Student loan help. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced Tuesday that the state is working with 20 private student loan servicers to expand on the protections the federal government granted to federal student loan borrowers. More than 138,000 Illinoisans have privately held student loans that won’t receive help under the federal CARES Act. Places to get help:
- IDPFR Division of Banking 217-785-2900 for information or to file a complaint.
- Attorney General’s Student Loan Helpline at 1-800-455-2456 or file a complaint with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Numbers keep climbing. Cook County has topped 1,000 deaths due at least in part to COVID-19. There have been 1,002 deaths in Cook County, 1,468 deaths in the state, 10 deaths in Homewood and five deaths in Flossmoor. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike clarified during a recent briefing that deaths are included in the pandemic count even if the deceased had and might have died from other illnesses. People with other health problems are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.