A nurse sued for $55,000 in student loans is navigating a court battle on her own: 'I'm just trying my best to juggle it'
Hannah Bates was sued by her student-loan lender over her private loans. Nic Antaya, Alyssa Powell/BI Hannah Bates didn't believe the email. "Congratulations! We received the final payment on your loan," read the surprise message from Sallie Mae, her student loan lender. It was October 2024, and Bates owed Sallie Mae $55,000, with years of payments remaining. She called customer service for an explanation. "They told me there was a glitch in the system and I probably got emailed by accident," Bates, 30, said. "How do you make an accident on something that big?" Bates was behind on her payments at the time. After graduating in 2022, she initially kept up with the full $1,500 monthly bill. But about six months later, after taking a nursing job that paid $45,000 a year, she could only afford to pay roughly a third of it. During her call with customer service, she says she was advised to make a payment to avoid default. The payment she made over the phon...
