Private hospitals can sue, garnish, & seize assets over medical debt. 81% of voters want to ban medical debt credit reporting. 90% want limits on debt collectors seizing homes & cars. Thankfully, states are stepping up to protect families & shut down abusive collection tools.

Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is spiking monthly student loan payments for parents across the country, causing major financial distress for their families. Read some of their stories:

California's Little Hoover Commission is tackling $390M+ in institutional debt students owe to CA public colleges. The commission’s proposed solutions come after a hearing requested by @blancapacheco.bsky.social & the Campaign for California Borrowers' Rights.

"And nearly four in five voters support capping credit-card interest rates at 10%." New piece by Aaron Zitner in The Wall Street Journal finds broad support for capping the cost of credit-card interest rates, among other things.

“It’s different if people are so desperate that [Buy Now, Pay Later loans] are the only ways they can make ends meet… the fact that usage is rising so much is pretty much a sign that people are really struggling.” - @nytimes.com's Stacey Cowley

Big coalition is out today urging committee members to hold an emergency hearing on the current student loan system chaos - via @politico.com. We need oversight when Congress is back in November!

“What we saw Vought do with Bilt is innovative—and I don’t mean that as a compliment.” - Protect Borrower's Mike Pierce. The Trump CFPB’s treatment of Bilt shows a Reagan-esque mindset: a wholesale deregulatory approach meant to strip away regulations and oversight of all companies.

To expand our state enforcement & oversight work, we recently welcomed an incredible group of @newyorkstateag, CFPB, & @DCAttorneyGen alums to the Protect Borrowers team: • Laura C. Dismore • Lorelei Salas • Adam Teitelbaum • Austin Hinkle More here:

Anabel, a borrower & @aft.org member, spent 5+ years in limbo on her student loans. Then boom: she got #onebigbill of $630/month thanks to OBBBA. Now she has had to call off having a second child and stop saving for retirement entirely.

Diane, an @aft.org borrower, makes $75K and still can't afford groceries. Her student loan servicer has repeatedly failed to process her paperwork on time and recently tried to take $2,000 from her account while she was supposed to be in forbearance.

ICYMI: Must-listen episode of @nytimes.com The Daily podcast ft Stacy Cowley on the financial trap caused by Buy Now, Pay Later loans.

Alyssa, a @debtcrisisorg.bsky.social borrower from Oregon, was on track for loan relief in 2024 until court chaos delays. Now her balance is high because loans that should've been relieved years ago never were. She says the PSLF mess makes 12 years in public service "feel like it wasn't worth it."

Bilt's credit card rollout broke for the second time this year. The Trump CFPB's response: politely asking if they'd fixed it.

Dr. Lyn is 71 & juggles being a: • full-time teacher • part-time Walmart employee • primary caregiver for her adult son who can’t work or drive to doctor appointments And now, her monthly student loan bill is $1,500. Borrowers deserve better. Share your #OneBigBill story:

This week @nytimes.com exposed a sitting U.S. Senator in a tight reelection for suing 700+ of his own patients over medical debt, leading to 81 arrests. New on IN DEBT: our Executive Director Mike Pierce digs in on what this means for the politics of debt a year after our Protect Borrowers launch.

🚨ATTENTION: Are you an Uber, Lyft, Instacart, GrubHub, or other app-based platform worker? Have you seen ads for gig worker cash advances with sky-high interest rates and aggressive collections?  We want to hear from you! Take this 3-minute survey:

Gig Worker Cash Advances Survey

Thank you for participating in our survey! This survey is being conducted by Protect Borrowers, a nonprofit organization fighting to build an economy where debt doesn’t limit opportunity. It should take 5 minutes or less to complete. Your responses will not be shared or made public, and are only b...

protectborrowers.org

Working families are stretched thin this Labor Day. Predatory lenders and employers are profiting off the affordability crisis, pushing families struggling to afford everyday expenses deeper into debt. We deserve an economy where debt doesn’t limit opportunity.

Gidget went to college, started working, built a career, and cares for her aging mom. Her student loan bill spiked to ~$1,000/month. Now, she & her husband can't save for the baby they wanted to have.  Share your #OneBigBill story:

The Trump Admin's stealing progress toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Public service workers may be required to pay YEARS of additional payments before earning student debt relief they were promised after 10 years of service. See Winston Berkman-Breen’s Substack for more:

@seiu.org member & student loan borrower Aaron lost all but 2 months of PSLF credit after nearly a year in the SAVE forbearance. Now, he may no longer be able to support his elderly mom. Borrowers are facing similar situations nationwide. Are you one of them? Share your story:

More student loan borrowers are at risk of default as OBBBA spikes monthly payments. “A lot of other expenses [are] going up for people... most people are going to choose that other payment [over paying their student loans] to keep their family going.” - Amy Czulada Interview:

Apple's new Apple Upgrade program has customers RENT—not own—their iPhones. Americans are being priced out of everything. First you're told to cut back, then borrow, and when even BNPL fails, to rent… even the phone in your pocket. Read Protect Borrowers' Jenn Zhang's Substack breaking this down:

Denise recently retired, lives on a fixed income & relies on her daughter's help. Her student loan payment went from $15 to $162/month while she was hospitalized w/ a stroke, unable to send her servicer paperwork. A health crisis & servicer error shouldn't result in #OneBigBill

Our Executive Director Mike Pierce & @aft.org President Randi Weingarten argue in @ms.now that students & borrowers deserve a system that can “eliminate debt, drive bad actors out and ensure colleges have the resources to educate and train the next generation…” Read their op-ed below:

Our new investigation sounds the alarm on the unique risks that state-based student loans pose to families & the abusive practices these lenders deploy when borrowers fall behind. Learn more here:

If you miss a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment, junk fees can trap you in debt. Our recent report finds nearly half of Americans used BNPL last year. The Trump Admin pulled back on oversight. Policymakers at all levels must protect families.

Banks have nearly doubled credit card interest rates over the past decade. New from our Executive Director Mike Pierce in Open Banker: banks are like “government-sanctioned monopol[ies].” Families deserve policy that disciplines banks for ripping them off & breaking social contracts.

“Trump’s budget bill wrecks the finances of families with student debt.” ICYMI @protectborrowers.bsky.social's Mike Pierce & @aft.org's Randi Weingarten published a piece in @ms.now—and it’s a must-read!

Apple now lets you RENT your phone—you pay monthly for years, own nothing, face hidden fees & predatory terms, and do it all over again when the lease term is done. First you’re told to cut back. Then borrow. Then when even BNPL fails, to rent. Read Jenn Zhang's new Substack for more:

New @TCFdotorg @borrowerjustice utility debt analysis. TLDR, the utility crisis is getting worse: 💰Energy bills have spiked 3x faster than inflation 💰Typical bills are now $280+ in 18 states 💰Rising utility costs are pushing more families deeper into the red