Local Sallie Mae Employees Rally to Save Jobs
Save Email Print
Bookmark and Share
Updated: 10:29 PM Aug 27, 2009
Local Sallie Mae Employees Rally to Save Jobs
Earlier this year, the Obama administration announced a plan to end the role of private companies in the student loan industry. Sallie Mae, the nation's leading education lender and one of the largest employers in Bay County, is concerned.
Posted: 10:29 PM Aug 27, 2009
Reporter: Matt de Nesnera
Email Address: matthew.denesnera@wjhg.com
width:200 and height: 120 and picwidth: 200 and pciheight: 120
Font Size:

Employees at Sallie Mae are worried that the Obama administration's plan to overhaul the student loan business will lead to massive job losses across the country. The center in Lynn Haven employs 700 people, and they rallied Thursday to save their jobs.

The local Sallie Mae facility accounts for almost a third of the $100 billion federal student loan market. The proposed legislation would make the federal government the sole issuer of those loans. Proponents say it would save the government tens of billions of dollars; but, others claim the market must remain competitive.

Conwey Casillas, Sallie Mae's Public Affairs vice president, says, "A competitive student loan environment where schools, universities and colleges choose the service providers which provide the best service, that impacts students' lives."

Sallie Mae officials say the government's plan could be devastating to their corporate structure. Renee Mang, senior vice president at Sallie Mae, says, "It would require Sallie Mae to re-evaluate our geographic outlay."

And that, in turn, would be a blow to the local economy. Darren Parker, who has worked at Sallie Mae for over fifteen years, says, "No doubt, they account for millions of dollars in economic impact, and all of that would be nearly impossible to replace."

Parker, who is a Bay County native, says losing his job could force him to leave the area. State legislators worry that could hamper economic recovery in Florida. Rep. Marti Coley (R-Dist. 7) says, "If we pass legislation that reduces the number of jobs, we're not only hurting the number of students that can get into school, but we're hurting our economy."

Sallie Mae officials launched a petition drive Thursday to tell Congress to save Florida jobs and keep the market competitive. Under the Obama plan, the federal government would be the sole issuer of student loans, but the private sector would still provide service. Sallie Mae is advocating an alternate proposal offered by the student loan community that keeps the market competitive, yet still achieves President Obama's goals of driving higher education costs down.

Latest Comments

Posted by: ken Location: ma on Jan 4, 2010 at 07:34 PM

I am just sick of trying to get answers to my questions from some person reading from a script in India that cannot answer it. You wait an hour for them to answer your call and they do not even understand what you are trying to ask. Does anyone know of a number that I can call and get a straight answer? I am sick of calling them and never getting my questions answered.
Posted by: Jen Location: NH on Sep 23, 2009 at 05:10 PM

I've been paying on a student loan for our son since 1996..we borrowed a total of 46,000 and right now it is at $51,000 left! We had to defer payments for 3 months due to unemployment. I'll be taking it to my grave for sure!
Posted by: Uninformed Nicole Location: FL on Sep 5, 2009 at 01:29 AM

First of all a forbearance fee is $25, wow what a large amount to pay to save your credit. Okay here is another little fact you misrepresented, the forbearance fee isn't paid up front it is added to the loan. Why are you borrowing money you can't pay back any way? If your unemployed you can apply for an unemployment deferment, or an economic hardship deferment and both of those are free and there is no fee. As for the several phone calls a day, when you originate about 20 million loans you can expect to get several phone calls. If you have questions or concerns why wouldn't you call? If the calls did come in every day there wouldn't be a need for phone agents now would there. Whether you like Salliemae or not, why would you want to see 700 people in bay county our of work? Salliemae's business practices are within SEC guidelines, if not they wouldn't be in business. Go to www.protectfloridajobs.com and sign the petition please help save jobs.
More Stories
Most Active Stories
Headlines - msnbc.com
  • Paternity questions plague 1 in 10, firm says

    The company that made its name peddling drugstore paternity tests to uncertain parents now says that more than 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. has had reason to ask the question: Who’s your Daddy? Gary Garner finally confirmed he's the real father of Skyler, 14. The company that made its name peddling drugstore paternity tests to uncertain parents now says that more than 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. has had reason to ask the question: Who’s your Daddy? Gary Garner finally confirmed he's the real father of Skyler, 14.


  • CDC: 9 in 10 Americans eat too much salt
    Despite public health messages telling Americans to lower the amount of salt in their diets, 90 percent of people in the U.S. older than age 2 consume more than the recommended amount of sodium each day, a new report says.
  • Komen's Karen Handel quits after funding dispute
    Karen Handel, an executive with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity has resigned after a dispute over funding for Planned Parenthood.
  • Have we met? Face blindness prevents recognition
    Some people are better at recognizing a face. Now a study of individuals who have prosopagnosia, a disorder rendering them unable to distinguish another's mug, suggests a possible cause: a breakdown in a brain pathway used to process faces.
  • Distraction reduces pain, study finds
    By Joseph BrownsteinMyHealthNewsDailyWhen you distract yourself from pain, you actually hurt less, a new study suggests.
  • Is it Alzheimer's, or mild cognitive impairment?
    Almost everyone currently diagnosed with a mild form of Alzheimer's disease would be downgraded to not having the condition, if new proposed criteria for the diagnosis of cognitive problems were applied, a new study shows.
  • College vending machine offers 'morning-after' pill
    Students at a Pennsylvania university can obtain the "morning-after" pill from an unusual source — a vending machine at the campus health center.
  • Obama increases Alzheimer's research funding
    The Obama administration announced Tuesday it is increasing spending on Alzheimer's research — planning to surpass half a billion dollars next year — as part of a quest to find effective treatments for the brain-destroying disease by 2025.
  • Doctors diagnose Harry Potter's headaches

    After years of studying, experts think they've figured out what was ailing Harry Potter all those years -- a  nummular headache.After years of studying, experts think they've figured out what was ailing Harry Potter all those years -- a  nummular headache.


  • Study: Child abuse bigger threat than SIDS
    In the first national estimate of serious injuries due to child abuse, Yale University researchers say 4,600 U.S. children were hospitalized with broken bones, traumatic brain injury and other serious damage caused by abuse. Babies younger than one were the most common victims.
  • Second wind for Santorum with victories in Minn., Mo., Co.
    Rick Santorum scored victories in Minnesota and Missouri nominating contests Tuesday night, winning him no actual delegates, but allowing him to stymie Mitt Romney's bid to keep alive a streak of victories in the Republican presidential primary.
  • Make or break time for Santorum
    First Read: Contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri offer the former Pennsylvania senator an opportunity break through once more.
  • Some Dems seeking reversal on contraception decision
    Some congressional Democrats were working behind the scenes Tuesday to persuade Obama to reverse course; some warned of a potential threat to the president’s re-election chances in states with large Catholic populations.
  • First Read: A 'Super' reversal
    Anyone who is surprised by the Obama campaign's announcement last night that it's encouraging Democratic donors to give money to the pro-Obama Super PAC wasn't paying attention in 2008.
  • Group wants criminal investigation of Super PACs
    First Read: A top campaign watchdog group is calling for a Justice Department criminal investigation into Super PACs supporting President Obama and GOP front runner Mitt Romney.
  • Messy caucuses in Nevada, Iowa raise questions
    After back-to-back fiascos in Nevada and Iowa, the term "caucus" may be on its way to becoming a bad word in the GOP lexicon.
  • Texas primary date in doubt after deal talks stall
    Texas is all but certain to have an even later say in choosing the Republican presidential nominee after what at first looked like a breakthrough deal over redistricting maps ended with wide rejection of the proposal.
  • Earmarks fund projects near lawmakers' properties
    Members of Congress have pushed more than $300 million in earmarks and other provisions to projects near their own properties, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
  • Romney shifts focus to Santorum ahead caucuses
    First Read: Mitt Romney's campaign has trained its sights on Rick Santorum over the past 48 hours, demonstrating that Santorum may pose the freshest threat to their frontrunner status.
  • Senate approves long-stalled aviation bill
    The Senate voted Monday afternoon to approve a House-passed bill aimed at improving the nation’s aviation infrastructure and modernizing air traffic control systems.
The White House