E.C.S.I.

Review: ESCI keeps sending me collection letters, this is a loan servicing department this isn't the first time this has occurred, I first received a 45 days past due notice and was shocked because never received a 30 days past due notice. I asked them to send me over that notice in writing which I still haven't received and my account continued to go in a past due status. They had also threatened to send me to a collection agency which is not legal because I had informed them that I did not receive their first past due notice. When I became aware of the past due notice I immediately contacted ECSI and informed them about the issue. The only thing I received from ECSI was a 45 days past due notice telling me they were going to report me to a collections agency which is illegal especially if I had informed you that I didn't get the first one in which you had informed me it's been past due for 30 days. You're account has to be approximately 5 months in a past due status to be sent to a collection agency and mine is only past due 60 days. When I found out about my account was in a past due status I send them over documentation to be placed on an unemployment deferment in which they told me they had received it but they needed more documentation in which I mailed in and faxed!!!.I AGAIN contacted ECSI and asked them could they place a temporary hold on my account until my documentation has been approved and received by mail!! I getting ready to go to law school and also go back to school to receive my masters. I would not handle my loans or account information like this, I am a responsible borrower and their making me seem i'm the one who's being irresponsible I which I am not. I sent over the supporting documentation which they requested as soon as I received the notice in which I was in a past due status, which was the 45 days past due, I never received a 30 days past due from ECSI, I requested that they mail me one to my address in which I never received. This company is poorly managed and highly unprofessional, this is not the first time this has occurred. I did what was required of me as a borrower and sent them over the documentation, they still haven't received by mail but did receive it by fax so now I have to wail until it is processed.Desired Settlement: CREDIT REPORTING CORRECTIONS FOR 4 YRS like I said this is not the first time this has occurred. I would send in the paperwork and documentation they would say its approved and my account was still being reported in a past due status to the credit bureau in which I have proof.

Business

Response:

According to our records Mr. [redacted]’s account was under forbearance until February 2016. Adhering to Perkins loan due diligence regulations, Heartland ECSI called and mailed out multiple notifications advising the forbearance would end and a payment will be due the same day the forbearance ended. These notifications were mailed to the address on file, on the following dates· 11/11/2105· 12/11/2015· 01/11/2016 On 02/11/2016 since no payment was made Heartland ECSI mailed out the statement for March 1st that advises due diligence regulations require Heartland ECSI to report delinquent Perkins loans to the credit bureaus. That master Perkins loan promissory note states an account is eligible for default, acceleration and to be sent to a collection agency when one payment is missed. The Federal Perkins loan’s regulations are not the same as intuitional loan regulations as it is a federally regulated fund. Perkins regulations can be found at the following link https://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/attachments/1213FSAHbkVol6Ch5.pdf According to regulations and the Perkins loan promissory note that Mr. [redacted] signed before receiving Perkins loans funds, it is the responsibility of the borrower to know when repayment will begin regardless of receiving a statement. It is also the responsibility of the borrower to submit qualifying deferment or forbearance paperwork before the loan is due and that the borrower would be responsible for any fees resulting from missing a payment or applying for deferment or forbearance after the date the loan becomes due. We have verified that both of Mr. [redacted]’s Perkins loans reflect as “current and in good standing” with the credit bureaus for the lifetimes of the loans. If any of the individual credit bureaus reflect this differently Mr. [redacted] will need file a dispute directly with the credit bureau. We understand how stressful it can be to manage various types of educational loans, and please know all principal, interest and fees are forwarded directly to Point Park University. In light of that we have removed the late fees totaling $32 from Mr. [redacted]’s account. If Mr. [redacted] has any other issues with his account or issues receiving billing statements he may call Tony G[redacted], Supervisor of customer service directly at ###-###-####.

Review: I received a Perkins loan through the [redacted]. If, after 5 years of teaching, you can have this loan cancelled/forgiven. I have taught the past 7 years in low-income districts. However, after filling out this form each year for SEVEN years, ECSI believes I owe them $570.70 on the loan. I have proof of trying to contact them since Feb. 12th (earlier emails are no longer available on my account). I have tried contacting them by phone and email messages and never receive a response. This is 100% their issue as I have always done what was asked of me each year. Now, they are completely ignoring me and expect a payment of $40 on March 22nd.Desired Settlement: I expect my $570.70 balance with ECSI to be cancelled immediately and to receive a written apology from the company. I also should not receive any late fees for not paying the bill due on March 20th as I have sent them the cancellation form, and it's THEIR errors, not mine.

Business

Response:

Please note: Heartland ECSI is third party billing servicer on behalf of [redacted] Heartland ECSI must process Federal Perkins loan cancelation requests in accordance with regulations set forth be the Department of Education. On 02/12/2016 we received Ms. Hess’s request for cancelation form. The form states a Stamp, seal, or letter on letterhead from their place of employment is required. Being that her form was not certified in one of the ways stated above we had to deny the request. We emailed Ms. Hess on 02/12 advising why it was denied and requested she provide the additional documentation to have the cancelation processed. The only record we have of Ms. Hess contacting us is from 03/11/2016. She spoke with one of our live chat representatives. They explained what was needed to process the cancelation and advised Ms. Hess to fax us her employer certification. On 03/15/2016 we received the needed employer certification form via fax. We processed it and her Perkins loan reflects paid in full as of 03/15. If any other assistance is needed Ms. Hess may contact Tony Gump, Supervisor of customer service directly at ###-###-####.

Review: My student loan was transferred to this company in 2015. I have been making automatic payments for about 6 months in addition to making regular payments on the loan prior to transfer. I have not received my 1098 tax form from this company that was due to be distributed by January 31st. On their website it says that the documents would come available online and that a hard copy would be mailed and my take a week for delivery. I have yet to see anything either online or in the mail.Desired Settlement: I would like my 1098 to be available so that I may file my taxes.

Business

Response:

Heartland ECSI is the third-party loan servicer on behalf of [redacted] University. As part of the services provided to [redacted], Heartland ECSI issues 1098 forms to students and/or borrowers that have loans through the University. Heartland ECSI does offer a web service for students and/or borrowers to view the status of their tax document and/or retrieve their document if they consented to an electronic form. When the student/borrower accesses their loan account, they are provided with a link to view their Tax Information. While the alert box does state that all tax documents will be available and mailed by January 31st, it also provide a link to pull their tax document information from the system. If a tax document cannot be located, they are asked to review the Student Loan Tax Incentives link (https://cgi.ecsi.net/taxinfo.html). This page provides a resource link to https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc456.html wherein it is stated that “If you paid $600 or more of interest on a qualified student loan during the year, you will receive a Form 10980E, Student Loan Interest Statement, from the entity to which you paid the student loan interest”. After review of Ms. [redacted]’s loan account, it was verified that she did not pay more than $600 in interest. Therefore, a 1098-E tax form was not generated and/or mailed. Ms. [redacted] did call our customer service center and we informed her of the above information. Additionally, we provided her with the amount of interest that was paid so that she could complete her tax filing and advised that the interest paid in 2015 is noted on the bottom portion of the billing statement.

Review: My ebill statements started to show past due amounts as of 10/2014. I called a few times to ask why it was there around this time when I noticed it. The associate said they didn't know, that there was a system glitch and to not worry about. I spoke to a supervisor and they said the same thing, there was nothing they could do to remove the past due amounts from my ebill statements. I was advised to explain that it was a glitch to other companies if need be. Almost a year later, I applied for another loan to reconsolidate my loan and was told by that company I was denied the loan because my statements from ECSI show past due. I explained it was a glitch, however they still wanted proof. I asked ECSI to provide a letter stating the error and all it said was "current." When I called again, I spoke to Shawna on 8/26/15 and she said again she didn't know why my bills had past due amounts and that it was weird but a supervisor would call to clarify. I received 3 emails with new "ticket" requests from ECSI, then three emails saying they canceled the ticket requests. I never received a phone call. I tried calling to speak to a supervisor and was told there was not one available. I chatted online with someone who finally explained my auto payments were coming out around the 10th instead of the first, and because of this I was paying interest that had not accrued yet, so it was stacking up on my account. My concern is why was my auto payment taken out on the 10th if it was going to cause a problem? I should have been told it would cause interest to accrue. Secondly, why didn't anyone that I spoke to say that it was interest accruing? I was told to ignore it, that there was nothing they could do. I have faithfully paid my loan each month, and I would have paid on the 1st and any extra interest if I was correctly informed about my account. I feel that as a consumer I had done my best to honor my loan and to try to make it right and I did not receive informed service.Desired Settlement: I would like a letter from ECSI on letterhead detailing my account is not past due for the last 12 months, and all payments have been received. I also want my account credited the 19 days of interest that had accrued. I want my ebills to not show past due amounts.

Business

Response:

Please note that Heartland ECSI is the loan servicer on behalf of the [redacted]. We apologize for the confusion regarding billing and interest accrual of youraccount. We have taken steps to further educate our representatives on how statementsare generated and interest accrues on [redacted] accounts. [redacted] holds consolidated loan accounts;interest accrues on their accounts daily. Setting up automatic check withdrawfor the tenth of each month did not result in additional interest accrual. When paying the statement on the tenth you were paying interest that wasn’t yetdue. Since interest accrues daily for these accounts you seen an interestamount past due on your billing statements. Now that payments are being made onthe 1st you will no longer see an amount past due on yourstatements. Heartland ECSI has e-mailed the requested documentation to theemail account on file. It states the loan is current and has never beenreported as diluent in the last 12 months. If there is still any confusionregarding interest accrual or due dates on the account please contact HeartlandECSI at ###-###-#### we would be happy to assist you.

Review: ECSI is a holder/manager of student loan debt purchased from the original loan holder and my alma mater, [redacted] University. Ever since I've had a school loan through this company, which has been for several years, I have only receive my 1098E Tax Form once (2014). For this tax season I had, well in advance, requested a 2015 1098E Tax Form to easily document my student loan interest. I have not received my tax form and from what I've been told by two different representatives I will not receive one this tax season. ECSI's reasoning is that I must meet a minimum interest amount of $600+ in order to qualify to receive a 1098E Tax Form. This was not the case in 2014 when I received the form for much less than that 'qualifying interest amount'.

Under the Tax Documents section, ECSI's website states the following, "All tax documents will be available and mailed by January 31st. Please allow one week for delivery. If you have specific questions about why your institution reports in Box 1 or Box 2 please visit http://www.ecsi.net/taxSelect/student.html for more information." ECSI is clearly stating they do mail tax documents with no mention anywhere on their site of a minimum interest amount in order to qualify a loan holder for a 1098E. This is a deceptive practice, because I was led to believe I would receive a 1098E by their website while two of their customer service representatives have told me otherwise.

As far as service goes, my first recent contact to ECSI with their phone-based customer service, their CSR told me this $600+ 'qualifier' has been in effect for several years, although he had only been employed for less than one year he said he knew this fact "for sure". When I questioned him because my loans interest amounts totaled less than $600 for 2014 yet I still received a tax form, which is still available on ECSI's website, I was chastised and verbally cut-off by the employee. When I demanded to speak to a manager I was placed on hold for several minutes until he returned to tell me no manager was available but he could file a ticket for a callback. As I was telling him I understood they're likely very busy judging by the 85+ minute hold time and it's wasn't necessary to file a ticket at that time for a manager callback I was cut-off again by him (something along the lines of "[redacted]! I'm telling you I can file a ticket!"). I had to interject at this point and warn the CSR that he was starting to upset me and my point was I don't want him to file a manager callback ticket - my intention was to contact ECSI at a later date/time myself - but if he continued to be this rude I'd demand the callback. He backed off for enough time so I could tell him in as polite of a manner as possible to have a better day and dropped the call.

Today, 2/12/16, I contacted ECSI Tax & Documents customer service. This is the entirety of the conversation, "

IP : [redacted]

Date : 2016-02-12 09:53:03 (00:12:55)

Executive :Kathleen (Tax Documents & Information)

First & Last Name: [redacted]

Email: [redacted]

Street Address: [redacted]

Phone Number: 4[redacted]

Last 4 Digits of SSN (or full Student ID): 8903

School/Campus Name or Code: 8A

Date of Birth: 10111986

Chat transcription :-

Kathleen [09:45:19]: Hello, thank you for using Live Chat! How may I assist you today [redacted]?

[redacted] [09:45:44]: Hi Kathleen, I have yet to receive my tax documents

Kathleen [09:47:06]: One moment please while I try to access your account.

Kathleen [09:48:43]: For 2015 the IRS only requires a 1098E tax document that reports interest on student loans to be created if the interest is $600 or greater.

Kathleen [09:49:21]: [redacted], can I help you with anything else today?

[redacted] [09:49:24]: Is this is new rule that has only applied to 2015?

Kathleen [09:49:40]: Yes it was effective for 2015.

[redacted] [09:50:05]: The last representative I spoke to from your company on the phone told me it was a rule for several years

[redacted] [09:50:15]: This was a week or two ago

[redacted] [09:50:28]: So I'm confused on what to believe now

Kathleen [09:51:24]: I am sorry for the confusion. I just talked to my supervisor 10 minutes ago because I have been getting a lot of questions on what changed. My understanding is this was effective for the 2015 tax year.

[redacted] [09:51:48]: Do you have documentation which states this?

Kathleen [09:52:46]: No I do not have documentation.

Kathleen [09:53:00]: I am very sorry but due to high chat volumes I must end our call to assist other students."

On that exact mark the online conversation was dropped by the chat CSR.

My points are these:

1) ECSI as a company is extremely inconsistent in providing student loan tax documentation or information regarding it (one CSR says one thing, the next says another)

2) Their website is very misleading as there is no explanation anywhere of any minimum interest amount for loan holders to meet in order to to qualify for receiving a 1098E tax form

3) There seems to be no accountability whatsoever from ECSI regarding this issue

I believe that ECSI, which I did not personally choose to do business with as I was forced into a business relationship with them after my original loan holder [redacted] sold my loan to them, feels they can treat their 'customers' with any regard they wish. At the end of the day I will have received no 1098E, I feel disregarded, and will have gone through extra work just to find out there's some fictitious '$600 interest amount minimum' rule that's not listed anywhere and it's barring me from receiving my last tax document. To reinforce my point, I hold a separate student loan through ACS-Education and have never had a problem receiving 1098E tax forms, regardless of the amount of interest accrued throughout the years.Desired Settlement: I desire:

1) ECSI to provide me documentation of this rule (should it be a federal requirement) - if not, I would like ECSI to adjust their website to reflect this $600 minimum interest amount qualification in order to add more clarity for their customer regarding their business practices OR a discontinuation of this rule outright

2) An apology from the company for being disrespected and disregarded by their customer service outfit

Thank you for your attention on this matter.

Business

Response:

Please note: Heartland ECSI is a third party loan servicer on behalf of [redacted] University. [redacted] retains complete ownership of their Perkins loans. The call Mr. [redacted] referenced has been reviewed with the representative he spoke with, we apologize. Our represetentive did not clearly explain the 1098-E process. We have taken steps to ensure a manager is available to take a call when any caller requests it. The representative Mr. [redacted] spoke with via live chat is with our seasonal 1098-T department and should not have answered questions in regards to 1098-E statements. We have taken steps to educate this representative. Our website directs users to this link https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc456.html for information on 1098-E tax forms. The IRS website states “If you paid $600 or more of interest on a qualified student loan during the year, you will receive aForm 1098-E”. As a third party servicer Heartland ECSI offers 1098-E services to [redacted] University. [redacted] directs ECSI to only mail 1098-E statements if the amount is greater than $600. Our records indicate a 1098-E statement has only been sent electronically to Mr. [redacted] dating back to 2012. The total amount of interest paid in 2015 would be reflected on his February billing statement. Mr. [redacted] can log into his ECSI account to view the statement by going to https://heartland.ecsi.net/. If we can provide further assistance please contact our loan servicing department at ###-###-####.

ECSI is the worst loan company in existence. Poor customer service. Outrageous charges in order to make payments. Incapable of setting up automatic payments. Ruins your credit without a second thought.
I NEVER had any trouble making payments for my loan until my loan was transferred to this company. After 2 months of trying to set up automatic payments, ECSI still is unable to complete the transactions and blames me. I have become so frustrated with ECSI, I have decided to pay off my loan in full just to avoid dealing with them multiple times per month and coming up with late payments. I call to find out how to pay and every option she gives me has a convenience fee PLUS 3.9% of the payment amount. You can mail a check to them for no charge but do you think she gave me that option? No. Also, if you mail a check it takes "7-10 days to process" and in that amount of time, you get charged interest on your loan because your payment wasn't processed before the due date.
Something has to be done about these thieves!

Review: I made a payment on 12/27/15 for the amount listed as "payoff" amount for my student loans. However, the systems is set up so I can only pay on certain dates so I scheduled it for 1/1/16. Now the corporation is charging me for interest in January which is unreasonable. I have called multiple times and have not been able to speak with someone higher than a customer service representative.Desired Settlement: Waive the January interest amount.

Business

Response:

Please note: Heartland ECSI is a third party loan servicer who services loans on behalf of [redacted] After logging into Heartlandecsi.net users are presented with the following options under “Make a Payment” · Instant E-check · Credit Card Payment · Direct Payment · International Payment Ms. [redacted] selected the “Direct Payment” option. This will only allow someone to make a payment on the 1st, 10th, 15th or 20th of the month. Our instant E-check and credit card options allow instant payments to be made. For Ms. [redacted]’s account a new billing statement is generated along with interest accruing on the last business day of each month. Heartland ECSI transfers payments in their entirety to the [redacted]; including interest, principal, and any type of fees. A request for a supervisor to contact Ms. [redacted] back was entered on 1/6/2016, we apologize the request wasn’t fulfilled. The representative [redacted] spoke with made an error when submitting the request that caused it to prematurely close. We’ve spoken to [redacted] and removed the remaining amount of interest on her account. It now reflects as Paid in full.

Review: My Graduate School has attempted to notify ECSI that I am currently enrolled in school and in good standing for deferment of my Federal Perkins loan for the last 6 months without success. I have also notified customer service via phone, mail, fax and have also had no luck. The customer service representatives are rude, uncaring and seem to refuse to update my account, resulting in negative credit reporting (some 200 point drop), my loan status in default and undue stress and time spent trying to resolve this. Now it is the next semester registration period and I an unable to register for classes due to my not having financial aid. This is truly a bad business which employs horrible business practices and treats students with contempt. I simply want my account status updated and all negative credit reporting removed. I'd also like an apology for the way I've been treated, and for the stress caused. It would be nice of this will not happen again throughout my loan repayment which I would imagine is what ECSI wants IS A PAID LOAN STATUS.Desired Settlement: I simply want my account status updated and all negative credit reporting removed. I'd also like an apology for the way I've been treated, and for the stress caused. It would be nice of this will not happen again throughout my loan repayment

Business

Response:

ECSI is the loan servicer on behalf of the Department of Education (the Department) for Federal Perkins Loans that have been assigned to the Department. Mr. [redacted]’s concerns, as we understand them, regarding his Federal Perkins Loan, are as follows: 1. His Graduate School attempted to notify ECSI that he was currently enrolled and in good standing for a deferment. 2. Mr. [redacted] contacted ECSI customer service multiple times to advise he was currently enrolled and in good standing for a deferment. 3. Mr. [redacted] feels that the customer service representative was unwilling to update his loan status resulting in negative credit bureau reporting and him not being able to register for classes due to not having financial aid. 4. Mr. [redacted] wants his account status updated, all negative credit reporting removed, and an apology for what he feels was poor customer service. Regarding the first concern, ECSI is not able to provide information about or discuss an account with any party that is not the borrower or authorized party of the borrower. Authorization to provide information or discuss an account is required in writing. A written authorization was not provided by Mr. [redacted] for his school to contact us about his Federal Perkins Loan. In regards to the second and third concerns, ECSI has no record of communication from Mr. [redacted] prior to his phone call to ECSI on 10/14/2015 and again on 10/22/205. In both instances, our customer service representative provided Mr. [redacted] with detailed instructions on how to apply for a deferment. Mr. [redacted] indicated that the customer service representative was rude, uncaring, and refused to update his account, however, ECSI pulled the call recordings and found no evidence that the customer service representative was rude or refused to provide Mr. [redacted] with the information needed. The reason for the negative credit bureau reporting transmitted by ECSI was the fact that Mr. [redacted]’s payment for his Federal Perkins Loan was showing past due. In regards to the fourth concern, Mr. [redacted] must submit a General Request for Deferment form. This form can be located on our website at www.eflps.com under Students and Download Forms. Instructions are provided on the form. We cannot place a deferment on a Federal Perkins Loan account without the proper paperwork and documentation. ECSI would be happy to assist Mr. [redacted] with applying for a deferment. If Mr. [redacted]’s deferment is approved, we will work with Mr. [redacted] to update his account to a current status and correct negative credit bureau reporting, if necessary. For additional assistance, Mr. [redacted] may contact ECSI Federal Perkins Loan Servicer at ###-###-####.

Review: Campus Partners provided me with a student loan, which I have been paying off in a timely fashion since graduation in 2007.

This year, they have begun charging a "service fee" on top of the interest and principal payment that I make every month. There is no alternate way to pay the loan other than through their online payment platform. So I am now being forced to pay a fee thus effectively penalizing me for continuing to make on-time monthly payments. I never agreed to an additional fee and do not understand how it should be possible to be charged a fee for being a responsible borrower. Kindly advise.Desired Settlement: I require either a cancellation of this supposed service fee (which has never been charged before in the 8 years I've been paying down my student loans) or the option of an alternate method of payment that doesn't charge me additional money just for being a responsible borrower.

Business

Response:

Heartland ECSI (formerly Campus Partners) is the third-party loan servicer for colleges and universities. Effective January 20, 2016, Heartland ECSI’s payment policy changed to include a convenience fee when making online payments. We still offer alternative payment methods that do not incur a convenience fee. You may mail your check or money order via the USPS to our lockbox:Heartland ECSI [redacted]

[redacted]You may also visit our website www.mycampusloan.com and enroll in our AutoDraft program. Thank you from bringing to our attention your inability to sign up for this payment solution. We have corrected this issue on your loan and you may now return to our website to enroll in our AutoDraft program. Please contact our office at ###-###-#### if you have additional questions.Sincerely,Heartland ECSI

Review: This company has failed to reply to sever request and complaints of mine for a response. They illegally charge a transaction fee for processing my credit card when I have been told it is the only form of payment. Their website also fails to allow me to sign up for automatic payments that shows it will lower my rate if I do so. I have requested paper statement to avoid the card processing fees. They failed to respond. I requested correspondence to set up automatic payments. They failed to do so. I complained about their lack of response and they have still failed to respond. These requests were made through their online contact forum and by emailing them from my personal email.Desired Settlement: I want this company to refund all of my card processing fees to date. I also want the company to either a) begin to send me and continue to send me paper statements through mail or b) fix their website and ensure I am able to sign up for automatic payments without processing fees if that is the only form of payment. I also want contact from the company via email to document their response and explain their illegal charges and lack or response.

Business

Response:

Our records show that you have contacted us by web three times: 05/07/2015 Ticket #[redacted] You were advised byemail to contact our offices directly to protect your account information andprovided with the telephone number and hours.· 06/03/2015 Ticket #[redacted]: You were provided byemail with all possible payment options.· 06/03/2015 Ticket #[redacted]: You were againprovided by email with all possible payment options.All three of these requests weregiven a response via email to the address indicated on the contact message. Ourrecords do not indicate that you have tried to call us as we directed in theresponse provided to you on 05/07/2015. (This only includes successful phonecontact with an agent, if you attempted to call us and were in a queue orattempted to call us outside of our business hours, it is not considered aphone contact.)Automatic payments are available by both phone and web. Heartland ECSI accepts checkingaccount and savings account-based automatic payments for free as long as thepayment is scheduled at least 24 hours before the date that the payment isscheduled to draw. We have four available draw dates: 1st, 10th,15th, and 20th of each month are free checking/savingspayment dates. (You do have to schedule these payments in advance. The DirectPayment web module is closed on the draw date. If the scheduled date falls overa weekend or a holiday, the payment draws the following business day.) If youmiss the pre-schedule window, you have the instant payment options: checking orsavings for $1.95 instant web payment, or a credit card payment for $1.00 plus3.95% of the payment being made. (Recurring credit card payments are availablefor the same rate.) There is also the option to mail the payment to our officesat the payment address that was provided to you via several correspondences. There is never any indication either by phone or website that we only accept creditcard payments. Card-based transactions are an option made available to you foryour convenience and do carry a fee. You are made aware of this fee and agreeto it during the verification stage of payment processing. Because you agreedto the convenience of card-based payment when there are other payment optionsavailable, we are unable to credit your account for the equivalent of thesefees.You are able to manage your e-billing by calling our offices and requesting that wereturn you to paper statements. (Please be advised that paper statements wouldnot be generated in a case where the payments were automated.) All billingstatements (paper or electronic) are generated on or about the 11thof each month. In addition, your payments are fixed, and you would be able toanticipate what your payments would be each month without relying upon bills.As far as changes to the website, the website is currently undergoing some changeswhich will go live in the near future. We hope that you enjoy our new look whenit becomes available!

Review: I received a piece of mail from ECSI in the mail claiming I owed money on a Perkins loan from [redacted] As soon as I received the piece of mail, I attempted to call them, but the wait time before I could speak to a representative was an hour. I had no record of a loan out from [redacted] so I wanted to get a copy of the promissory note, at the very least to confirm that this was a legitimate company. Since the wait time was so long, I attempted to email them to request a copy of the promissory note. I did not receive a reply, and when I attempted to send a second email I received an email saying that the address was invalid. Future mailings did not include the email address, so I assume they shut down the address. I received a piece of mail about once a month, and every time I received the piece of mail I attempted to call but the wait times tended to be an hour or more. I have a full time job and family, and I don't really have the time to wait around on the phone. This continued on and on, and because every time I called the wait times were so long, I assumed this was not a legitimate company. Finally, I started receiving notices that it would be sent to collections, and just as I did before, I attempted to call but could not reasonably get a hold of a representative. I even attempted to have them call me back using that option, but never received a call. I finally received a piece of mail from my University saying I had not paid this company and my loan was about to default. I was able to contact someone at the University that was able to verify that the company was a legitimate company and they were able to send me a copy of the promissory note.Desired Settlement: Considering the difficulty in contacting this company and the number of times I attempted to contact them to no avail, I would like to have all late fees removed, all accrued interest taken off the loan, and all credit issues cleared. I will then start making monthly payments as required. Had I been able to simply make contact with this company, this would never have happened. I attempted to call again, but the wait time was an hour and a half. I have been waiting over 2 hours.

Business

Response:

To Whom This May Concern: Heartland ECSI is the third party billing servicer for student loans on behalf of [redacted] We have reviewed Mr. [redacted]s account and have determined that the account entered into repayment status with first fixed payment due on April 1, 2016 in the amount of $40.00. Based on the information on his account, Mr. [redacted]s spoke with a customer service representative on August 22, 2016 at 6:26 pm EST. Based on the school guidelines, our representative was able to offer him a one-time courtesy to waive the late fees. Heartland ECSI was able to waive $60.00 in fees related to the account being past due. Our representative also advised him that we could not make any change to the credit reporting history without him submitting the appropriate paperwork and that paperwork being approved based on the Federal Perkins loan guidelines. At that time, our representative mentioned a forbearance entitlement. Mr. Schaub ended the call without further direction on if he would file the appropriate paperwork. On August 31, 2016 at 4:37 pm EST, September 1, 2016 at 3:18 pm EST, and September 2, 2016 at 10:59 am EST, we attempted to contact Mr. Schaub to discuss rehabilitation on this loan to clear up any negative credit reporting history for this Federal Perkins Loan. Messages were left for Mr. Schaub to return our call to his discuss options. A representative from Heartland ECSI attempted reached out to Mr. Schaub August 31 at 4:45PM, September 1 at 3:15PM, and September 2 at 10:50AM. Each time we have left Mr. Schaub a message to contact our offices to review his entitlement options and to set up a repayment plan that could, if successfully completed, repair his credit while returning his account to positive repayment status. If Mr. Schaub would like to talk with us directly, or has any other questions, he is welcome to contact our customer service team at 888-549-3274 and ask specifically for Jocelyn. If Jocelyn is unavailable, any other representative can assist him as his account is appropriately noted. Sincerely,Scott K[redacted]Quality Assurance ManagerHeartland ECSI

Review: I accepted a scholarship 3 years ago that could be paid back through service or monetarily. The scholarship was given by the [redacted] and handed over to ECSI to do the collections. I had spoken with ECSI back in August 2016 to discuss what matters needed to be handled in order for them to process my year of service to be deducted from the amount that I owed. They said I needed to fill out a form and have it signed with a seal from my employer, I completed this tasked and promptly turned it in. The employee I talked with told me that was all that needed to be completed in order for my loan to be forgiven. I then received multiple statements stating that I still owed on my loan. I contacted ECSI several times after receiving this statements and they said that it would take time for my information to process and that I must have completed my first year of service which was to be fulfilled by May 2016. I waited until May 2016 and received another statement regarding my loan and it stated that I still owed the full amount and that I had been turned in to the credit bureau due to my payment being past due. I called ECSI once again and then they told me that I had to turn in yet another form in order for it to be resolved, this form had not been mentioned in the previous 5 phone calls. I completed the form that the ECSI employee told me to fill out, had it signed by my employer (AGAIN), and sent it in. I then received an email from ECSI stating that it was an incorrect form. I have called ECSI going on 9 times now and every single person I have talked to has given me a different answer and I have done just what all 9 people have asked. Now due to their lack of knowledge they are saying that I have been turned in to the credit bureau due to their poor customer service and knowledge. I have asked to speak with a supervisor regarding the issue and they are never available, how convenient. I am highly dissatisfied with this company and will never do business with them EVER again.Desired Settlement: I desire for ECSI to accept the information that has been given to them and to correct my billing statement to the correct amount that I owe after a year of service towards my loan. I also desire that ECSI will correct the report to the credit bureau.

Business

Response:

Please note: Heartland ECSI is a third party loan servicer on behalf of The [redacted]. After reviewing Ms. [redacted]’s account we have found the following. Her account entered repayment on June 1st, 2015. Ms. [redacted] contacted our customer service department on June 25th, 2015. Our representative assisted her with locating postponement forms online and explained she could apply for partial loan forgiveness after completing one year of employment. On July 30th, 2015 we received her postponement request form. The employer certification section of the form was not completed. We immediately notified Ms. [redacted] by email that a stamp, seal or letter on letterhead would be needed from her employer to process the postponement. On August 28th, 2015 we received her employer certification and placed a postponement onto her account, backdating it to May 1st, 2015 extending to May 1st, 2016. Backdating her postponement removed the past due credit reporting from her account. Ms. [redacted] contacts us on March 23rd, 2016 to ask what forms were needed to process loan forgiveness. The representative she spoke with advised the correct form for partial forgiveness and that it would not need to be sent in until May 2016 when she would complete a full year of employment. On June 27th she contacted us asking which form would be needed, we apologize that the representative she spoke with gave her incorrect information. Our representative directed her to forms for Federal Perkins Loans that offer a similar cancellation. On June 29th, 2015 we received the Perkins Loan cancellation forms. An email was sent back to Ms. [redacted] on June 29th requesting that she obtain certification of employment from her employer and use the partial cancellation form specific to [redacted]. The next day we received [redacted] specific forms however, the employer certification section was not completed. We replied to Ms. [redacted]’s email referencing the required employer certification section. Upon receipt of her Revdex.com inquiry, a Supervisor attempted to call Ms. [redacted] and assist her with loan forgiveness. We left a message for her to contact us back twice in July 2016. If assistance is needed she may contact Tony G[redacted], Supervisor of customer service directly at ###-###-####.

Review: This company recently took over the servicing of my Perkins loan. When I went to pay online I learned that they charge a convenience fee to pay from a bank account. Not wanting to be late I tried to pay this way anyway, rather than send a check. I have tried to pay multiple times, from different browsers, at different times of day and every time I receive an error message that says "We apologize but an unexpected error occurred while processing your request. If the problem persists please contact your administrator." The message disappears after a few seconds so it is very misleading. One could easily think their payment went through and end up missing their deadline. I tried calling their office during the hours posted on my billing statement but there was a voicemail stating the office was closed for an off-site meeting and to please call back later. I have no idea how to pay this loan on time, since I can't pay online and can't reach out to anyone in customer service. This seems very suspicious and makes me wonder if they are actively trying to force people to incur late fees.Desired Settlement: Most immediately I would like to be able to pay my loan. I would also like them to address their system limitations and to staff their help desk during their posted hours so this does not affect others.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted]’s loan is held by [redacted]. In the end of October Heartland ECSI took over servicing these accounts from Campus Partners. Occasionally when loans transfer from one servicer to another we experience onboarding issues that we work to prevent and quickly resolve. Because of this we do not assess late fees or credit reporting for the first 3 months. For Ms. [redacted]'s account fee's and credit reporting would not start until 02/01/2016. We apologize our offsite meeting inconvenienced Ms. [redacted]. This is our only annual company meeting and shut down our call center for a portion of the day to ensure all of our employees attend. A supervisor from our call center contacted Ms. [redacted] on 12/14/2015. For the inconvenience we waived the payment processing fee and Ms. [redacted] paid her account off in full.

Review: I had opened a federal Perkins loan with Heartland ECSI, formerly [redacted], 8 years ago (back in 2007), when I attended [redacted] University. It was for $1,000. I had since changed schools, took out more student loans and graduated in January 2014. Upon graduation, I contacted my loan provided and made sure to defer all my loans. In March 2015, I checked my credit report and saw that Heartland ECSI, formerly [redacted] had marked my loan late for 4 consecutive months. I was shocked because from my understanding my loans were all under one umbrella and were deferred. I immediately called [redacted] and asked what happened and how I could resolve the matter. [redacted] said that they had been sending my loan statements to an old address. I advised them that I had not been at that address for several years and asked if I could pay the loan in full and get the late marks removed from my credit report. The loan was paid off in full and consolidated in with my other loans, however, [redacted] transferred me around several times regarding getting the late marks removed to no avail. I mailed in several letters to [redacted], requesting that the change be made as well as e-mailed the CEO of Heartland, Mr. Farmer who kindly referred me to Mr. Bob Talotta. At the time of this e-mail I was simply asking for a goodwill adjustment due to the fact that my intent has and always will be to satisfy my debts on time. I have not heard back from Mr. Talotta, however a representative named Tamika left me a voicemail stating she would call me back or I could call. I called the office and spoke with a representative who stated Tamika left a notation stating that they can not do a goodwill adjustment on my account. Upon further research, I see now that [redacted] never completed their due diligence. Per the Perkins federal loan guidelines, [redacted] never did the following:

If mail sent to a borrower is returned undelivered, or if the borrower fails to respond, you must take steps to locate the borrower. These steps must include:

• reviews of borrower records in all appropriate school offices;

• reviews of telephone directories or inquiries to directory assistance at the borrower’s last known address, and attempting to reach the borrower by phone; and

• attempting to locate and contact the borrower by electronic means.

I never received any e-mail to my university e-mail address, I did not receive the letter in the mail nor did I receive a phone call. My information was available on my social media pages among other places online. If, Heartland ECSI, formerly [redacted] had completed due diligence, I assure this loan would have been satisfied when it became due. The loan is paid in full-my debt has been satisfied. Being that this loan was satisfied and the fact that [redacted] did not complete due diligence, I am asking once again that all the late marks be removed from all three credit bureaus.Desired Settlement: I would like all derogatory/late marks removed from all 3 credit bureaus.

Business

Response:

Heartland

ECSI formerly [redacted] is a third party servicer that currently

contracts with [redacted] University to provide third-party student loan

servicing for their Federal Perkins and Institutional student loan portfolios. We

understand the borrower’s frustrations in learning of the negative reporting to

the credit bureaus. I have carefully

reviewed Ms. [redacted]’s loan and determined that we did not receive any returned mail from the US Postal Service (which

would indicate an invalid address) nor

did we received any notification from Ms. [redacted] that her address on file was no

longer valid until March 24, 2015. Her first payment was due on November 1,

2014. Because we did not receive address

updates from the borrower in a timely manner, her billing statements were

being sent to an incorrect address. This resulted in her loan becoming

105 days past due in February 2015 and 120 days past due in March 2015 at which

time it was transferred to a collection agency. The Federal

Perkins Promissory note states that it’s the borrower responsibility to inform

the School of any change in their name, address or telephone number. We

contacted the borrower on November 3, 2015 in regards to the email that she

sent to Mr. Ron Farmer on October 22, 2015. During the call, the negative

reporting on the borrower’s credit report was explained along with the

information that based on her Federal Perkins Student Loan Promissory Note it

is her responsibility to provide updates to her contact information to her

school lender. I

have contacted [redacted] University and the lender agrees with our review of the

borrower’s loan history and has determined that no change to the credit history

of her Federal Perkins Loan is warranted. Any adjustments made to the

borrower’s credit report that is not warranted would compromise the integrity

of the data. We will continue to report the factual credit history on Ms.

[redacted]’s loan. As a third party servicer, Heartland ECSI formerly [redacted] is

required to maintain the integrity of the credit information provided to the

three major credit bureaus. The Fair

Credit Reporting Act requires furnishers of this information to provide

accurate information to the reporting agencies.Heartland

ECSI hours of operation are from 8:00am to 8:00pm Eastern Time. A borrower can speak to a live representative

or they can access their account online at our website www.mycampusloan.com and review the

most updated loan information. We

apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the complainant.Sincerely,Carrie

G[redacted]Manager

Loan Operations

Review: I received a student loan payment request from Campus Partners in the mail. I decided to go through the website to set up a user account and set up direct account payments instead of sending a check as payment. As the statement they sent was only a single page, I was informed very little about the company and decided to call the customer service representative to make sure I understood the loan details and the company's payment process. The representative was kind and courteous, described the amount, interest rate, and payment due on my account and assured me I had plenty of time (nearly a month) to set up direct payment from my checking account in time for the first payment to go through. The website is minimal to say the least, with no details on charges associated with different payments (using a debit card has an associated fee and using a bank account does not). I submitted payment and instead of a confirmation, the page refreshed to display code and I was unable to confirm if the payment had been processed. I called again and the representative said a confirmation would be emailed if the payment was processed, which I never received. The representative was unable to confirm if a payment had occurred and said they could accept payment over the phone for a fee of $15 (an additional 30% of my payment!). I logged in the next day to make a payment and the website stated "Your account information is currently unavailable. Please try again later" and was unable to submit payment. So, I waited another day and when the same message appeared, again, I called, and was told that Campus Partners was no longer servicing my loan and was given the number for Heartland ECSI. Campus Partners is obviously struggling, is behind the times with payment and access and maintaining their web services. If they had been forethcoming or had offered to accept payment and waive the fee, this complaint would not be placed at this time.Desired Settlement: Campus Partners should release a statement to their customers whose accounts are being transferred to Heartland ECSI. Campus Partners should update their website and maintain the service at a level that is standard in 2016 for similar loan servicing companies. Campus Partners should allow their customer service representatives the ability to offer over the phone payment with fees waived when customer is diligent in attempting to make payment and their website is unable to meet the need.

Business

Response:

Heartland ECSI (formerly Campus Partners) is the third party loan billing servicer for the [redacted] – [redacted]. By acquisition, Heartland ECSI assumed the third party servicing contractual obligations of Campus Partners. Customers should receive notice from Campus Partners of the pending servicing transfer, however, to accommodate customers Heartland ECSI implements a temporary 90 day stop on all fees and credit reporting as part of the service transfer process. We apologize for any difficulty experienced by Ms. [redacted] during the servicing transfer from Campus Partners to Heartland ECSI. Heartland ECSI welcomes Ms. [redacted] to create an account on our website https://heartland.ecsi.net, and an email has been initiated by Heartland ECSI to Ms. [redacted] with instructions on how to create the account. It is our hope that she finds Heartland ECSI’s website informative and user friendly. In the event customers experience an issue making a payment on our website it is our policy is to waive the processing fee when notified of the error over the phone. If Ms. [redacted] would like to talk with us directly, she may contact Tony G[redacted], Supervisor of Customer Service, directly at ###-###-#### or contact our general customer service team at ###-###-####.

The WORST company I have EVER dealt with. I do not know how any person that works here actually has a job. I have submitted loan forgiveness papers TRACKING them to ensure that they get to the company and EACH TIME the company has "lost" the papers saying that it is my fault that they cannot read them? Doesn't even make sense. I am in the process of hiring an attorney to look into the matter. I never have a problem with any loan company, but when you call here, it is like talking to is. No one knows that is going on and they cannot tell you any information.

Review: This is one company that I have to work with regarding one of my Student Loans with [redacted]. I have been diligent with my payments and I have always paid a few dollars more every month. As it stands the fixed payment is $127.28 per month. I typically will make the check out for $130.00. On May 27th I sent out a check for that amount and when looking at my account on their site it would appear that it was taken out on the 6th of June and attempted to be taken out again on the 8th. I checked with my bank and the check was declined for insufficient funds.

I received a notice on 6/8 saying I owed the $130 as the full amount of the payment and a $99.99 fee. I called and they told me that the fees are something I would have to address the school with and the payment is not going to be the fixed amount but the amount the check was made out for. No other explanation was offered.

I contacted the school and was told that the fee can not be waived, but they would see about getting it lowered because it was my first offence. I was told to simply make the normal payments for now. That is precisely what I did on 6/24 I made out a check for $260... which would be my normal payment for 2 months and it was taken out on 6/28. I then received a notice 6/30 with a post mark of 6/27 saying I now owed $382.50. I called ECSI again... and this time I was told that the notice from 6/27 must have been sent out prematurely and that I was currently up to date with my account. I asked to have them double check because I sent out a check for 2 months and not the fees. I was told that they don't know anything about that just that the account reads up to date.

However, I received a notice on 7/15 post marked 7/11 saying that my account is 15 days past due and that I owe $277.73. I called and there was an ridiculous wait time and chose to have someone call me back, which I never received a call back. I waited because I was under the impression that it must have been another premature notice mailed out. Then on 7/28 I received two statements both of which are post marked 7/25 saying that I am past due and on one of them it says that I now owe $280.23 and the other says that I owe $282.73 with a threat of sending me to collections with the Federal Government. I am baffled by the now 3 different amounts that I apparently owe so I check my account online and my online account now says I owe $285.23. With this I call them (7/29) I get another crazy wait time and have them call me back. The woman who finally called me back never said her name and when she tried to get into my account she said she was locked out of my account under some Federal Government code. I asked that I speak to a supervisor because I need to have some answers. I get the supervisor, Jocelyn... no last name was given. I explained the above and she said that we are locked out of that school account... I asked her how that could be because I was looking at the account currently. She only replied with, "We are currently locked out of that school account as the representative tried to explain to you before you asked for me." I asked her when they would be able to help me and she said that the best she could do is to have someone call me back on Monday (8/1, today). I told her that I need to speak with a manager and that I would need to have them call me at 4 pm. She said that she would call me. I waited till 4:40 pm and then called with a wait time of 106 minuted and used the same process of having them call me back. it is currently 5:42 pm and I still have not yet heard from them.

As a side note... I have heard from several friends who are going through similar issues with ECSI.Desired Settlement: Given the fact that they can not seem to get their fees strait and with all appearances it would seem that they are just throwing numbers out there at random expecting people to just pay them whatever they say whenever they say. My desired outcome of all of this would be to have all fees dropped and one month grace given to me for the stress they have caused.

Business

Response:

To Whom This May Concern: Heartland ECSI is the third party billing servicer for student loans on behalf of the [redacted]. We have reviewed Mr. [redacted]’s account and have determined that the account entered into repayment status in February of 2016. The bill generated and sent to Mr. [redacted] for his 6/1/2016 payment was for the fixed payment amount of $127.28. Heartland ECSI agrees that regular payments were received in excess of the amount due. The payment received by Heartland ECSI in the amount of $130.00 was process on June 6, 2016. This payment was rejected by his bank on June 8, 2016 with the reason stated as Insufficient Funds. Heartland ECSI only attempted to withdraw the $130.00 payment one time which was on June 6, 2016. The notice Mr. [redacted] received on June 8, 2016 was the Non-Sufficient Funds notice indicating the payment he attempted to make was denied by his bank and he would need to make a replacement payment. Due to the payment rejection by his bank on June 8, 2016, the account was assessed a $99.99 Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) fee. This fee is set by [redacted]. Heartland ECSI is the third party billing servicer on behalf of the University, and can only waive fees that are permitted or authorized. As such the University must authorize us to remove or adjust fees. In further review of the account, Mr. [redacted] called our office on June 13, 2016 to discuss the NSF fee charged to the account and asked to have the fee waived. Our Customer Service Representative directed Mr. [redacted] to contact the University to discuss waiving the fee. In an effort to assist Mr. [redacted], we contacted the University on August 8, 2016 to inquire if the University did waive the fee and did not notify Heartland ECSI. The University indicated they have no records indicating that he has inquired with them to waive the fee, and they further stated they are not willing to remove any portion of the fee. At the time of Mr. [redacted]’s payment of $260.00 processed on June 28, 2016 his July 2016 bill had already been generated and sent. That total charges on the bill were $380.00 which included the $99.99 NSF charge, a late fee of $25.45, and two (2) fixed monthly payments both in the amount of $127.28. Based on his payment of $260.00, a balanced of $120.00 remained past due. The August 2016 bill generated showing a payment due date of August 1, 2016 in the amount of $277.73. This amount accounts for the fixed payment due for August of $127.28, the outstanding fee balance of $122.50, a late payment fee of $25.45, and a late letter fee of $2.50. In regards to the call on July 29, 2016, at the time of Mr. [redacted]’s call we were completing our regular system calculations for [redacted] which is why we were unable to access the account to explain the details. The supervisor was to call him back after 4:00 PM on August 1, 2016 due to Mr. [redacted]’s work schedule; however, he contacted our office prior to receiving a call back. We apologize for the wait time experienced on August 1, 2016. During the call on August 1, 2016, our customer service representative explained the fees and charges on the current bill as well as the timing of when Mr. [redacted] mails payments to avoid additional fees and charges. On August 2, 2016, Heartland ECSI received a payment of $285.23 which included the $277.73 payment due from the August bill as well as additional charges that had been assessed on the account for an additional late letter fee of $2.50 and late phone call charge of $5.00. At the present time, Mr. [redacted]’s account does not have any past due payments or fees, and the bill that he will receive for his September 1, 2016 payment will be his fixed monthly payment amount of $127.28. If Mr. [redacted]’s would like to talk with us directly, or has any other questions, he is welcome to contact our customer service team at ###-###-#### during our business hours of 7:30AM and 8:00PM EST. Monday through Friday. Sincerely,Scott K[redacted]Quality Assurance Manager Heartland ECSI

Review: ECSI currently services my Student Loan from the mass dept. of higher education. As a servicer they use a convoluted system of receiving payments that is both misleading and I believe is designed to unfairly target low income customers in order to extract fees or result in late payments.

The web site offers you only 4 days per month that a payment can be made without an additional charge. Their have been numerous times that I have scheduled payments and the website doesn't register the scheduled payment. Since the dates are always one of the 4 days you often don't know that the sight didn't charge your account until it is already late. This results in a late fee and most recently resulted in a delinquent payment reported to the credit agencies. Up until this point I had absolutely no marks on my credit report. I first attempted to schedule a payment on March 1st and the payment for some reason didn't go through. I didn't realize this until I sent the next payment which was due April 1st. I scheduled a payment but I had to schedule it avoid additional fees for one of the 4 days per month April 1st. This was scheduled around the date of March 23. They did not make clear that March 31st my loan would be reported to the credit agency. This payment went through using the same account that had adequate funds both attempts. I'm not sure if its just the poor website or malicious intent but it seems like it could be both. Had I known that it would have been reported I'd have paid the fee to keep this from occurring. It is most definitely misleading and they profit off of it.

This is intentional gouging through a confusing system aimed at those who don't have the luxury of having the payment amount extracted automatically every month. Please take this seriously as I believe that all of the customers of ECSI are captive to them as they were assigned to the servicer and did not choose to do business with them. They are literally charging a fee to pay them all but 4 days a month. As you can see from the link below there are a large number of complaints regarding this very issue.

[redacted]Desired Settlement: I'd like ECSI to correct my credit report and remove the delinquent report. I would like them to accept payment more than 4 days a month without a fee. I expect that they fix their website so when you schedule a payment it actually processes all of the time.

Business

Response:

Please note: Heartland ECSI is a third party billing servicer on behalf of Mass. Department of Higher Education. As a billing servicer all payments that apply toward principal, interest and or collection fees are transferred in their entirety to Mass. Department of Higher Education. Mr. [redacted] is referring to our “Direct Payment” system. This system is primarily used to setup monthly reoccurring automatic payments to be withdrawn from a checking or savings account. The direct payment option does have the functionality to allow users to set how many times a payment pulls before the automatic withdraw cancels. Before clicking on the “Direct Payment” link there is a warning that advises users to ensure the date they choose to have the payment withdrawn coincides with their accounts due date, and if the account is past due to make an instant payment or contact our office. We offer multiple withdraw dates to accommodate various account due dates. Our records indicate that Mr. [redacted]’s account was current up until their February 1st payment was missed. A letter was mailed advising a payment was missed on 02/11/2016. We called Mr. [redacted] on 02/24/2016 to advise the February payment wasn’t received. There was no answer and we left a voice message. On 03/11/2016 a letter was mailed advising of impending credit reporting and the past due status of the account. On 03/24/2016 Mr. [redacted] setup a direct payment to be drawn on 04/01/2016. We mailed a past due notice again on 03/24/2016 and made another call to Mr. [redacted] on 03/29/2016 to warn of the impending credit reporting. We left a message on March 29th for Mr. [redacted] to contact Heartland ECSI. On March 31st Heartland ECSI reported Mr .[redacted]’s account as thirty days past due. As a third party servicer, we are required to maintain the integrity of the credit information provided to the major credit bureaus. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires furnishers of information to provide accurate information to the reporting agencies. Any adjustments made to a credit report that is not warranted would compromise the integrity of the data. Payment processing or “convenience” fees are not required to make a payment through Heartland ECSI. They are only for instant online payments. Setting up “Direct” payment preemptively to be drawn on or before the accounts due date with a checking or saving’s account is a free payment option. Another free option would be to mail a check or money order to. Heartland ECSI [redacted]

Heartland ECSI manages accounts and processes payments on behalf Mass Dept. of Higher Education. As an optional service, Heartland ECSI provides the ability for students and borrowers to make online payments, which is many times a more convenient method. The payment processing fee is a compilation of multiple fees that are charged when making an online payment, such as Interchange and Basis Points (charged by your card provider), gateway fees (charged by the payment intermediary), and system maintenance fees (to maintain the link between your account, the payment gateway, and the payment processor). When making a payment online, payment processing fees may be based on a flat rate or a percentage of the amount being paid. If Mr. [redacted] would like any other information on their account they may contact Tony Gump a Supervisor within our Customer Service department directly at ###-###-####

Review: On three separate occasion I tried to make a payment for a student loan. I tried their internet site, calling and mailing a payment. The internet crashed, and my payment account was not received. When I called, they mistyped my checking account number, which resulted in a NSF fee. They refused to refund this fee or provide the call recording to prove "I gave the wrong number" as they claimed. Finally, I mailed a check with invoice which detailed all the information they require to apply a payment. They cashed the check but did not apply the payment to my account. I called to voice my concern that a NSF fee was applied and inquire about what happened to the check they cashed. They told me they applied the payment to the wrong account and they would submit a ticket and let me know. Two weeks passed and they again said they would call me with their decision on moving the payment to the correct account. I never received a call, I did call back and they said they moved the payment but would not refund the NSF or provide evidence I gave the wrong information.Desired Settlement: I would like hear the recoding that proves I gave, and verified, the wrong checking account information

Business

Response:

Please note: Heartland ECSI is a third party loan servicer on behalf of the [redacted].Mr. [redacted] contacted us to setup check payment withdraws on 12/15/2015. Mr. [redacted]’s bank rejected the payment as “unable to locate the account”. The call from 12/15 was reviewed by a supervisor in our customer service department. The representative entered the checking account number as they were given. Calls are recorded for quality assurance and training purposes, it is not within our policy to send call recordings to any third party or consumer. As a third party servicer checks mailed to Heartland ECSI should be made out to the client care of (c/o) ECSI. Mr. [redacted]s check was made out directly to ECSI. Being that the first name on the check is “[redacted]” our system automatically applied it to a [redacted] within our system. On February 4th we were notified the payment did not apply to his account. On February 8th we applied the payment correctly and built a rule to make sure Mr. [redacted]’s future payments are applied correctly. We emailed Mr. [redacted] on February 8th to notify him of this. We apologize for this payment applying incorrectly, to compensate Mr. [redacted] for his time spent helping us correct this we credited the amount of the payment rejection fee (NSF fee) to his principal balance. If any other assistance is needed he may contact Tony Gump a supervisor within our customer service center directly at ###-###-####.

Review: I contacted ECSI in August 2015 after receiving a past due notice. I spoke with a rep about my online account showing my payments current. She agreed that my account was current. I asked if I had be negatively reported to credit bureaus, she confirmed I had not been negatively reported to the credit bureaus. I received a new notice in September that I was not 90 days past due and my account was going to be reported. I contacted the company again and a new representative stated that the previous representative was wrong and that my account is past due.Desired Settlement: I would like a correction to my credit report due to the fact that the representative from ECSI told me in August that my account was current.

Business

Response:

ECSI is a third party billing servicer that services accounts directly onbehalf of various universities and colleges. When you contacted us on 8.21.2015via live chat you were inquiring about a [redacted] account. This accountwas current and in good standing. The account that went past due is under[redacted] These are two separate accounts as such we must keepeverything separate since Heartland ECSI is not a consolidation company but athird party billing servicer. All statements sent out are separate, websitelogins are separate, and loan names/amounts are separate.Student loan accounts are reported to the credit bureau(s) alongwith the current or past due status. This information is reported on amonthly basis to the credit bureau(s) and becomes part of the credit history onthe account. Being that we sent multiple notices with the correct accountreferenced warning the account was past due we have no grounds to override the previouslyreported loan status. Please contact us for additional options that may be available for your account to remove credit reporting.