equals the lesser 
of--
    (1) The bond equivalent rate of the 91-day Treasury bills auctioned 
at the final auction prior to the June 1 immediately preceding the July 
1-June 30 period, plus 3.10 percent; or
    (2) 9 percent.
    (iii) For a Stafford loan for which the first disbursement is made 
before October 1, 1992--
    (A) If the borrower, on the date the promissory note evidencing the 
loan is signed, has no outstanding balance on a Stafford loan but has 
an outstanding balance of principal or interest on a PLUS or SLS loan 
made for a period of enrollment beginning before July 1, 1988, or on a 
Consolidation loan that repaid a loan made for a period of enrollment 
beginning before July 1, 1988, the interest rate is 8 percent; or
    (B) If the borrower, on the date the promissory note evidencing the 
loan is signed, has an outstanding balance of principal or interest on 
a PLUS or SLS loan made for a period of enrollment beginning on or 
after July 1, 1988, or on a Consolidation loan that repaid a loan made 
for a period of enrollment beginning on or after July 1, 1988, the 
interest rate is 8 percent until 48 months elapse after the repayment 
period begins, and 10 percent thereafter.
    (iv) For a Stafford loan for which the first disbursement is made 
on or after October 1, 1992, if the borrower, on the date the 
promissory note evidencing the loan is signed, has no outstanding 
balance on a Stafford loan but has an outstanding balance of principal 
or interest on a PLUS, SLS, or Consolidation loan, the interest rate is 
8 percent.
    (2) PLUS Program. (i) For a combined repayment schedule under 
Sec. 682.209(d), the interest rate is the weighted average of the rates 
of all loans included under that schedule.
    (ii) For a loan disbursed on or after July 1, 1987 but prior to 
October 1, 1992, and for any loan made under Sec. 682.209 (e) or (f), 
the interest rate is a variable rate, applicable to each July 1-June 30 
period, that equals the lesser of--
    (A) The bond equivalent rate of the 52-week Treasury bills 
auctioned at the final auction prior to the June 1 immediately 
preceding the July 1-June 30 period, plus 3.25 percent; or
    (B) 12 percent.
    (iii) For a loan disbursed on or after October 1, 1992, the 
interest rate is a variable rate, applicable to each July 1-June 30 
period, that equals the lesser of--
    (A) The bond equivalent rate of the 52-week Treasury bills 
auctioned at the final auction prior to the June 1 immediately 
preceding the July 1-June 30 period, plus 3.10 percent; or
    (B) 10 percent.
    (3) SLS Program. (i) For a combined repayment schedule under 
Sec. 682.209(d), the interest rate is the weighted average of the rates 
of all loans included under that schedule.
    (ii) For a loan disbursed on or after July 1, 1987 but prior to 
October 1, 1992, and for any loan made under Sec. 682.209 (e) or (f), 
the interest rate is a variable rate, applicable to each July 1-June 30 
period, that equals the lesser of--
    (A) The bond equivalent rate of the 52-week Treasury bills 
auctioned at the final auction prior to the June 1 immediately 
preceding the July 1-June 30 period, plus 3.25 percent; or
    (B) 12 percent.
    (iii) For a loan disbursed on or after October 1, 1992, the 
interest rate is a variable rate, applicable to each July 1-June 30 
period, that equals the lesser of--
    (A) The bond equivalent rate of the 52-week Treasury bills 
auctioned at the final auction prior to the June 1 immediately 
preceding the July 1-June 30 period, plus 3.10 percent; or
    (B) 11 percent.
    (4) Consolidation Program. A Consolidation Program loan bears 
interest at the rate that is the greater of--
    (i) The weighted average of interest rates on the loans 
consolidated, rounded to the nearest whole percent; or
    (ii) 9 percent.
* * * * *
    (6) Refund of excess interest paid on Stafford loans.
    (i) For a loan with an applicable interest rate of 10 percent made 
prior to July 23, 1992, and for a loan with an applicable interest rate 
of 10 percent made from July 23, 1992 through September 30, 1992 to a 
borrower with no outstanding FFEL Program loans--
    (A) If at the end of any calendar quarter, the sum of the average 
of the bond equivalent rates of the 91-day Treasury bills auctioned for 
that quarter, plus 3.25 percent, is less than 10 percent, the lender 
shall calculate an adjustment and credit the adjustment to reduce the 
outstanding principal balance of the loan as specified under paragraph 
(a)(6)(i)(B) of this section if the borrower's account is not more than 
30 days delinquent on December 31. The amount of an adjustment for a 
calendar quarter is equal to--
    (1) 10 percent minus the sum of the average of the bond equivalent 
rates of the 91-day Treasury bills auctioned for the applicable quarter 
plus 3.25 percent;
    (2) Multiplied by the outstanding principal balance of the loan 
(not including unearned interest added to principal);
    (3) Divided by 4.
    (B) No later than 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar 
year, the holder of the loan shall apply any amounts computed under 
this paragraph to reduce the outstanding principal balance as of the 
date the holder adjusts the borrower's account, provided that the 
borrower's account was not more than 30 days delinquent on that 
December 31.
    (ii) For a fixed interest rate loan made on or after July 23, 1992 
to a borrower with an outstanding FFEL Program loan--
    (A) If at the end of any calendar quarter, the sum of the average 
of the bond equivalent rates of the 91-day Treasury bills auctioned for 
that quarter, plus 3.10 percent, is less than the applicable interest 
rate, the lender shall calculate an adjustment and credit the 
adjustment to reduce the outstanding principal balance of the loan as 
specified under paragraph (a)(6)(ii)(C) of this section if the 
borrower's account is not more than 30 days delinquent on December 31. 
The amount of an adjustment for a calendar quarter is equal to--
    (1) The applicable interest rate minus the sum of the average of 
the bond equivalent rates of the 91-day Treasury bills auctioned for 
the applicable quarter plus 3.10 percent;
    (2) Multiplied by the outstanding principal balance of the loan 
(not including unearned interest added to principal);
    (3) Divided by 4.
    (B) For any quarter or portion thereof that the Secretary was 
obligated to pay interest subsidy on behalf of the borrower, the holder 
of the loan shall refund to the Secretary, no later than the end of the 
following quarter, any excess interest calculated in accordance with 
this paragraph.
    (C) For any other quarter, the holder of the loan shall, within 30 
days of the end of the calendar year, reduce the borrower's outstanding 
principal by the amount of excess interest calculated in paragraph 
(a)(6)(ii)(A) of this section, provided that the borrower's account was 
not more than 30 days delinquent as of December 31.
    (D) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a)(6)(ii)(B) and (C) of this 
section, if the loan was disbursed during a quarter, the amount of any 
adjustment refunded to the Secretary or credited to the borrower for 
that quarter shall be prorated accordingly.
* * * * *
    (c) Fees for FFEL Program loans. A lender--
    (1) May charge a borrower an origination fee on a subsidized 
Stafford loan not to exceed the maximum rate specified by federal 
statute;
    (2) Shall charge a borrower an origination fee or insurance premium 
on an unsubsidized Stafford loan of 6.5 percent of the principal amount 
of the loan;
    (3) Shall charge a borrower an origination fee on an SLS or a PLUS 
loan of 5 percent of the principal amount of the loan;
    (4) Shall deduct a pro rata portion of the fee from each 
disbursement; and
    (5) Shall refund by a credit against the borrower's loan balance 
the portion of the fee previously deducted from the loan that is 
attributable to any portion of the loan that is--
    (i) Returned by the school to the lender;
    (ii) Repaid within 120 days of disbursement; or
    (iii) Not delivered within 120 days of disbursement.
    (d) Insurance Premium. Except in the case of an unsubsidized 
Stafford loan, a lender may charge the borrower the amount of the 
insurance premium paid by the lender to the guarantor up to 3 percent 
of the principal amount of the Stafford, SLS, or PLUS loan, if that 
charge is provided for in the promissory note.
* * * * *
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1077, 1078, 1078-1, 1078-2, 1078-3, 1079, 
1082, 1087-1, 1091a)

    3. Section 682.208 is amended by adding new paragraphs (e)(4), 
(e)(5), and (h) to read as follows:


Sec. 682.208  Due diligence in servicing a loan.

* * * * *
    (e) * * *
    (4) The assignor, or the assignee on behalf of the assignor, shall 
notify the guaranty agency that guaranteed the loan within 45 days of 
the date the assignee acquires a legally enforceable right to receive 
payment from the borrower on the loan of--
    (i) The assignment; and
    (ii) The name and address of the assignee, and the telephone number 
of the assignee that can be used to obtain information about the 
repayment of the loan.
    (5) The requirements of this paragraph, as to borrower 
notification, apply if the borrower is in a grace period or has entered 
the repayment period.
* * * * *
    (h) Notifying the borrower about a servicing change. If an FFEL 
Program loan has not been assigned, but there is a change in the 
identity of the party to whom the borrower must send subsequent 
payments or direct any communications concerning the loan, the holder 
of the loan shall, no later than 45 days after the date of the change, 
provide notice to the borrower of the name, telephone number, and 
address of the party to whom subsequent payments or communications must 
be sent. The requirements of this paragraph apply if the borrower is in 
a grace period or has entered the repayment period.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1077, 1078, 1078-1, 1078-2, 1078-3, 1079, 
1080, 1082, 1085)

    4. Section 682.402 is amended by revising the heading; by revising 
paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3); by adding a new paragraph (a)(4); by 
revising paragraphs (b) and (c)(1); by redesignating paragraphs (d), 
(e), (e)(2)(ii), (f), (f)(2)(ii), (g), (h), (i), (i)(3), (j), and (k) 
as paragraphs (f), (g), (g)(2)(iv), (h), (h)(2)(iii), (i), (j), (k), 
(k)(5), (l), and (m), respectively; by adding new paragraphs (d), (e), 
(g)(1)(vi), (g)(1)(vii), (h)(1)(iii), (k)(4), and (m)(5); by revising 
redesignated paragraphs (f)(2) through (f)(3), (f)(4) introductory 
text, (g)(1) introductory text, (g)(1)(i), (g)(2), (h) introductory 
text, (h)(1)(iv), (h)(2)(ii), (h)(3)(i), (h)(3)(ii), (i)(2) 
introductory text, (i)(2)(iv), (j) introductory text, (j)(1) 
introductory text, (j)(2), (k)(2), (k)(5), (l), and (m) introductory 
text; by reserving paragraph (k)(3); by removing the word ``and'' at 
the end of paragraph (m)(3)(ii); and by removing the period at the end 
of paragraph (m)(4), and adding in its place, a semicolon, to read as 
follows:


Sec. 682.402  Death, disability, closed school, false certification, 
and bankruptcy payments.

    (a) General. (1) Rules governing the payment of claims based on 
filing for relief in bankruptcy, and cancellation of loans due to 
death, total and permanent disability, attendance at a school that 
closes, and false certification by a school of a borrower's eligibility 
for a loan, are set forth in this section.
    (2) If a PLUS loan was obtained by two parents as co-makers, or a 
Consolidation loan was obtained by a married couple, and only one of 
the borrowers dies, becomes totally and permanently disabled, has 
collection of his or her loan obligation stayed by a bankruptcy filing, 
or has that obligation discharged in bankruptcy, the other borrower 
remains obligated to repay the loan.
    (3) A loan qualifies for payment under this section only to the 
extent that the loan is legally enforceable under applicable law by the 
holder of the loan.
    (4) For purposes of this section--
    (i) The legal enforceability of a loan is conclusively determined 
on the basis of a ruling by a court or administrative tribunal of 
competent jurisdiction with respect to that loan, or a ruling with 
respect to another loan in a judgment that collaterally estops the 
holder from contesting the enforceability of the loan;
    (ii) A loan is conclusively determined to be legally unenforceable 
to the extent that the guarantor determines, pursuant to an objection 
presented in a proceeding prior to credit bureau reporting, tax refund 
offset, wage garnishment, or other administrative proceeding, that the 
loan is not legally enforceable; and
    (iii) If an objection has been raised by the borrower or another 
party about the legal enforceability of the loan and no determination 
has been made under paragraph (a)(4) (i) or (ii) of this section, the 
Secretary may authorize the payment of a claim under this section under 
conditions the Secretary considers appropriate. If the Secretary 
determines in that or any other case that a claim was paid under this 
section with respect to a loan that was not a legally enforceable 
obligation of the borrower, the recipient of that payment must refund 
that amount of the payment to the Secretary.
    (b) Death. (1) If an individual borrower dies, or the student for 
whom a parent received a PLUS loan dies, the obligation of the borrower 
and any endorser to make any further payments on the loan is canceled.
    (2) In determining that a borrower (or student) has died, the 
lender may rely on a death certificate or other proof of death that is 
acceptable under applicable state law. If a death certificate or other 
acceptable proof of death is not available, the borrower's obligation 
on the loan can be canceled only if the guaranty agency determines that 
other evidence establishes that the borrower (or student) has died.
    (3) After receiving information indicating that the borrower (or 
student) has died, the lender, if it believes the information to be 
reliable, shall suspend any collection activity against the borrower 
and promptly request that the borrower's representative (or the 
student's parent in the case of a PLUS loan) provide the documentation 
described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section. During the suspension of 
collection activity, which may not exceed 60 days, the lender shall 
diligently attempt to obtain documentation verifying the borrower's (or 
student's) death. If, despite diligent attempts, the lender is not able 
to confirm the borrower's (or student's) death within 60 days, the 
lender shall resume collection activity from the point that it had been 
discontinued and is deemed to have exercised forbearance as to 
repayment of the loan during the period when collection activity was 
suspended.
    (4) Once the lender has determined under paragraph (b)(2) of this 
section that the borrower (or student) has died, the lender may not 
attempt to collect on the loan from the borrower's estate or from any 
endorser.
    (5) The lender shall return to the sender any payments received 
from the estate or paid on behalf of the borrower after the date of the 
borrower's (or student's) death.
    (c) Total and permanent disability. (1) If the lender determines 
that an individual borrower is totally and permanently disabled, the 
obligation of the borrower and any endorser to make any further 
payments on the loan is canceled. A borrower is not considered totally 
and permanently disabled on the basis of a condition that existed at 
the time he or she applied for the loan, unless the borrower's 
condition has substantially deteriorated later, so as to render the 
borrower totally and permanently disabled. In the case of a 
Consolidation loan, the borrower must certify that the condition did 
not exist prior to the time the borrower applied for each of the 
underlying loans, unless the condition has substantially deteriorated, 
so as to render the borrower totally and permanently disabled. If the 
condition existed prior to the date the Consolidation loan was made, 
the borrower must provide the lender with the disbursement dates of the 
underlying loans.
* * * * *
    (d) Closed school. (1) General. (i) The Secretary reimburses the 
holder of a loan received by a borrower on or after January 1, 1986, 
and discharges the borrower's obligation with respect to the loan, if 
the borrower (or the student for whom a parent received a PLUS loan) 
could not complete the program of study for which the loan was intended 
because the school at which the borrower (or student) was enrolled, 
closed, or the borrower (or student) withdrew from the school not more 
than 90 days prior to the date the school closed.
    (ii) For purposes of the closed school discharge authorized by this 
section--
    (A) A school's closure date is the date that the school ceases to 
provide educational instruction in all programs, as determined by the 
Secretary or the designated agency in the state in which the school is 
located;
    (B) The term ``borrower'' includes all endorsers on a loan; and
    (C) A ``school'' means a main campus or any location or branch of 
the main campus.
    (2) Relief available pursuant to discharge. (i) Discharge under 
paragraph (d) of this section relieves the borrower of an existing 
obligation to repay the loan and any charges imposed or costs incurred 
by the holder with respect to the loan that the borrower is otherwise 
obligated to pay.
    (ii) A discharge of a loan under paragraph (d) of this section 
qualifies the borrower for reimbursement of amounts paid voluntarily or 
through enforced collection on a loan obligation discharged under 
paragraph (d) of this section.
    (iii) A borrower who has defaulted on a loan discharged under 
paragraph (d) of this section is not regarded as in default on the loan 
after discharge, and is eligible to receive assistance under the Title 
IV, HEA programs.
    (iv) A discharge of a loan under paragraph (d) of this section must 
be reported by the loan holder to all credit reporting agencies to 
which the holder previously reported the status of the loan, so as to 
delete all adverse credit history assigned to the loan.
    (3) Borrower eligibility for discharge. A borrower qualifies for 
discharge of a loan under paragraph (d) of this section if the borrower 
submits to the holder of the loan a written request and sworn statement 
to the holder. The statement need not be notarized, but must be made by 
the borrower under penalty of perjury, and, in the statement, the 
borrower shall state--
    (i) Whether the student has made a claim with respect to the 
school's closing with any third party, such as the holder of a 
performance bond or a tuition recovery program, and if so, the amount 
of any payment received by the borrower (or student) or credited to the 
borrower's loan obligation;
    (ii) That the borrower (or the student for whom a parent received a 
PLUS loan)--
    (A) Received the proceeds of a loan on or after January 1, 1986 to 
attend a school;
    (B) Did not complete the educational program at that school because 
the school closed while the student was enrolled or on an approved 
leave of absence in accordance with Sec. 682.605(c), or the student 
withdrew from the school not more than 90 days before the school 
closed; and
    (C) Did not complete the program of study through a teach-out at 
another school or by transferring academic credits or hours earned at 
the closed school to another school;
    (iii) That the borrower agrees to provide, upon request by the 
Secretary or the Secretary's designee, other documentation reasonably 
available to the borrower that demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the 
Secretary or the Secretary's designee, that the student meets the 
qualifications in paragraph (d) of this section; and
    (iv) That the borrower agrees to cooperate with the Secretary or 
the Secretary's designee in enforcement actions in accordance with 
paragraph (d)(4) of this section, and to transfer any right to recovery 
against a third party pursuant to paragraph (d)(5) of this section.
    (4) Cooperation by borrower in enforcement actions. (i) In any 
judicial or administrative proceeding brought by the Secretary or the 
Secretary's designee to recover for amounts discharged under paragraph 
(d) of this section or to take other enforcement action with respect to 
the conduct on which those claims were based, a borrower who requests 
or receives a discharge under paragraph (d) of this section must 
cooperate with the Secretary or the Secretary's designee. At the 
request of the Secretary or the Secretary's designee, and upon the 
Secretary's or the Secretary's designee's tendering to the borrower of 
such fees and costs as are customarily provided in litigation to 
reimburse witnesses, the borrower shall--
    (A) Provide testimony regarding any representation made by the 
borrower to support a request for discharge; and
    (B) Produce any documentation available to the borrower with 
respect to those representations and any sworn statement required by 
the Secretary with respect to those representations and documents.
    (ii) The Secretary revokes the discharge, or denies the request for 
discharge, of a borrower who--
    (A) Fails to provide testimony, sworn statements, or documentation 
to support material representations made by the borrower to obtain the 
discharge; or
    (B) Provides testimony, a sworn statement, or documentation that 
does not support the material representations made by the borrower to 
obtain the discharge.
    (5) Transfer to the Secretary of borrower's right of recovery 
against third parties. (i) Upon discharge under paragraph (d) of this 
section, the borrower is deemed to have assigned to and relinquish in 
favor of the Secretary any right to a loan refund (up to the amount 
discharged) that the borrower (or student) may have by contract or 
applicable law with respect to the loan or the enrollment agreement for 
the program for which the loan was received, against the school, its 
principals, affiliates and their successors, its sureties, and any 
private or public fund.
    (ii) The provisions of paragraph (d) of this section applies 
notwithstanding any provision of State law that would otherwise 
restrict transfer of such rights by the borrower (or student), limit or 
prevent a transferee from exercising those rights, or establish 
procedures or a scheme of distribution that would prejudice the 
Secretary's ability to recover on those rights.
    (iii) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting or 
foreclosing the borrower's (or student's) right to pursue legal and 
equitable relief regarding disputes arising from matters otherwise 
unrelated to the loan discharged.
    (6) Guaranty agency responsibilities. (i) Procedures applicable to 
the period prior to the effective date of this regulation.
    (A) If a loan subject to paragraph (d) of this section was received 
for attendance at a school with a closure date after January 1, 1986 
but prior to August 29, 1994, the loan may be discharged in accordance 
with the procedures specified in paragraph (d)(6)(i) of this section.
    (B) If a loan subject to paragraph (d) of this section was 
discharged in part in accordance with the Secretary's ``Closed School 
Policy'' as authorized by section IV of Bulletin 89-G-159, the guaranty 
agency shall initiate the discharge of the remaining balance of the 
loan not later than September 28, 1994.
    (C) A guaranty agency shall review its records and identify all 
schools that appear to have closed after January 1, 1986 and prior to 
August 29, 1994, and shall identify all borrowers (or students) who 
appear to have been enrolled on the school closure date or who withdrew 
not more than 90 days prior to the closure date.
    (D) If a guaranty agency determines (or is informed by the 
Secretary) that a participating school has closed, it shall, within 30 
days of making that determination or being informed by the Secretary, 
notify all lenders participating in its program to suspend collection 
efforts against individuals with respect to loans made for attendance 
at the closed school, if the student to whom (or on whose behalf) a 
loan was made, was enrolled at the school on the closing date, or 
withdrew not more than 90 days prior to the date the school closed.
    (E) If a loan identified under paragraph (d)(6)(i)(C) of this 
section is held by the guaranty agency as a defaulted loan and the 
borrower's current address is known, the guaranty agency shall, within 
30 days after identifying a borrower under paragraph (d)(6)(i)(C) of 
this section, mail a discharge application that meets the requirements 
of paragraph (d)(6)(ii)(C) of this section to the borrower.
    (F) If a loan identified under paragraph (d)(6)(i)(C) of this 
section is held by the guaranty agency as a defaulted loan and the 
borrower's current address is unknown, the agency shall, by August 29, 
1995, further refine the list of borrowers whose loans are potentially 
subject to discharge under paragraph (d) of this section by consulting 
with representatives of the closed school, the school's licensing 
agency, accrediting agency, and other appropriate parties. Upon 
learning the borrower's new address, the guaranty agency shall, within 
30 days, mail a discharge application to the borrower.
    (ii) Procedures applicable to the period beginning on or after the 
effective date of this regulation.
    (A) A guaranty agency shall notify the Secretary immediately 
whenever it becomes aware of reliable information indicating a 
participating school may have closed. The designated agency in the 
state in which the school is located shall promptly investigate whether 
the school has closed, and whether a teach-out of the closed school's 
program was made available to students, and report the results of its 
investigation to the Secretary no later than 30 days after receiving 
the information.
    (B) If a guaranty agency determines (or is informed by the 
Secretary) that a participating school has closed, it shall, within 30 
days of making that determination or being informed by the Secretary, 
notify all lenders participating in its program to suspend collection 
efforts against individuals with respect to loans made for attendance 
at the closed school, if the student to whom (or on whose behalf) a 
loan was made was enrolled at the school on the closing date or 
withdrew not more than 90 days prior to the date the school closed.
    (C) Within 30 days after receiving notice from the Secretary that a 
school has closed, a guaranty agency shall review its records of loans 
that it holds and identify all borrowers (or students) who appear to 
have been enrolled at the closed school on the closing date or who 
withdrew not more than 90 days prior to the date the school closed. If 
the guaranty agency knows the borrower's address, it shall, within 30 
days after identifying a borrower under paragraph (d) of this section, 
mail a discharge application and an explanation of the information that 
must be included in the sworn statement (which may be combined) to the 
borrower. The application shall inform the borrower of the procedures 
and eligibility criteria for obtaining a discharge.
    (D) If the guaranty agency determines that a borrower identified in 
paragraph (d)(6)(ii)(C) of this section does not qualify for a 
discharge, the agency shall notify the borrower in writing of that 
determination and the reasons for it within 30 days after receiving the 
borrower's completed application and sworn statement.
    (E) A borrower's request for discharge may not be denied solely on 
the basis of failing to meet any time limits set by the lender, 
guaranty agency, or the Secretary.
    (7) Lender responsibilities. (i) If the lender is notified by a 
guaranty agency or the Secretary, or receives information it believes 
to be reliable from another source indicating that the borrower may be 
eligible for a loan cancellation under paragraph (d) of this section, 
the lender shall immediately suspend any efforts to collect from the 
borrower on any loan received for the program of study for which the 
loan was made (but may continue to receive borrower payments), and, 
within 30 days of receiving the information or notification, inform the 
borrower of the procedures for requesting a discharge.
    (ii) If the borrower fails to submit the written request and sworn 
statement described in paragraph (d)(3) of this section within 60 days 
of being notified of that option, the lender shall resume collection 
and shall be deemed to have exercised forbearance of payment of 
principal and interest from the date the lender suspended collection 
activity. The lender may capitalize, in accordance with 682.202(b), any 
interest accrued and not paid during that period.
    (iii) The lender shall file a closed school claim with the guaranty 
agency in accordance with Sec. 682.402(g) no later than 60 days after 
the lender receives the borrower's written request and sworn statement 
described in paragraph (d)(3) of this section. If a lender receives a 
payment made by or on behalf of the borrower on the loan after the 
lender files a claim on the loan with the guaranty agency, the lender 
shall forward the payment to the guaranty agency within 30 days of its 
receipt. The lender shall assist the guaranty agency and the borrower 
in determining whether the borrower is eligible for discharge of the 
loan.
    (iv) Within 30 days after receiving reimbursement from the guaranty 
agency for a closed school claim, the lender shall notify the borrower 
that the loan obligation has been discharged, and request that all 
credit bureaus to which it previously reported the status of the loan 
delete all adverse credit history assigned to the loan.
    (e) False certification by a school of a student's eligibility to 
borrow. (1) General. The Secretary reimburses the holder of a loan 
received by a borrower on or after January 1, 1986, and discharges the 
borrower's obligation with respect to the loan in accordance with the 
provisions of paragraph (e) of this section, if the borrower's (or the 
student for whom a parent received a PLUS loan) eligibility to receive 
the loan was falsely certified by an eligible school. For purposes of a 
false certification discharge, the term ``borrower'' includes all 
endorsers on a loan.
    (2) Relief available pursuant to discharge. (i) Discharge under 
paragraph (e) of this section relieves the borrower of an existing 
obligation to repay the loan and any charges imposed or costs incurred 
by the holder with respect to the loan that the borrower is otherwise 
obligated to pay.
    (ii) A discharge of a loan under paragraph (e) of this section 
qualifies the borrower for reimbursement of amounts paid voluntarily or 
through enforced collection on a loan obligation discharged under 
paragraph (e) of this section.
    (iii) A borrower who has defaulted on a loan discharged under 
paragraph (e) of this section is not regarded as in default on the loan 
after discharge, and is eligible to receive assistance under the Title 
IV, HEA programs.
    (iv) A discharge of a loan under paragraph (e) of this section is 
reported by the loan holder to all credit reporting agencies to which 
the holder previously reported the status of the loan, so as to delete 
all adverse credit history assigned to the loan.
    (3) Borrower eligibility for discharge. A borrower qualifies for 
discharge of a loan under paragraph (e) of this section if the borrower 
submits to the holder of the loan a written request and a sworn 
statement. The statement need not be notarized, but must be made by the 
borrower under penalty of perjury, and, in the statement, the borrower 
shall state--
    (i) Whether the student has made a claim with respect to the 
school's false certification with any third party, such as the holder 
of a performance bond or a tuition recovery program, and if so, the 
amount of any payment received by the borrower (or student) or credited 
to the borrower's loan obligation;
    (ii) That the borrower (or the student for whom a parent received a 
PLUS loan)--
    (A) Received the proceeds of a loan on or after January 1, 1986 to 
attend a school;
    (B) Was admitted to that school on the basis of ability to benefit 
from its training and did not meet the applicable requirements for 
admission on the basis of ability to benefit as described in paragraph 
(e)(8) of this section;
    (C) Was certified by the school on the application for the loan as 
an eligible student; and
    (D) Withdrew from the school and did not find employment in the 
occupation for which the program was intended to provide training, or 
completed the training program for which the loan was made and made a 
reasonable attempt to obtain employment in the occupation for which the 
program was intended to provide training, and--
    (1) Was not able to find employment in that occupation; or
    (2) Obtained employment in that occupation only after receiving 
additional training that was not provided by the school that certified 
the loan;
    (iii) That the borrower agrees to provide upon request by the 
Secretary or the Secretary's designee, other documentation reasonably 
available to the borrower, that demonstrates, to the satisfaction of 
the Secretary or the Secretary's designee, that the student meets the 
qualifications in paragraph (e) of this section; and
    (iv) That the borrower agrees to cooperate with the Secretary or 
the Secretary's designee in enforcement actions in accordance with 
paragraph (e)(4) of this section, and to transfer any right to recovery 
against a third party in accordance with paragraph (e)(5) of this 
section.
    (4) Cooperation by borrower in enforcement actions. (i) In any 
judicial or administrative proceeding brought by the Secretary or the 
Secretary's designee to recover for amounts discharged under paragraph 
(e) of this section or to take other enforcement action with respect to 
the conduct on which those claims were based, a borrower who requests 
or receives a discharge under paragraph (e) of this section must 
cooperate with the Secretary or the Secretary's designee. At the 
request of the Secretary or the Secretary's designee, and upon the 
Secretary's or the Secretary's designee's tendering to the borrower the 
fees and costs as are customarily provided in litigation to reimburse 
witnesses, the borrower shall--
    (A) Provide testimony regarding any representation made by the 
borrower to support a request for discharge; and
    (B) Produce any documentation reasonably available to the borrower 
with respect to those representations and any sworn statement required 
by the Secretary with respect to those representations and documents.
    (ii) The Secretary revokes the discharge, or denies the request for 
discharge, of a borrower who--
    (A) Fails to provide testimony, sworn statements, or documentation 
to support material representations made by the borrower to obtain the 
discharge; or
    (B) Provides testimony, a sworn statement, or documentation that 
does not support the material representations made by the borrower to 
obtain the discharge.
    (5) Transfer to the Secretary of right of recovery against third 
parties. (i) Upon discharge under paragraph (e) of this section, the 
borrower is deemed to have assigned to and relinquish in favor of the 
Secretary any right to a loan refund (up to the amount discharged) that 
the borrower (or student) may have, by contract or applicable law with 
respect to the loan or the enrollment agreement for the program for 
which the loan was received, against the school, its principals, 
affiliates and their successors, its sureties, and any private or 
public fund.
    (ii) The provisions of paragraph (e) of this section apply 
notwithstanding any provision of State law that would otherwise 
restrict transfer of those rights by the borrower (or student), limit 
or prevent a transferee from exercising those rights, or establish 
procedures or a scheme of distribution that would prejudice the 
Secretary's ability to recover on those rights.
    (iii) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting or 
foreclosing the borrower's (or student's) right to pursue legal and 
equitable relief regarding disputes arising from matters otherwise 
unrelated to the loan discharged.
    (6) Guaranty agency responsibilities. (i) Upon receipt of a false 
certification discharge claim filed by a lender, or a request submitted 
by a borrower with respect to a loan held by the guaranty agency, the 
agency shall review the borrower's request and supporting sworn 
statement in the light of information available from the records of the 
agency and from other sources, including other guaranty agencies, state 
authorities, and cognizant accrediting associations.
    (ii) In the case of a claim filed by a lender--
    (A) If the guaranty agency determines that the borrower satisfies 
the requirements for discharge under paragraph (e) of this section, it 
shall pay the claim in accordance with Sec. 682.402(h) not later than 
90 days after the agency received the claim; or
    (B) If, after examining the documentation in the claim file and 
considering relevant information available from other sources, the 
guaranty agency determines that the borrower does not qualify for a 
discharge, the agency shall, not later than 90 days after the agency 
received the claim, return the claim to the lender with an explanation 
of the reasons for its determination.
    (iii) In the case of a request submitted by a borrower with respect 
to a loan held by the agency--
    (A) If the guaranty agency determines that the borrower satisfies 
the requirements for discharge under paragraph (e) of this section, it 
shall notify the borrower not later than 90 days after the agency 
received the borrower's request; or
    (B) If, after examining the documentation provided by the borrower 
and considering relevant information available from other sources, the 
guaranty agency determines that the borrower does not qualify for a 
discharge, the agency shall notify the borrower of the reasons for its 
determination not later than 90 days after the agency received the 
borrower's request.
    (iv) If the guaranty agency receives information it believes to be 
reliable indicating that the borrower may be eligible for a 
cancellation of a loan under paragraph (e) of this section held by the 
agency, the agency shall immediately suspend any efforts to collect 
from the borrower on any loan received for the program of study for 
which the loan was made (but may continue to receive borrower 
payments), and inform the borrower of the procedures for requesting a 
discharge.
    (v) If the borrower fails to submit the written request and sworn 
statement described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section within 60 days 
of being notified of that option, the guaranty agency shall resume 
collection and shall be deemed to have exercised forbearance of payment 
of principal and interest from the date it suspended collection 
activity. The agency may capitalize, in accordance with 
Sec. 682.202(b), any interest accrued and not paid during that period.
    (vi) A borrower's request for discharge and sworn statement may not 
be denied solely on the basis of failing to meet any time limits set by 
the lender or the guaranty agency.
    (7) Lender Responsibilities. (i) If the lender receives information 
it believes to be reliable indicating that the borrower may be eligible 
for a loan cancellation under paragraph (e) of this section, the lender 
shall immediately suspend any efforts to collect from the borrower on 
any loan received for the program of study for which the loan was made 
(but may continue to receive borrower payments), and inform the 
borrower of the procedures for requesting a discharge.
    (ii) If the borrower fails to submit the written request and sworn 
statement described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section within 60 days 
of being notified of that option, the lender shall resume collection 
and shall be deemed to have exercised forbearance of payment of 
principal and interest from the date the lender suspended collection 
activity. The lender may capitalize, in accordance with 
Sec. 682.202(b), any interest accrued and not paid during that period.
    (iii) The lender shall file a false certification claim with the 
guaranty agency in accordance with Sec. 682.402(g) no later than 60 
days after the lender receives the borrower's written request and sworn 
statement described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section. If a lender 
receives a payment made by or on behalf of the borrower on the loan 
after the lender files a claim on the loan with the guaranty agency, 
the lender shall forward the payment to the guaranty agency within 30 
days of its receipt. The lender shall assist the guaranty agency and 
the borrower in determining whether the borrower is eligible for 
discharge of the loan.
    (iv) Within 30 days after receiving reimbursement from the guaranty 
agency for a false certification claim, the lender shall notify the 
borrower that the loan obligation has been discharged, and request that 
all credit bureaus to which it previously reported the status of the 
loan delete all adverse credit history assigned to the loan.
    (v) Within 30 days after being notified by the guaranty agency that 
the borrower's request for a false certification discharge has been 
denied, the lender shall resume collection and notify the borrower of 
the reasons for the denial. The lender shall be deemed to have 
exercised forbearance of payment of principal and interest from the 
date the lender suspended collection activity, and may capitalize, in 
accordance with Sec. 682.202(b), any interest accrued and not paid 
during that period.
    (8) Requirements for admission on the basis of ability to benefit. 
(i) For periods of enrollment beginning between July 1, 1987 and June 
30, 1991, a student who had a general education diploma or received one 
before the scheduled completion of the program of instruction is deemed 
to have the ability to benefit from the training offered by the school.
    (ii) A student not described in paragraph (e)(8)(i) of this section 
is considered to have the ability to benefit from training offered by 
the school if the student--
    (A) Achieved a passing grade on a test--
    (1) Approved by the Secretary, for periods of enrollment beginning 
after July 1, 1991, or by the accrediting agency, for other periods; 
and
    (2) Administered in accordance with the requirements for use of the 
test; or
    (B) Successfully completed a program of developmental or remedial 
education provided by the school.
    (iii) Notwithstanding paragraphs (e)(8)(i) and (ii) of this 
section, a student did not have the ability to benefit from training 
offered by the school if the student had, at the time of enrollment, a 
condition or status, including one based on a physical or mental 
condition, age, or criminal record, that would have prevented the 
student from satisfying the physical requirements or the legal 
requirements of the State in which the student resided when the loan 
was made for either acceptance into the educational program offered by 
the school or performance of the occupation for which the program of 
instruction was designed to prepare the student.
    (f) * * *
    (2) Suspension of collection activity. If the lender is notified 
that a borrower has filed a petition for relief in bankruptcy, the 
lender shall immediately suspend any collection efforts outside the 
bankruptcy proceeding against the borrower and--
    (i) Against any co-maker or endorser if the borrower has filed for 
relief under Chapters 12 or 13; and
    (ii) Against any co-maker or endorser who has filed for relief in 
bankruptcy.
    (3) Determination of filing. The lender shall determine that a 
borrower has filed a petition for relief in bankruptcy on the basis of 
receiving a notice of the first meeting of creditors or other 
confirmation issued by the bankruptcy court.
    (4) Proof of claim. Unless instructed otherwise by the guaranty 
agency, the lender shall file a proof of claim with the bankruptcy 
court within--
* * * * *
    (g) Claim procedures for a loan held by a lender.
    (1) Documentation. A lender shall provide the guaranty agency with 
the following documentation when filing a death, disability, closed 
school, false certification, or bankruptcy claim:
    (i) The original promissory note, or, if the lender no longer has 
the original promissory note, a copy of the note certified by the 
lender as a true and accurate copy;
* * * * *
    (vi) In the case of a closed school claim, the documentation 
described in paragraph (d)(3) of this section, or any other 
documentation as the Secretary may require;
    (vii) In the case of a false certification claim, the documentation 
described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section.
    (2) Filing deadlines. A lender shall file a death, disability, 
closed school, false certification, or bankruptcy claim within the 
following periods:
    (i) Within 60 days of the date on which the lender determines that 
a borrower (or the student on whose behalf a parent obtained a PLUS 
loan) has died, or the lender determines that the borrower is totally 
and permanently disabled.
    (ii) In the case of a closed school claim, the lender shall file a 
claim with the guaranty agency no later than 60 days after the borrower 
submits to the lender the written request and sworn statement described 
in paragraph (d)(3) of this section or after the lender is notified by 
the Secretary or the Secretary's designee or by the guaranty agency to 
do so.
    (iii) In the case of a false certification claim, the lender shall 
file a claim with the guaranty agency no later than 60 days after the 
borrower submits to the lender the written request and sworn statement 
described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section or after the lender is 
notified by the Secretary or the Secretary's designee or by the 
guaranty agency to do so.
* * * * *
    (h) Payment of death, disability, closed school, false 
certification, and bankruptcy claims by the guaranty agency.
    (1) * * *
    (iii) In the case of a closed school claim, the guaranty agency 
shall document its determination that the student was unable to 
complete the educational program as a result of the school's closure. 
On the same date that it pays a closed school claim to the lender, the 
agency shall pay the borrower an amount equal to the amount paid on the 
loan by or on behalf of the borrower, less any school tuition refunds 
or payments received by the holder or the borrower from a tuition 
recovery fund, performance bond, or other third-party source.
    (iv) In the case of a false certification claim, the guaranty 
agency shall document its determination that the borrower is eligible 
for cancellation under paragraph (e) of this section. On the same date 
that it pays a false certification claim to the lender, the agency 
shall pay the borrower an amount equal to the amount paid on the loan 
by or on behalf of the borrower, less any school tuition refunds or 
payments received by the holder or the borrower from a tuition recovery 
fund, performance bond, or other third-party source.
    (2) * * *
    (ii) The amount of loss payable on a closed school claim or on a 
false certification claim is equal to the sum of the remaining 
principal balance and interest accrued on the loan, collection costs 
incurred by the lender and applied to the borrower's account within 30 
days of the date those costs were actually incurred, and unpaid 
interest determined in accordance with paragraph (h)(3) of this 
section.
    (3) * * *
    (i) During the period before the claim is filed, not to exceed the 
period provided for in paragraph (g)(2) of this section for filing the 
claim.
    (ii) During a period not to exceed 30 days following the receipt 
date by the lender of a claim returned by the guaranty agency for 
additional documentation necessary for the claim to be approved by the 
guaranty agency.
* * * * *
    (i) * * *
    (2) Response by a guaranty agency to plans proposed under Chapters 
11, 12, and 13. The guaranty agency shall take the following actions 
when a petition for relief in bankruptcy under Chapters 11, 12, or 13 
is filed:
* * * * *
    (iv) The agency shall monitor the debtor's performance under a 
confirmed plan. If the debtor fails to make payments required under the 
plan or seeks but does not demonstrate entitlement to discharge under 
11 U.S.C. 1328(b), the agency shall oppose any requested discharge or 
move to dismiss the case if the costs of litigation together with the 
costs incurred for objections to the plan are not reasonably expected 
to exceed one-third of the amount of the loan to be discharged under 
the plan.
* * * * *
    (j) Mandatory purchase by a lender of a loan subject to a 
bankruptcy claim. (1) The lender shall repurchase from the guaranty 
agency a loan held by the agency pursuant to a bankruptcy claim paid to 
that lender, unless the guaranty agency sells the loan to another 
lender, promptly after the earliest of the following events:
* * * * *
    (2) The lender may capitalize all outstanding interest accrued on a 
loan purchased under paragraph (j) of this section to cover any periods 
of delinquency prior to the bankruptcy action through the date the 
lender purchases the loan and receives the supporting loan 
documentation from the guaranty agency.
    (k) Claims for reimbursement from the Secretary on loans held by 
guaranty agencies.
* * * * *
    (2) The Secretary pays a death, disability, bankruptcy, closed 
school, or false certification claim in an amount determined under 
Sec. 682.402(k)(5) on a loan held by a guaranty agency after the agency 
has paid a default claim to the lender thereon and received payment 
under its reinsurance agreement. The Secretary reimburses the guaranty 
agency only if--
    (i) The guaranty agency determines that the borrower (or the 
student for whom a parent obtained a PLUS loan or each of the co-makers 
of a PLUS loan) has died, or the borrower (or each of the co-makers of 
a PLUS loan) has become totally and permanently disabled since applying 
for the loan, or has filed for relief in bankruptcy, in accordance with 
the procedures in paragraphs (b) through (f) of this section, or the 
student was unable to complete an educational program because the 
school closed, or the borrower's eligibility to borrow (or the 
student's eligibility in the case of a PLUS loan) was falsely certified 
by an eligible school. For purposes of this paragraph, references to 
the ``lender'' and ``guaranty agency'' in paragraphs (b) through (f) of 
this section mean the guaranty agency and the Secretary respectively;
    (ii) In the case of a Stafford, SLS, or PLUS loan, the guaranty 
agency determines that the borrower (or the student for whom a parent 
obtained a PLUS loan, or each of the co-makers of a PLUS loan) has 
died, or the borrower (or each of the co-makers of a PLUS loan) has 
become totally and permanently disabled since applying for the loan, or 
has filed the petition for relief in bankruptcy within 10 years of the 
date the borrower entered repayment, exclusive of periods of deferment 
or periods of forbearance granted by the lender that extended the 10-
year maximum repayment period, or the borrower was unable to complete 
an educational program because the school closed, or the borrower's 
eligibility to borrow (or the student's eligibility in the case of a 
PLUS loan) was falsely certified by an eligible school.
    (iii) In the case of a Consolidation loan, the guaranty agency 
determines that the borrower (or each of the co-makers) has died, 
become totally and permanently disabled since applying for the 
Consolidation loan, or has filed the petition for relief in bankruptcy 
within the maximum repayment period described in Sec. 682.209(h)(2), 
exclusive of periods of deferment or periods of forbearance granted by 
the lender that extended the maximum repayment period.
    (iv) The guaranty agency has not written off the loan in accordance 
with the procedures established by the agency under 
Sec. 682.410(b)(6)(x), except for closed school and false certification 
discharges; and
    (v) The guaranty agency has exercised due diligence in the 
collection of the loan in accordance with the procedures established by 
the agency under Sec. 682.410(b)(6)(x), until the borrower (or the 
student for whom a parent obtained a PLUS loan, or each of the co-
makers of a PLUS loan) has died, or the borrower (or each of the co-
makers of a PLUS loan) has become totally and permanently disabled or 
filed a Chapter 12 or Chapter 13 petition, or had the loan discharged 
in bankruptcy, or for closed school and false certification claims, the 
guaranty agency receives a request for discharge from the borrower or 
another party.
    (3) [Reserved]
    (4) Within 30 days of receiving reimbursement for a closed school 
or false certification claim, the guaranty agency shall pay the 
borrower an amount equal to the amount paid on the loan by or on behalf 
of the borrower, less any school tuition refunds or payments received 
by the holder, guaranty agency, or the borrower from a tuition recovery 
fund, performance bond, or other third-party source.
    (5) The Secretary pays the guaranty agency a percentage of the 
outstanding principal and interest that is equal to the complement of 
the reinsurance percentage paid on the loan. This interest includes 
interest that accrues during--
    (i) For death, disability, or bankruptcy claims, the shorter of 60 
days or the period from the date the guaranty agency determines that 
the borrower (or the student for whom a parent obtained a PLUS loan, or 
each of the co-makers of a PLUS loan) died, became totally and 
permanently disabled, or filed a petition for relief in bankruptcy 
until the Secretary authorizes payment; or
    (ii) For closed school or false certification claims, the period 
from the date on which the guaranty agency received payment from the 
Secretary on a default claim to the date on which the Secretary 
authorizes payment of the closed school or false certification claim.
    (l) Payments received after the Secretary's payment of a death, 
disability, closed school, false certification, or bankruptcy claim. 
(1) If the guaranty agency receives any payments from or on behalf of 
the borrower on or attributable to a loan on which the Secretary 
previously paid a bankruptcy claim, the guaranty agency shall remit 100 
percent of these payments to the Secretary.
    (2) The guaranty agency shall remit to the Secretary all payments 
received from a tuition recovery fund, performance bond, or other 
third-party with respect to a loan on which the Secretary previously 
paid a closed school or false certification claim. The guaranty agency 
shall promptly return to the borrower or the borrower's representative, 
any payment on a discharged loan made by the borrower (or 
representative) and received after the Secretary pays a closed school 
or false certification claim. At the same time that the agency returns 
the payment, it shall notify the borrower (or representative) that 
there is no obligation to repay a loan discharged by virtue of death, 
disability, false certification, or closing of the school.
    (3) If the guaranty agency has returned a payment to the borrower, 
or the borrower's representative, with the notice described in 
paragraph (l)(2) of this section, and the borrower (or representative) 
continues to send payments to the guaranty agency, the agency shall 
remit all of those payments to the Secretary.
    (m) Applicable suspension of the repayment period. For purposes of 
this section and 11 U.S.C. 523(a)(8)(A) with respect to loans 
guaranteed under the FFEL Program, an applicable suspension of the 
repayment period--
* * * * *
    (5) Includes the period between the filing of the petition for 
relief and the date on which the proceeding is completed or dismissed, 
unless payments have been made during that period in amounts sufficient 
to meet the amount owed under the repayment schedule in effect when the 
petition was filed.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1078, 1078-1, 1078-2, 1078-3, 1082, 1087)

    5. Section 682.410 is amended by revising paragraphs (b)(6)(i), 
(iii) introductory text, (iii)(A), (iv) introductory text, (iv)(B), 
(vii) (A) through (C), and (xii); and by adding a new paragraph (b)(10) 
to read as follows:


682.410  Fiscal, administrative, and enforcement requirements.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (6) Collection efforts on defaulted loans. (i) Unless it initiates 
procedures to garnish the borrower's wages in accordance with paragraph 
(b)(10) of this section, a guaranty agency shall attempt annual IRS 
offset on all eligible loans and engage in at least the collection 
activities described in paragraphs (b)(6) (iii) through (xii) of this 
section on a loan on which it pays a default claim filed by a lender, 
except that the agency may engage in the collection activities 
described in paragraph (b)(7) of this section in lieu of the activities 
described in paragraphs (b)(6) (iii) through (vi) of this section. If, 
after initiating wage garnishment procedures, the agency terminates 
those procedures for a particular borrower, the agency shall, within 30 
days, commence collection efforts at least as forceful as those 
described in paragraphs (b)(6) (iii) through (xii) of this section. The 
agency's collection efforts shall begin with the same collection 
activities as those that immediately preceded the initiation of 
garnishment procedures, or, if no collection activities had been 
performed, the agency shall begin with the activities described in 
paragraph (b)(6)(iii) of this section, except that the agency may 
engage in the collection activities described in paragraph (b)(7) of 
this section in lieu of the activities described in paragraphs (b)(6) 
(iii) through (vi) of this section.
* * * * *
    (iii) One-45 days: During this period, the agency shall--
    (A) Send to the borrower the written notice described in paragraph 
(b)(5)(ii) of this section, or a written notice stating that the agency 
may garnish the borrower's wages to collect the amount that the 
borrower owes plus related collection costs; and
* * * * *
    (iv) 46-180 days: During this period the agency shall--
* * * * *
    (B) Send at least three written notices to the borrower forcefully 
demanding that the borrower immediately commence repayment of the loan, 
and informing the borrower that the default has been reported to all 
national credit bureaus (if that is the case) and that the borrower's 
credit rating may thereby have been damaged. The final notice also must 
indicate that it is the final notice the borrower will receive before 
the agency will take more forceful action, including the initiation of 
procedures to garnish the borrower's wages or instituting a civil suit 
to compel repayment of the amount that the borrower owes plus related 
collection costs.
* * * * *
    (vii) 181-545 days:
    (A) Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(6)(vii) (B), (C), and (D) 
of this section, during this period, but not sooner than 30 days after 
sending the notice described in paragraph (b)(5)(vi) of this section, 
the agency shall garnish the borrower's wages or institute a civil suit 
against the borrower for repayment of the loan.
    (B) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(6)(vii)(C) of this section, 
in the case of a loan that was assigned to the Secretary prior to the 
545th day and returned to the agency less than 180 days prior to the 
545th day, the agency has 180 days from the date it receives the 
returned loan to garnish the borrower's wages or institute a civil 
suit.
    (C) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(6)(vii)(D) of this section, 
in the case of a loan not assigned to the Secretary, during this 
period, but not sooner than 30 days after sending the final notice 
described in paragraph (b)(6)(iv) of this section, the agency shall 
garnish the borrower's wages or institute a civil suit against the 
borrower by the 225th day unless that loan is subsequently assigned to 
the Secretary by the deadline for the next available opportunity to 
collect by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax refund offset, or a 
payment is received from the borrower fewer than 120 days before the 
deadline for the next available opportunity to collect by IRS tax 
refund offset.
* * * * *
    (xii) Not later than 10 days after its receipt of information 
indicating that it does not know the current address of a borrower on a 
loan on which the agency has neither declined to sue under paragraph 
(b)(6)(vii)(D) of this section nor discontinued semi-annual inquiries 
under paragraph (b)(6)(x) of this section, or the 60th day after its 
payment of a default claim on the loan, whichever is later, the agency 
shall attempt diligently to locate the borrower through the use of all 
available skip-tracing techniques, including, but not limited to, any 
skip-tracing assistance available from the IRS, credit bureaus, and 
state motor vehicle departments. A guaranty agency shall use any 
information provided by a school about a borrower's location in 
conducting skip-tracing activities.
* * * * *
    (10) Administrative Garnishment. (i) If a guaranty agency decides 
to garnish the disposable pay of a borrower who is not making payments 
on a loan held by the agency, on which the Secretary has paid a 
reinsurance claim, it shall do so in accordance with the following 
procedures:
    (A) The employer shall deduct and pay to the agency from a 
borrower's wages an amount that does not exceed 10 percent of the 
borrower's disposable pay for each pay period, or the amount permitted 
by 15 U.S.C. 1673, unless the borrower provides the agency with written 
consent to deduct a greater amount. For this purpose, the term 
``disposable pay'' means that part of the borrower's compensation from 
an employer remaining after the deduction of any amounts required by 
law to be withheld.
    (B) At least 30 days before the initiation of garnishment 
proceedings, the guaranty agency shall mail to the borrower's last 
known address, a written notice of the nature and amount of the debt, 
the intention of the agency to initiate proceedings to collect the debt 
through deductions from pay, and an explanation of the borrower's 
rights.
    (C) The guaranty agency shall offer the borrower an opportunity to 
inspect and copy agency records related to the debt.
    (D) The guaranty agency shall offer the borrower an opportunity to 
enter into a written repayment agreement with the agency under terms 
agreeable to the agency.
    (E) The guaranty agency shall offer the borrower an opportunity for 
a hearing in accordance with paragraph (b)(10)(i)(J) of this section 
concerning the existence or the amount of the debt and, in the case of 
a borrower whose repayment schedule is established other than by a 
written agreement under paragraph (b)(10)(i)(D) of this section, the 
terms of the repayment schedule.
    (F) The guaranty agency shall sue any employer (including a 
borrower who is self-employed) for any amount that the employer, after 
receipt of the garnishment notice provided by the agency under 
paragraph (b)(10)(i)(H) of this section, fails to withhold from wages 
owed and payable to an employee under the employer's normal pay and 
disbursement cycle.
    (G) The guaranty agency may not garnish the wages of a borrower 
whom it knows has been involuntarily separated from employment until 
the borrower has been reemployed continuously for at least 12 months.
    (H) Unless the guaranty agency receives information that the agency 
believes justifies a delay or cancellation of the withholding order, it 
shall send a withholding order to the employer within 20 days after the 
borrower fails to make a timely request for a hearing, or, if a timely 
request for a hearing is made by the borrower, within 20 days after a 
final decision is made by the agency to proceed with garnishment.
    (I) The notice given to the employer under paragraph (b)(10)(i)(H) 
of this section must contain only the information as may be necessary 
for the employer to comply with the withholding order.
    (J) The guaranty agency shall provide a hearing, which, at the 
borrower's option, may be oral or written, if the borrower submits a 
written request for a hearing on the existence or amount of the debt or 
the terms of the repayment schedule. An oral hearing may, at the 
borrower's option, be conducted either in-person or by telephone 
conference. All telephonic charges must be the responsibility of the 
guaranty agency.
    (K) If the borrower's written request is received by the guaranty 
agency on or before the 15th day following the borrower's receipt of 
the notice described in paragraph (b)(10)(i)(B) of this section, the 
guaranty agency may not issue a withholding order until the borrower 
has been provided the requested hearing. The guaranty agency shall 
provide a hearing to the borrower in sufficient time to permit a 
decision, in accordance with the procedures that the agency may 
prescribe, to be rendered within 60 days.
    (L) If the borrower's written request is received by the guaranty 
agency after the 15th day following the borrower's receipt of the 
notice described in paragraph (b)(10)(i)(B) of this section, the 
guaranty agency shall provide a hearing to the borrower in sufficient 
time that a decision, in accordance with the procedures that the agency 
may prescribe, may be rendered within 60 days, but may not delay 
issuance of a withholding order unless the agency determines that the 
delay in filing the request was caused by factors over which the 
borrower had no control.
    (M) A hearing may not be conducted by an individual under the 
supervision or control of the head of the guaranty agency, except that 
an agency may appoint an administrative law judge to conduct the 
hearing.
    (N) The hearing official shall issue a final written decision at 
the earliest practicable date, but not later than 60 days after the 
guaranty agency's receipt of the borrower's hearing request.
    (O) As specified in section 488A(a)(8) of the HEA, the borrower may 
seek judicial relief, including punitive damages, if the employer 
discharges, refuses to employ, or takes disciplinary action against the 
borrower due to the issuance of a withholding order.
    (ii) References to ``the borrower'' in this paragraph include all 
endorsers on a loan.
 * * * * *
    6. Section 682.411 is amended by revising paragraph (d)(2) to read 
as follows:


Sec. 682.411  Due diligence by lenders in the collection of guaranty 
agency loans.

 * * * * *
    (d) 11-180 days delinquent (11-240 days delinquent for a loan 
repayable in installments less frequent than monthly).
 * * * * *
    (2) At least two of the collection letters required under paragraph 
(d)(1) of this section must warn the borrower that if the loan is not 
paid, the lender will assign the loan to the guaranty agency that, in 
turn, will report the default to all national credit bureaus, and that 
the agency may institute a proceeding to garnish the borrower's wages 
and bring suit against the borrower to compel repayment of the loan.
 * * * * *
[FR Doc. 94-1008 Filed 1-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P