Daily Digest – January 20. Jeb Bush Proposes Student Loan Plan; Going to Extremes To Hide From Collectors

PUT COLLEGES ON HOOK FOR UNPAID LOANS

• Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, made a bold proposal yesterday that would give all high school graduates access to a $50,000 education line of credit, allow private education loans to be discharged in bankruptcy and hold colleges and universities partially liable for unpaid student loans of their graduates. Holding colleges accountable would ensure they did their best to keep costs down and graduate “with the skills needed to succeed.”

IT’S A WOMAN’S WORLD

• Women account for 70% of the collections workforce, compared with 47% of the general workforce, according to a new study released by ACA International. Also, 40% of collections workers are minorities. ACA International has released a whitepaper on the study.

HIDE-AND-TRY-TO-COLLECT

• Meanwhile, a couple of articles about how people are dodging their student loans. One article profiles a number of people who moved to Europe to get away from collectors trying to recoup tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, while the other asks an “expert” how he can hide from collectors.

WORTH NOTING: Employees at mid-size companies are more likely to have their personal information stolen than customers at those companies … Microsoft is giving away cloud services to 70,000 non-profit companies … The top 25 jobs in the U.S. this year … How to super-charge your performance and feel better, too … Johnson & Johnson is cutting 3,000 jobs … Photos showing how violent Lake Erie can get … More proof that children rule their parents … Why attitude is more important than IQ … Why Germany is the best country in the world … Revenue at IBM has fallen for 15 straight quarters … Is a room of your own a luxury or an essential? … Consumers use mobile banking but do not trust it … Another setback – this time in Texas – for daily fantasy sports … JPMorgan is spending $75 million on youth unemployment.

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