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CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU SETTLES LAWSUIT AGAINST ITT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES 

August 12, 2019 / Source: CFPB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 12, 2019

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CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU SETTLES LAWSUIT AGAINST ITT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES 

Washington, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today announced a proposed settlement with ITT Educational Services, Inc. to resolve the Bureau’s lawsuit, which alleges that ITT engaged in unfair and abusive practices in connection with its private loan program in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010.

The Bureau’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in 2014, alleges that ITT helped to create private loan programs for students at ITT Technical Institute, the school run by ITT until it filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations in 2016. The Bureau alleges that ITT improperly induced students to take out those loans to pay the tuition amounts not covered by loans or other tuition assistance from the federal government. The Bureau’s complaint also alleges that ITT knew that the student borrowers did not understand the terms and conditions of the loans and could not afford them, resulting in high default rates and other negative consequences.

The terms of the proposed stipulated order include, among other things, a judgment against ITT for $60 million and an injunction prohibiting ITT from offering or providing student loans in the future.

The proposed stipulated judgment against ITT is available at: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_ITT_proposed-stipulated-judgement_2019-08.pdf 

In a separate action filed by the Bureau on June 14, 2019, a final stipulated judgment was entered against the entity holding the private loans at issue, Student CU Connect CUSO, LLC. Under the terms of that judgment all collection on such loans must cease, all outstanding loans must be discharged, and all negative credit reporting must be corrected.

The final stipulated judgment against the Student CU Connect CUSO is available at: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_student-CU-connect-cuso-llc_stipulated-final-judgment-order_2019-08.pdf 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 21st century agency that helps consumer finance markets work by regularly identifying and addressing outdated, unnecessary, or unduly burdensome regulations, by making rules more effective, by consistently enforcing federal consumer financial law, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic lives. For more information, visit consumerfinance.gov.