The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) yesterday filed a complaint and proposed settlement against Aequitas Capital Management, Inc. and related entities, for aiding the Corinthian Colleges’ predatory lending scheme, according to a CFPB press release. The CFPB alleges that Aequitas enabled Corinthian to make high-cost private loans to Corinthian students so that it would seem as if the school was making enough outside revenue to meet the requirements for receiving federal student aid dollars. The risky loans saddled students with high-priced debt that both Aequitas and Corinthian knew students could not afford. Under the CFPB’s proposed settlement, if approved, about 41,000 Corinthian students could be eligible for approximately $183.3 million in loan forgiveness and reduction. In collaboration with the CFPB, several state attorneys general have also reached proposed settlements with Aequitas.
