Heather,
I have been divorced since May 2006; however, my sneaky ex-husband jointly consolidated our student loans in Dec. 2005 without my consent. I’m past the fraud (he also bought computers/furniture/etc in my name/credit without my knowledge) and more focused on maintaining my good credit. My loan total at the time was $43,000; his was $56,000. At the time of the consolidation, I was still enrolled part-time in my graduate program and so my loans were not due. I have not spoken to my ex-husband, nor do I know of his whereabouts, much less have any idea on his income, etc since May 2006 when I filed for divorce. Now that I have finally completed my graduate program, ALL of my student loans are coming due and FedLoan Servicing will not qualify me for the Income Based Repayment Plan because my loans were jointly consolidated. I’ve asked FedLoan Servicing to remove him from the loan completely and I will make ALL payments, I just need the payment to be affordable - not $1700/mo! The loan companies refuse and say they cannot help but suggest I sue my ex-husband and force him to pay. This does no good - he has filed bankruptcy and defaulted on all of his loans, and again, if he doesn’t make payments, my credit is affected! After reading some of your blogs, I have sent all of my congressmen and senators as well as the ombudsman letters regarding my situation and how I am being penalized for trying to make payments on ALL student loans. I now owe over $200,000 (with penalties/interest). If I pay $500/month for 30 years, I still can’t pay the entire amount, but I am willing to try and make the commitment. My income is strictly commission based with a draw of $2000/month. I only make money when I sell a home and my 4-month old son and I cannot survive/live with this student loan payment and potential wage garnishment coming soon. Please HELP.