concerned50

WhoCares1000 you are very smart and I thank you for your previous advice. I called the collection agency today and I spoke with a supervisor who was very nice and he told me they cannot collect on the debt for my Federal Student Loan if I am living in Canada. They are not licensed to collect in Canada and because they still had my Texas address and did not bother to check the area code they were calling they assumed I was in the United States. The account is now updated and the only thing they can do is if I want to call them and pay it voluntarily.

Thank you very much for the information. WhoCares1000 you sound very knowledgeable in both American and Canadian matters. I am not normally a person to not pay my bills, but it was very costly to move back to Canada and get my husband his permanent residency here. We have very good credit rating in Canada and I don't want to mess that up. We have no intention of ever going back to live in the United States and that being said I am no longer a permanent resident there. We do go back from time to time to visit. I believe it is a Federal loan as it is through Sallie Mae. Also, my company does not have any ties with America as I work for the provincial government. I understand exactly what you are refering to with trying to pay it back. Most of the time collection companies want access to your bank account with permission to withdraw the funds monthly. That will not work in this case. I am a little concerned and nervous because they are definitely playing hard ball. The collection company (Pioneer Credit Recovery) found where I work and called the 800 # asking for me. They have also faxed my employer asking for employment verification, but one of our administrative assistants brought it directly to me because she thought it looked a little odd. The collection agency has also called my home and my cell phone. I have not spoken to them yet because I want to make sure I have all my facts straight before I do so. I have also done a little research on Pioneer including the Better Business Bureau and they do not seem very reputable. I really appreciate any information you can give to me WhoCares1000. If there was a way to reply to you directly I apologize I am new with forums.

I am a Canadian citizen, but I lived in the United States for many years as a permanent resident. In 2001 I was going to school and had a student loan. I did not graduate for reasons that don't matter. I continued to pay on my student loan. In 2011 I moved back to Canada and was able to put my student loan in forebarence a couple times. I then had some financial difficulties and my student loan has gone to collections (Pioneer Credit Recovery). This week they tracked my down at work. They also faxed a form to my employer to verify employment which was intercepted by my Administrative Assistant so I actually have the fax and then they called my cell phone today. I am really starting to panic because I don't know how far their reach is when the debt is in the United States and you live and are a citizen of Canada. It is not that I don't want to pay my debt, but I need to get a handle on my finances. With the exchange rate the payment can be very daunting. I appreciate any advice anyone can offer.