Student loans
Sallie Mae: what servicemembers report to the CFPB
CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, complaints tagged servicemember, received 2023 to 2025. Read October 28, 2026. Open the same query on consumerfinance.gov.
- Servicemember complaints
- 148
- Closed with money back
- 1%
- 2023 to 2025
- 36 to 67
Servicemembers filed 6.8% of Sallie Mae's 2,182 complaints in the window, against 2.5% across the directory. The complaints are mostly about student loan, and the single most common issue is "Dealing with your lender or servicer". 1% of servicemember complaints closed with money back, against 2% across all 349 companies in this directory. The yearly count rose from 36 in 2023 to 67 in 2025.
What the complaints are about
By product
| Student loan | 90 |
| Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports | 38 |
| Debt collection | 12 |
| Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports | 3 |
| Checking or savings account | 2 |
By issue
| Dealing with your lender or servicer | 45 |
| Struggling to repay your loan | 29 |
| Incorrect information on your report | 23 |
| Improper use of your report | 19 |
| Getting a loan | 7 |
| 2023: 36 | 2024: 45 | 2025: 67 |
Which accounts, specifically
| Private student loan | 91 |
| Credit reporting | 45 |
| Federal student loan servicing | 12 |
| Private student loan debt | 10 |
| General-purpose credit card or charge card | 3 |
What went wrong, specifically
| Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan | 16 |
| Received bad information about your loan | 11 |
| Keep getting calls about your loan | 11 |
| Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize | 9 |
| Can't temporarily delay making payments | 8 |
Busiest month: November 2025, with 9 servicemember complaints. Most were submitted by web.
Most complaints came from CA (18), TX (17), FL (15) , then NY, VA, CT.
How Sallie Mae answered
| Closed with explanation | 128 | 86% |
| Closed with non-monetary relief | 19 | 13% |
| Closed with monetary relief | 1 | 1% |
Sallie Mae responded within the CFPB's 15-day window on 99% of servicemember complaints (directory-wide: 99%). Where the company published a response, the most common was: "Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law" (134). A complaint closed "with explanation" means the company answered in writing and changed nothing; "monetary relief" means money moved.
In servicemembers' own words
Narratives the CFPB publishes with the consumer's consent. Personal details are removed by the CFPB before publication. Each links to the original complaint.
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Debt collection; Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly. NC, 2024-08-09. Outcome: Closed with explanation. Complaint 9802556
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Student loan; Dealing with your lender or servicer. FL, 2024-08-05. Outcome: Closed with non-monetary relief. Complaint 9713841
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Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports; Incorrect information on your report. CA, 2024-07-12. Outcome: Closed with explanation. Complaint 9482629
If this is your problem at Sallie Mae
For a pre-service debt above 6%: the written request and the refund estimate; for repossession, foreclosure, a default judgment or eviction, the court-protection guides and the Department of Justice; for a loan or card taken during service, the Military Lending Act. A CFPB complaint is the dated record that follows, and it is the data on this page. This site's verified guide to the company's own military policies: Sallie Mae SCRA: 5% Cap, Even on Loans Opened During Service.
Compare with student loans peers
- Servicer under contract with Federal Student Aid 205 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
- AES/PHEAA 103 servicemember complaints; 2% with money back
- EdFinancial Services 378 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
- Navient Solutions 470 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
- Aidvantage (Maximus) 585 servicemember complaints; 0% with money back
Next in the directory by volume: Source Receivables Management, Consumer Portfolio Services, Incomm.
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints did servicemembers file against Sallie Mae?
148 complaints tagged servicemember were received by the CFPB about SLM CORPORATION between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025 (database read October 28, 2026). The tag covers active duty, Guard, Reserve, veterans, retirees, and their spouses and dependents. The yearly count rose from 36 in 2023 to 67 in 2025.
What do servicemembers complain about most at Sallie Mae?
Student loan accounts for 90 of the 148 complaints, and the most common issue is "Dealing with your lender or servicer" (45). Next: "Struggling to repay your loan" (29).
Does Sallie Mae give money back when a servicemember complains?
1% of servicemember complaints closed with money back, against 2% across all 349 companies in this directory. 19 closed with non-monetary relief and 128 closed with an explanation only. Sallie Mae answered 99% of these complaints within the CFPB's 15-day window.
Tools for this topic
- SCRA refund calculator What a lender owes back for charging over 6%.
- Savings calculator What the 6% cap saves you per month and per year.
- Letter generator A rate-cap or lease letter that cites the statute.
CFPB counts for complaints tagged "Servicemember" received 2023-01-01 to 2025-12-31, read October 28, 2026; names are the CFPB's; percentages only at 100+ complaints; a complaint is not a finding of wrongdoing. Method and the full directory.
Heads up: SCRA Saver publishes general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws change and every situation differs. Confirm details with your installation legal assistance office (free for service members) or a licensed professional.