Dear Claudienne,

I am requesting your assistance in investigating a matter concerning my student loan account with the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB). Despite settling the loan last year, my credit history has not been updated with the relevant credit bureaus. During the repayment period, and even after completion, no repayment activity or closure has been reflected on my credit file. I have made several attempts to resolve this matter, including phone calls, physical visits, and e-mail correspondence with SLB, but to date, there has been no resolution or clear communication.

This lack of reporting has had a significant impact on my financial opportunities. Recently, I was denied the chance to secure a mortgage because I was quoted extremely high interest rates, as due to the absence of any credit history related to my student loan, I was classified as a high-risk applicant.

I am kindly asking for your urgent intervention in this matter. Please investigate why the SLB has not sent over my repayment history to the Credit Bureau and advise on any additional steps I need to take to have this corrected.

The following is the official clearance letter that the SLB sent me on January 25, 2024:

“We are pleased to inform you that your loan(s) totaling $751,083.00 plus interest and insurance charges, disbursed in the academic year(s) 2014, 2012 and 2013 has/have now been repaid in full and that you and your guarantors are no longer indebted to this organization.

“Congratulations on honouring your contractual obligations to the Students’ Loan Bureau. Your repayment has made it possible for other eligible students to benefit from the loan fund. “

Please investigate why the SLB has not sent over my repayment history to the Credit Bureau and advise on any additional steps I need to take to have this corrected.

OC

Dear OC,

Tell Claudienne has informed the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) of your concerns. The general counsel at the SLB has sent the column the following e-mail:

“Reference is made to your e-mail of July 2, 2025 regarding the captioned matter. We have carefully reviewed the concerns raised by our customer and wish to address them seriatim:

Repayment Activity not being reflected at the Credit Bureaus

The Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) is a designated Credit Information Provider under the Credit Reporting Act (CRA). However, the CRA uses the term “may,” indicating discretion rather than compulsion in the disclosure of credit information.

As part of our commitment to protecting our customers and ensuring the integrity of credit reporting, the SLB exercises due diligence by thoroughly verifying that all information sent to the credit bureaus which informs credit scores is accurate, reliable, and presented in a fair and balanced manner. This careful verification process is essential to safeguard our customers from any adverse effects that could arise from sharing unverified or inaccurate data. By mitigating these risks, we uphold fair treatment of borrowers while ensuring the credit reporting system remains trustworthy.

Our records indicate that repayment activity was in fact reflected on the customer’s account up to November 2024. In December 2024, the account was flagged for comprehensive verification checks to ensure data accuracy and reliability. During this verification period, the provision of information to the credit bureaus on the account was temporarily paused. Subsequently, the customer settled the loan, which explains the absence of further reporting.

Provision of the Credit Information to the Credit Bureau

Following the customer’s formal request, the data was carefully reviewed, verified as accurate and reliable, and the updated information was submitted to the Credit Bureau on July 15, 2025. The customer was notified accordingly of this update.

Next Steps for the Customer

Given that the customer has now received the requested assistance, and the necessary data has been shared with the Credit Bureau, we consider this matter to be resolved.

We thank you for your continued assistance in ensuring that there is an amicable resolution to the issues raised by our customers as we seek to uphold the highest standards in credit information management.”

Kind regards.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876- 936-9436 or cell/WhatsApp # 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.