Independent profile — not affiliated with AES Student Loans
AES Student Loans
American Education Services (AES) is the name under which the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), a Pennsylvania state-created agency, services FFEL Program and private education loans, according to PHEAA's own site. This page lists AES's official contacts and dispute addresses, the CFPB's 2024 lawsuit that the Bureau later dismissed, state attorney general settlements that mostly concern PHEAA's FedLoan servicing, and 77 archive complaints from 2005 to 2013.
Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints
USAComplaints currently maintains 77 historical complaints about AES Student Loans, published between 2005 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.
- AES/PHEAA - Student Loans
- AES got one of my loans defaulted
- Fraud, Scam, Lies, Harassment
- AES AES permitted a loan without my knowledge to my EX wife who knew all my information!
- AES is unethical - AES Student Loan
- Most stressful way to manages huge debt
- AES, BRAZO Rip off. Raised interest rate, increased payment length of time
- Signed my name as cosignor for a student loan
- AES fraud
- Careless and unethical company - I wish I had read reviews before I signed a contract with AES
- AES Crap for Payment Options - Payments
- AES, PHEAA AES Cruel and Unreasonable
- AES-Almost got my loan defaulted - Student Loan
- Truth in lending - AES Student Loan
- Private Student Loan Lende
- AES - Lousy service, wretched record keeping - Student Loan
- American Education Services Fraudulent Billing Practices - can you say RICO?
- Afs, Xpress Loan Servicing Sold and consolidated loans without notification, my signature or my consent
- Pheaa aes "education" services employs uneducated morons
- Aes
Complaint Themes
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Contacts & Login
- AES official website: https://www.aessuccess.org/
- AES borrower line (toll-free): 1-800-233-0557 18 complaints mention this number
- AES international line: 717-720-3100
- AES fax (documentation): 717-720-3916
- AES secure account sign-in (Account Access): https://login.aessuccess.org/
Locations
| Type | Address |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1200 North 7th Street Harrisburg PA 17102 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 2461 Harrisburg PA 17105-2461 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 65093 Baltimore MD 21264-5093 |
AES Student Loans complaints: contacts, disputes and where to report
Official AES channels (read on aessuccess.org and its contact pages on 2026-10-18). Phone: 1-800-233-0557, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM (ET); Spanish-speaking representatives Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM (ET); TTY dial 711; international 717-720-3100; fax 717-720-3916 for "returning or verifying documentation". The Contact Us page also offers "a secure email through Account Access". The Mail or Fax page lists separate addresses: payments to P.O. Box 65093, Baltimore, MD 21264-5093; letters and correspondence to P.O. Box 2461, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2461; "Conditional Payments" to P.O. Box 2251, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2251; credit disputes to AES Credit, P.O. Box 61047, Harrisburg, PA 17106-1047; express or overnight payments to Box #65093, 1800 Washington Blvd., 8th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21230; and "the Office of Consumer Advocacy" at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, 1200 North 7th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102.
Credit-report disputes. The AES Contact Us page says to download, print and mail the Direct Credit Dispute Form, or write to AES Credit with "Your full name, address, and account number" and "Identification of the specific credit report tradeline disputed and details regarding the reason for the dispute", enclosing any supporting documentation.
If you cannot pay. The AES page "Trouble Making Payments" says: "Don't wait until you fall behind to seek assistance." It lists consolidation, changing the due date, reducing payments by changing payment plans, and postponing payments with a deferment or forbearance. The AES Forms page has separate form sets for federal and for private education loan deferment and forbearance, and says that "If you use a deferment or forbearance, your eligibility may be delayed, or you may be disqualified for any incentive programs that your lenders may offer." The same page says FFELP borrowers may be eligible for the Income-Based Repayment Plan with payments "as low as $0".
Bankruptcy. The AES Bankruptcy page says: "you may still have to repay your student loans after the conclusion of the bankruptcy case" and "we will not attempt to collect debts included in the bankruptcy filing while the bankruptcy case is being heard by the court." For private education loans it says: "Depending on your lender, your loans may be accelerated to default due to the bankruptcy case of any chapter", and that a non-filing co-signer "may be required to continue making payments" after a Chapter 7 or 11 filing.
Cost of deferment and forbearance. The AES Postpone Payments page says: "Any unpaid interest may be capitalized (added to the current principal balance) at the end of the deferment or forbearance period", that using one may disqualify a borrower for lender incentives "such as co-signer release, interest rate reductions, and rebates", and "Always see if you qualify for a deferment before using a forbearance, since interest continues to accrue during forbearance no matter what type of loan you have."
Servicemembers, defaulted loans and joint consolidation. The AES home page links a "Benefits for Servicemembers" page (benefits differ by loan type; we read its overview only) and default FAQs, and its Contact Us page has a "For Default Collections" section that was collapsed when we read it. The home page also says the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, "signed into law on October 11, 2022, allows borrowers to separate their Joint Consolidation Loans and reconsolidate them into individual Direct Consolidation Loans", with the application at StudentAid.gov.
Paid "help" offers. AES's page "Beware of Debt Relief Organizations" says: "Never pay for assistance with your private or federal student loans—your servicer provides assistance for free!" and lists warning signs, such as a company that "Request[s] a fee before they will assist you with your loans".
Where to complain outside AES. The CFPB accepts complaints about financial products online or at (855) 411-2372 (CFPB page read 2026-10-18, "Most companies respond within 15 days"). PHEAA's page "State & Federal Ombudsman Resources" (pheaa.org) lists CFPB (general and private student loans), Federal Student Aid and the student-loan ombudsperson offices of several states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington). A state attorney general's consumer office is another route.
Regulator actions naming PHEAA d/b/a American Education Services
CFPB, 2024-2025. The CFPB enforcement page (opened 2026-10-18) says: "On May 31, 2024, the Bureau filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), a student loan servicer and guaranty agency headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which does business as American Education Services or AES." It says the Bureau "alleged that AES engaged in unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts or practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 and violated Regulation V", and that "On February 27, 2025, the Bureau filed a notice of dismissal voluntarily dismissing the action against the defendant with prejudice, and the case was closed on March 4, 2025." The Bureau's press release was titled "CFPB Sues Student Loan Servicer PHEAA for Pursuing Borrowers for Loans Discharged in Bankruptcy". The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, docket 1:24-cv-00896; the status on the page is "Expired/Terminated/Dismissed". We did not open the complaint itself, so the specific allegations beyond those quoted are not summarized here. The dismissal was voluntary, filed by the Bureau, and the CFPB page does not report any court finding.
New York Attorney General, 2022. The Attorney General's April 27, 2022 press release says PHEAA, "which operates as FedLoan Servicing and American Education Services (AES), will correct errors identified in borrowers' accounts and provide monetary relief as restitution for some borrowers as appropriate", that more than 300,000 borrowers are eligible to have their accounts reviewed free, and that the agreement "resolves an earlier lawsuit" about alleged mismanagement of loans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The case is captioned People of the State of New York v. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, d/b/a Fedloan Servicing and American Education Services, No. 19-cv-9155 (S.D.N.Y.). The release describes eligible borrowers as current New York residents with an active Direct Loan or Family Federal Education Loan (FFEL) "that is currently being serviced by PHEAA or was serviced by PHEAA as of December 1, 2021", and it tells borrowers who receive no notice to call "1-800-699-2908 (for FedLoan borrowers) and 1-800-233-0557 (for AES borrowers)". The claim notice form in the settlement PDF, by contrast, is addressed to New York residents "whose federal student loans were serviced by FedLoan Servicing as of December 1, 2021". We did not read the settlement agreement's admission or denial language, so this page does not say whether AES-serviced loans are within the New York review.
Massachusetts Attorney General. The Massachusetts Attorney General's FAQ about its PHEAA settlement says the office "filed a lawsuit against PHEAA in August 2017" alleging violations of consumer protection laws in administering PSLF and TEACH Grant programs and handling income-driven repayment applications. It states: "AES services federal loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) that are owned by private lenders. It also services non-federal private student loans." Its eligibility table lists "FFELs serviced by AES" and "Private student loans serviced by AES that were made by private lenders" as "Not Eligible Loan Type", and it says: "If your federal loans are serviced by AES, you are not eligible to submit a claim under the settlement." Claims could be made by Massachusetts residents with federal loans serviced by FedLoan Servicing.
Not checked: we did not search other state regulators, the U.S. Department of Education or Pennsylvania agency pages by entity name, so this section is limited to the three actions above and does not show that no other action exists.
Who runs AES: PHEAA, a Pennsylvania state-created agency
Operator. PHEAA's About Us page (opened 2026-10-18) says the agency "was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1963" and that "PHEAA conducts student loan servicing operations nationally as American Education Services (AES)." It describes AES this way: "AES was created to guarantee and service a variety of Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and private education loan products for lending partners throughout the United States." PHEAA also runs the PA Forward and Keystone Student Loans programs, which are separate loan programs.
What AES services. The Massachusetts Attorney General's FAQ (see the regulator section) describes AES as servicing FFEL Program loans owned by private lenders and non-federal private student loans, and says FedLoan Servicing was PHEAA's other servicing name, for Direct Loans (and for ED-owned FFEL loans) and for the PSLF and TEACH Grant programs, so "FFEL" alone does not mean AES. The Massachusetts FAQ is a historical page (claim forms were sent between March 2021 and July 2021), and we found no current source confirming FedLoan Servicing as an active name; the borrower site named in the New York release, myfedloan.org, did not resolve in DNS when we tried on 2026-10-18. A borrower's loan owner (a lender) is a different business from AES, which is the servicer; the AES Forms page defines FFELP and private education loans in its "Help" questions.
Addresses and BBB listing. AES's overnight-correspondence address and PHEAA's Office of Consumer Advocacy are both at 1200 North 7th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102 (AES Mail or Fax page). BBB lists the business under the name "Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency" with alternate names "A.E.S.", "PHEAA" and "American Education Services"; BBB's raw page data shows a business start of 1964-01-01 and a file opened 1989-10-19, while PHEAA itself says it was created in 1963.
Complaint record: CFPB, BBB and this site's archive
CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, company shown as "AES/PHEAA", as displayed on 2026-10-18: 16,572 complaints in total, the first received 2012-03-06 and the latest 2026-10-14; 306 were received in the 12 months from 2025-10-18. The largest product categories are student loan (13,042), credit reporting products (2,213, 255 and 17 under three product labels) and debt collection (978), followed by credit or prepaid card (25); another 42 complaints are spread over nine other product categories. Company responses: closed with explanation 12,759; closed with non-monetary relief 3,400; closed with monetary relief 290; closed without relief 116; in progress 7; the database marks 16,562 responses as timely and 10 as not. These are consumer-submitted complaints that the database publishes, not findings, and the company name does not show which PHEAA servicing name each concerned.
BBB (profile "Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency", Harrisburg, PA), as displayed on 2026-10-18: not BBB Accredited; rating "Not Rated" because the business "offers services which are outside the scope of BBB evaluations"; the complaints tab shows 0 complaints, but the profile's alert says: "The Better Business Bureau does not accept complaints for government agencies, this includes Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)", and refers complainants to the Office of Consumer Advocacy at 800-213-9827, so the 0 does not show that no complaints exist. BBB shows 1.33 out of 5 from an average of 3 customer reviews dated April to August 2024, which describe a denied servicemember benefit, a forbearance paperwork delay and an autopay problem.
Trustpilot. The pheaa.org profile is unclaimed with 0 reviews as displayed on 2026-10-18; no Trustpilot page was found for aessuccess.org.
This site's archive. 77 approved posts from 2005 to 2013 are linked as complaints about American Education Services (also written "AES", "AES/PHEAA" or "PHEAA" in the offender line); another 5 are linked as related (school complaints and multi-company complaints that also name AES or PHEAA) and are not counted as AES's own. The posts are unverified consumer accounts and are old: the loans, policies and phone numbers they describe may have changed.
Court record: CFPB and New York cases
Two cases that name American Education Services in their caption or description are listed above under Court cases: the CFPB's 2024 action in the Middle District of Pennsylvania (dismissed by the Bureau with prejudice in February 2025) and the New York Attorney General's action in the Southern District of New York (resolved by a settlement announced in April 2022; the Attorney General's release describes eligible borrowers as those with Direct or FFEL loans serviced by PHEAA as of December 1, 2021).
A putative class action filed on 2018-01-08 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Morris et al. v. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, d/b/a FedLoan Servicing, d/b/a American Education Services, No. 2:18-cv-00031) names AES in its caption. We read the complaint, which describes PHEAA's federal-loan servicing as FedLoan Servicing; we did not open the docket, so we do not state the case's later history or outcome and we do not list it as a case here.
Other federal cases naming PHEAA or AES may exist: we did not review a docket search (CourtListener was rate-limited or behind human verification when we tried on 2026-10-18), so this list is limited to the sources named. Allegations in complaints are allegations; the page makes no finding about any party.
Is AES Student Loans Legitimate?
PHEAA's own About Us page says that PHEAA, created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1963, "conducts student loan servicing operations nationally as American Education Services (AES)", and the Massachusetts Attorney General's FAQ and the New York Attorney General's release describe AES the same way. AES's official site is aessuccess.org, and its contact pages give the toll-free line 1-800-233-0557 and the Harrisburg and Baltimore addresses listed above.
The CFPB filed and later dismissed a lawsuit against PHEAA d/b/a AES (see the regulator section), and the CFPB database shows a large number of complaints about it. This page does not rate the company. If a caller, text or website that claims to be AES asks for a fee or for your payment to be sent elsewhere, AES's own warning page lists those as warning signs, and you can call the number on the AES contact page to check.
Court & Public Records
| Case | Authority | Dates | Type | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (d/b/a American Education Services or AES) Docket 1:24-cv-00896 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania | Dismissed | Dismissed The CFPB says it filed the suit on May 31, 2024, alleging that AES engaged in unfair, deceptive and abusive acts or practices under the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 and violated Regulation V (the Fair Credit Reporting Act rule); its press release was titled "CFPB Sues Student Loan Servicer PHEAA for Pursuing Borrowers for Loans Discharged in Bankruptcy". On February 27, 2025 the Bureau filed a notice voluntarily dismissing the action with prejudice, and the case was closed on March 4, 2025. The CFPB page does not state a reason for the dismissal and does not report any court finding. | Source | |
| People of the State of New York v. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, d/b/a Fedloan Servicing and American Education Services Docket 19-cv-9155 (ER) | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York | — | Settled | Settled On April 27, 2022 the New York Attorney General announced an agreement under which PHEAA, "which operates as FedLoan Servicing and American Education Services (AES)", reviews borrower accounts and corrects errors, with monetary relief as restitution for some borrowers; the release says it "resolves an earlier lawsuit". The release describes eligible borrowers as New York residents with an active Direct or FFEL loan serviced by PHEAA as of December 1, 2021 and gives 1-800-233-0557 for AES borrowers; the claim notice form in the settlement PDF is addressed to residents whose federal loans were serviced by FedLoan Servicing. The agreement's admission or denial language was not read, and the docket was not opened. | Source |
Related Complaints
Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.
Company Relationships
- Owned by: Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)
- Affiliated with: FedLoan Servicing
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is American Education Services (AES)?
PHEAA's About Us page says the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1963, "conducts student loan servicing operations nationally as American Education Services (AES)". It describes AES as created to "guarantee and service" FFELP and private education loan products for lending partners.
What is AES's phone number and mailing address?
The AES contact page lists 1-800-233-0557 (Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM ET) and, for correspondence, P.O. Box 2461, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2461. Payments go to P.O. Box 65093, Baltimore, MD 21264-5093, and credit disputes go to AES Credit, P.O. Box 61047, Harrisburg, PA 17106-1047.
How does AES say to dispute credit reporting?
AES's Contact Us page says to mail the Direct Credit Dispute Form, or a letter with your full name, address and account number, to AES Credit, P.O. Box 61047, Harrisburg, PA 17106-1047. The letter should identify the disputed tradeline, give the reason and enclose supporting documents.
What options does AES list if a borrower cannot afford payments?
AES's "Trouble Making Payments" page lists consolidation, changing the due date, reducing payments through a different plan, and postponing payments with a deferment or forbearance. Its Forms page warns that using a deferment or forbearance may delay eligibility for lender incentive programs.
Does AES charge for help with student loans?
AES's page "Beware of Debt Relief Organizations" says: "Never pay for assistance with your private or federal student loans" because "your servicer provides assistance for free". It lists requests for a fee, for card details or for payments sent to someone other than the servicer as warning signs.
Where can a borrower file a complaint about AES?
AES lists PHEAA's Office of Consumer Advocacy at 1200 North 7th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102. The CFPB accepts complaints online or at (855) 411-2372, and PHEAA's ombudsman-resources page (pheaa.org) lists CFPB, Federal Student Aid and several state student-loan ombudsperson offices.
What happened to the CFPB's 2024 lawsuit against PHEAA d/b/a AES?
The CFPB says it filed the lawsuit on May 31, 2024 in the Middle District of Pennsylvania (1:24-cv-00896), alleging unfair, deceptive and abusive acts and a Regulation V violation. On February 27, 2025 it filed a notice voluntarily dismissing the action with prejudice, and the case was closed on March 4, 2025.
Do the Massachusetts and New York settlements cover AES-serviced loans?
The Massachusetts Attorney General's FAQ lists "FFELs serviced by AES" and private student loans serviced by AES as "Not Eligible Loan Type" for its settlement claims. The New York Attorney General's April 2022 release describes eligible borrowers as New York residents with a Direct or FFEL loan serviced by PHEAA as of December 1, 2021, and lists 1-800-233-0557 for AES borrowers, while the claim notice form is addressed to residents whose federal loans were serviced by FedLoan Servicing; this page does not say how the New York review treats AES-serviced loans.
How many CFPB complaints list AES/PHEAA?
As displayed on 2026-10-18, the CFPB database lists 16,572 complaints for the company "AES/PHEAA", first received 2012-03-06 and latest 2026-10-14, including 306 in the previous 12 months. These are consumer complaints the database publishes, not findings.