March 13 2024- Shannon Rowan, 51, has been unable to fully separate from her ex-husband due to their shared student loans, despite divorcing in 2010. The couple had consolidated their loans under a joint consolidation program, which Congress later discontinued, leaving them unable to split their loan balances after the divorce. As per court orders, Rowan was required to pay 18% of the loan balance, while her ex-husband was responsible for 82%. However, her ex-husband’s inconsistent payments led to Rowan’s loan going into default, accumulating interest and resulting in a combined balance of nearly $365,000. Rowan’s current husband has had to take out parent PLUS student loans to finance their children’s education since Rowan’s outstanding debt prevents her from obtaining parent loans. Despite her willingness to repay the loans, Rowan is unable to do so directly and relies on her ex-husband to make payments.
A mom who’s stuck with the bill for her ex-husband’s student loans is struggling to pay the $365,000 balance and help her kids at the same time
< 1 min read
