Earlier this week New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent a letter to select state legislators adding his backing to the creation of a licensing regime in New York for student loan servicing, similar to what has been emerging in state legislatures across the country over the past two years.

The letter provides express support for Governor Cuomo’s 2019 Executive Budget Proposal, which calls for, among other things, establishment of a Student Loan Ombudsman at the Department of Financial Services. As described in an outline summarizing the proposal:

The Governor will advance a comprehensive plan to further reduce student debt that includes creating a Student Loan Ombudsman at the Department of Financial Services; requiring all colleges annually provide students with estimated amounts incurred for student loans; enacting sweeping protections for students including ensuring that no student loan servicers or debt consultants can mislead a borrower or engage in any predatory act or practice, misapply payments, provide credit reporting agencies with inaccurate information, or any other practices that may harm the borrower; and prohibiting the suspension of professional licenses of individuals behind or in default on their student loans.

Draft legislation in line with this proposal appears in Senate Bill S7508 and Assembly Bill A9508. Last year, Assembly Bill A8862 was introduced (establishing “the student loan borrower bill of rights to protect borrowers and ensure that student loan servicers act more as loan counselors than debt collectors”) and is currently in committee in the New York State Senate.

As we’ve previously noted, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and Illinois have already enacted similar laws, and we have been closely tracking pending legislation in other states, including Ohio, Missouri, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington. This is a trend that shows no signs of abating, and adoption in New York could serve as an additional catalyst as more states take up the issue.