[coyote1313]

My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: california
Escrow Payment Debacle
Between 1979 and 1984 I received approximately $6,000 in NDSL loans.
In 1989 I perched some real estate. The bank funding my real estate loan required that my student loans be payed off through escrow prior to funding.
The loans where payed off in full at that time approximately $10,000 to the Dept. of Ed.
I have just have received a call from a collection agency looking to collect $30,000 for these previously payed loans.
I am lucky That I have saved my loan docs. I told them to give me 2 days to find the docs. and get back to me. At that time they said they would be happy to look at the escrow docs. and correct the error. I am sure they thought I was BS-ing them and they were calling my bluff.
When I produced the docs. 2 days later They refused to look at them. Stating that they were insufficient and incomplete as there were no way to determine what loans were payed.
I told them that they were being ridiculous as the dates and amounts matched.
Then they said there had to a accompanying number.
I told them there was a large number fallowed by my SS# with no spaces.
Then they said that was most likely the problem there should be a space between that # and my SS#
The funds were never applied to my account.
Then they said they would only accept a pay off notification for the Dept of Ed.
Does such a document even exist?
They said that the fact that I had already previously payed was immaterial.
I owed the full amount plus 20 years interest.
I told them I needed to speak directly to a Dept of Ed. representative and I would get back to them.
I went to the NSLDS website It will not give me a pin #.
I keep receiving an error message stating that my name, SS# and DOB do not match?
However I was able to determine that the company dunning me for this money is not listed by the Dept of Ed. as a loan server.
In my next call back to them I said "as they were not listed on the Dept of Ed. I needed some documentation authorizing them to collect these loans."
At this point they hung up on me and will not take any more of my calls.
My next step was to go to the title company that had handled to escrow back in 1989 for relief.
The title company is trying to weasel out by saying that they destroy all recorders prior to 1994 and therefore no longer responsible.
Any one have any thoughtful and constructive thought on how to resolve this problem.


Escrow Payment Debacle

[Mr. Knowitall]

Then they said they would only accept a pay off notification for the Dept of Ed.

You mean 'from'? Have you spoken with somebody at the Department of Education about this?

There are probably good records of your payment through the escrow; that should work to your advantage.

[coyote1313]

Yes it is a typo I dropped the M off of from.
Any way is there such a document as a pay off notification from the Dept. of Ed.???

[Mr. Knowitall]

I suggest starting with the company that held the escrow account - who did they send the money to, and with what information (SS#, account no., etc.) attached?

[coyote1313]

I am in contact with the title company now, but as I have stated before they have destroyed all there records prior to 1994. It seems title company's are only required to keep their records for 10 years. I have a feeling the closing documents I have and my deposit receipt's to the escrow account will not be sufficient to persuade the Dept. of Ed. that they were already payed.
I can already see where this is going with the title company and the Dept. of Ed. pointing their fingers at each other. Leaving me holding the bag!