‘It feels predatory’: 6 million people are not eligible for a COVID-19 pause on student-debt payments even if they work in public service MarketWatch 3/8/2021
DISPATCHES FROM A PANDEMIC
When the federal government declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency in March, Christopher Granado continued sending $730 each month to pay his federal student-loan bill.
He wasn’t trying to get ahead on his balance amid the COVID-era pause on student-loan payments, collections and interest. In fact, he would have preferred to put any funds he had toward making sure he was prepared for a financial emergency.
Granado, 48, a health, safety and environmental manager in the oil and gas industry, said, “I’ve been trying to save as much as I can because I don’t know whether I’ll have a job tomorrow.”