Title 34

SECTION 668.87

668.87 Borrower defense and recovery proceedings.

§ 668.87 Borrower defense and recovery proceedings.

(a) Procedures. (1) A designated department official begins a borrower defense and recovery proceeding against an institution by sending the institution a notice by certified mail, return receipt requested. This notice -

(i) Informs the institution of the Secretary's intent -

(A) To determine the validity of borrower defense claims on behalf of a group under § 685.222(h), to demonstrate the validity of borrower defense claims already approved, or both, as applicable; and

(B) To recover from the institution by offset, by claim on a letter of credit or other protection provided by the institution, or otherwise, for losses on account of borrower defense claims asserted on behalf of the group and borrower defense claims already approved, as applicable;

(ii) Includes a statement of facts and law sufficient to show that the Department is entitled to grant any borrower defense relief asserted within the statement, and recover for the amount of losses to the Secretary caused by the granting of such relief;

(iii) Specifies the date on which the Secretary intends to take action to recover the amount of losses arising from the granting of such relief, which date will be at least 20 days from mailing of the notice of intent and informs the institution that the Secretary will not take action to recover the amount of such loss on the date specified if the designated department official receives, by that date, a written response from the institution indicating why the Secretary should not recover. The notice shall also inform the institution that if it wishes to request a hearing pursuant to this subpart, the institution must include such a request with its written response; and

(iv) Informs the institution whether the designated Department official intends to proceed with -

(A) A single action; or

(B) An action in two phases -

(1) The determination whether the institution's act or omission gave rise to valid borrower defense claims; and

(2) The determination of the amount of borrower defense relief.

(2) Although the hearing official shall have the discretion to bifurcate proceedings with, or without, a motion of either party, any decision by the designated department official to bifurcate the proceeding in accordance with paragraph (a)(1)(iv)(B) of this section may only be modified on motion with good cause shown.

(3) A hearing official conducts a hearing in accordance with § 668.89.

(b) Effect of a response by the institution. (1) If the institution submits a written response, but does not therein request a hearing, the designated department official, after considering that material, notifies the institution whether the Secretary will take the proposed recovery action for borrower defense claims and, if so, the date of such action and the amount of losses.

(2) If the institution submits a response and requests a hearing by the time specified in the notice under paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section, the designated department official may, in that official's sole discretion, withdraw the notice or transmit the response and request for hearing to the Office of Hearings and Appeals, which sets the date and the place for the hearing. The date of the hearing is at least 15 days after the designated department official receives the request. No liability shall be imposed on the institution prior to the hearing.

(c) Limitations on participation. The parties in any borrower defense and recovery proceeding are the Department and the institution(s) against which the Department seeks to recover losses caused to the Department as a result of borrower defense relief. Borrowers are not permitted to intervene or appear in this proceeding, either on their own behalf or on behalf of any purported group, except as witnesses put forth by either party. However, nothing in this section limits the rights available to borrowers under other regulations, including 34 CFR 685.206 and 685.222.

(d) Effect on the borrower. No proceeding under this subpart imposes liability on any borrower who has already obtained a discharge in an individual proceeding under 34 CFR 685.206(c) or 34 CFR 685.222(e). A borrower defense and recovery proceeding may determine whether and how much relief is due to, and whether and how much of a loan remains owing by, a borrower participating in a group process proceeding as defined in 34 CFR 685.222(f) through (h).

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq., 1094) [82 FR 6257, Jan. 19, 2017]