How to Locate a Defaulted Student Loan

The U.S. Department of Education, which guarantees student loans, gives you the option to defer payment on your loans if you face any financial difficulties. You, however, are responsible for filing the appropriate paperwork with your lender on time. Should life circumstances prevent you from making payments or applying for deferment, your loans go into default, and you could end up with bad credit as a result.

Instructions

1

Contact the lender directly. Search for the lender's customer service contact information on the financial institution's website. Let customer service know that you are trying to track down the status of a defaulted loan and they will connect you with the appropriate department.

2

Log in to the website of the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to see a list of any loans you have. This system, operated by the DOE, keeps track of all government-backed student loans, regardless of the lender. You must enter your date of birth, social security number and PIN to access the database. You can obtain a free PIN on the DOE website even if you did not use one when you originally applied for your student loans.

3

Order copies of your credit reports to locate any private student loans you have. If you defaulted on private student loans, your lender could have reported nonpayment to credit bureaus and placed your loans with a collection agency. You can order free copies of your credit reports online at annualcreditreport.com, the federal government's only authorized free credit report provider. You must order reports from all three agencies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) to locate these loans, because your lender might not have reported your defaulted loan to all of them.

4

Search your personal records and correspondence for your lender's contact information. You most likely signed a paper promissory note and filed it with your personal documents, if you went to college before DOE started using electronic records. Search your e-mail box for correspondence from your student loan lender, if you applied for your student loans online and maintained the same e-mail address since college. You can also call the phone numbers provided in correspondence from collection agencies to locate the defaulted student loan.