UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

or

For the transition period from                  to

Commission file numbers 001-36228

Navient Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☒        No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐        No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒        No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒        No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐        No  ☒

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 28, 2019 was $3.1 billion (based on closing sale price of $13.65 per share as reported for the NASDAQ Global Select Market).

As of January 31, 2020, there were 193,333,131 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the proxy statement (the “2020 Proxy Statement”) relating to the Registrant’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, currently scheduled to be held on May 21, 2020, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

NAVIENT CORPORATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD-LOOKING AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking” statements and other information that is based on management’s current expectations as of the date of this report. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs, opinions, or expectations and statements that assume or are dependent upon future events, are forward-looking statements and often contain words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “goals,” or “target.” Such statements are based on management's expectations as of the date of this filing and involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include those described throughout this report and particularly in “Risk Factors”. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in this Form 10-K and in other documents we file from time to time with the SEC that disclose risks and uncertainties that may affect our business.  

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements also requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions including estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates or assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results could differ materially. All forward-looking statements contained in this report are qualified by these cautionary statements and are made only as of the date of this report. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements except as required by law.

Definitions for certain capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in the “Glossary” at the end of this report.

Through this discussion and analysis, we intend to provide the reader with some narrative context for how our management views our consolidated financial statements, additional context within which to assess our operating results, and information on the quality and variability of our earnings, liquidity and cash flows.

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AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our website address is www.navient.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and file or furnish reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Copies of these reports, as well as any amendments to these reports, are available free of charge through our website at www.navient.com/about/investors/stockholderinfo/secfilings, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The public may also read and copy any materials filed by the Company with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

In addition, copies of our Board Governance Guidelines, Code of Business Conduct (which includes the code of ethics applicable to our Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) and the governing charters for each committee of our Board of Directors are available free of charge on our website at www.navient.com/about/investors/corp_governance, as well as in print to any stockholder upon request. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers from our Code of Business Conduct (to the extent applicable to our Principal Executive Officer or Principal Financial Officer) by posting such information on our website.

Information contained or referenced on the foregoing websites is not incorporated by reference into and does not form a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Further, the Company’s references to the URLs for these websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

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PART I.

Item 1.   Business

Overview

Navient is a leading provider of education loan management and business processing solutions for education, healthcare, and government clients at the federal, state, and local levels. We help our clients and millions of Americans achieve success through technology-enabled financing, services and support.  

With a focus on data-driven insights, service, compliance and innovative support, Navient:

We operate our business in three primary segments: Federal Education Loans, Consumer Lending and Business Processing. A fourth segment, Other, includes unallocated expenses of shared services and our corporate liquidity portfolio.

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Strengths and Opportunities

Navient’s competitive advantages distinguish it from its competitors, including:

High Quality Asset Base Generating Significant and Predictable Cash Flows

At December 31, 2019, Navient’s $86.8 billion education loan portfolio was 82% funded to term and is expected to produce predictable cash flows over the remaining life of the portfolio. Our $64.6 billion FFELP Loan portfolio bears a maximum 3% loss exposure under the terms of the federal guaranty. Our $22.2 billion Private Education Loan portfolio is 47% cosigned (65% excluding Private Education Refinance Loans).

Navient expects to generate approximately $19 billion of cash flows from its FFELP Loan and Private Education Loan portfolios (net of secured financing obligations) over the next 20 years.

Strong Capital Return

As a result of our significant cash flow and capital generation, Navient expects to return excess capital to stockholders through dividends and share repurchases. We repurchased 34 million shares of common stock (13% reduction in shares outstanding) for $440 million and 17 million shares (6% reduction in shares outstanding) for $220 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively. At December 31, 2019, there was $1.0 billion remaining in share repurchase authorization. Since April 2014, Navient has repurchased $3.2 billion in common shares, which has reduced common shares outstanding by over 50%.

Navient has paid a quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share of common stock since 2015. In 2019 and 2018, Navient paid $147 million and $166 million, respectively, in dividends.

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Consumer Lending Business Growth  

In the Consumer Lending segment, we see meaningful value opportunities in originating Private Education Loans to financially responsible consumers. We are pursuing opportunities in the Private Education Loan market to generate attractive long-term risk adjusted returns. This includes a loan origination business that assists borrowers in refinancing their education loan debt and assists students and families in financing their higher education. We originated $4.9 billion of Private Education Loans in 2019, a 75% increase from $2.8 billion in 2018.

Business Processing Opportunities

Navient has leveraged our large-scale operating platforms, superior data-driven strategies, operating efficiency, and regulatory compliance and risk management infrastructure to extend our receivables management and business processing services into new markets. Navient provides business processing services to over 500 clients, generating EBITDA⁽¹⁾ of $49 million in 2019, up 11% from the prior year. Navient’s inventory of non-education related contingent asset recovery receivables was $14.9 billion as of December 31, 2019.

Efficient and Large-Scale Operating Platforms

We service over $300 billion in education loans. These loans are owned by Navient and third parties, including ED. We have demonstrated scalable infrastructure with capacity to manage large volumes of complex transactions with sustained efficiency improvements.

⁽¹⁾ Item is a non-GAAP financial measure. For an explanation and reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures, see Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

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Superior Performance

Navient has demonstrated superior default prevention performance. Federal loans serviced by Navient achieved a Cohort Default Rate (“CDR”) 37% better than our peers, as calculated from the most recent CDR released by ED in September 2019. We are consistently a top performer in our asset recovery business and deliver superior service to our public and private sector clients. We continually leverage data-driven insights and customer service to identify new ways to add value to our clients.

Customer Service and Compliance Commitment

Navient fosters a robust compliance culture driven by a “customer first” approach. We invest in rigorous training programs, quality assurance, reviews and audits, complaint tracking and analysis, and customer research to enhance our compliance and customer service.

Navient’s Approach to Helping Education Loan Borrowers Achieve Success

We help our customers navigate the path to financial success through proactive outreach and innovative, data-driven approaches.

Leveraging four decades of expertise: We apply data-driven strategies that draw from our more than 45 years of experience. Our strategists employ risk modeling to identify struggling borrowers and deploy resources where needed. By tailoring our approach to borrowers’ unique situations — e.g., recent graduates, students re-entering school, those experiencing hardships or those with student debt but no degree — we help ensure leading outcomes. Nine times out of 10, when we reach federal loan customers who have missed payments, we identify a solution to help them avoid default.

Getting borrowers into the right payment plans: We help customers understand the wide range of federal loan repayment options so they can make informed choices about the plans that align with their financial circumstances and goals. We continue to lead in enrolling customers in affordable repayment plans: more than half of student loan balances serviced by Navient for the government were enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan (excluding loan types ineligible for the plans). We also help borrowers understand that options lengthening their repayment term may increase the total cost of their loans, while reminding them that they may pay extra or switch repayment plans at any time.

Leading the industry: Navient is a leader in recommending policy reforms that would enhance the student loan program. For example, we have recommended improving financial literacy before borrowing, simplifying federal loan repayment options and encouraging college completion — reforms that we believe would make a meaningful difference for millions of Americans.

In 2009, we pioneered the creation of a loan modification program to help Private Education Loan borrowers needing additional assistance. As of December 31, 2019, $1.7 billion of our Private Education Loans were enrolled in this

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interest rate reduction program, helping customers through more affordable monthly payments while making progress in repaying their principal loan balance.

We continually make enhancements designed to help our customers, drawing from a variety of inputs including customer surveys, research panels, analysis of customer inquiries and complaint data, and regulator commentary.

Our Office of the Customer Advocate, established in 1997, offers escalated assistance to customers. We are committed to working with customers and appreciate customer comments, which, combined with our own customer communication channels, help us improve the ways we assist our customers.

We also continue to offer free resources to help customers and the general public build knowledge on personal finance topics, including articles and online tools.

Navient was the first student loan servicer to launch a dedicated military benefits customer service team, website (Navient.com/military), and toll-free number. Navient’s military benefits team supports service members and their families to access the benefits designed for them, including interest rate benefits, deferment and other options.

Business Segments

We have three primary reportable operating segments: Federal Education Loans; Consumer Lending; and Business Processing.

Federal Education Loans Segment

In this segment, Navient holds and acquires FFELP Loans and performs servicing and asset recovery services on its own loan portfolio, federal education loans owned by ED and other institutions. Although FFELP Loans are no longer originated, we continue to pursue acquisitions of FFELP Loan portfolios as well as servicing and asset recovery services contracts. These acquisitions leverage our servicing scale and generate incremental earnings and cash flow. In this segment, we generate revenue primarily through net interest income on the FFELP Loan portfolio (after provision for loan losses) as well as servicing and asset recovery services revenue. This segment is expected to generate significant amounts of earnings and cash flow over the remaining life of the portfolio.

Navient’s portfolio of FFELP Loans as of December 31, 2019 was $64.6 billion. We expect this portfolio to have an amortization period in excess of 20 years, with a 7-year remaining weighted average life. Navient’s goal is to maximize the amount and optimize the timing of the cash flows generated by its FFELP Loan portfolio. During the year ended 2019, Navient acquired $445 million of FFELP Loans compared to $761 million in 2018 and $5.7 billion in 2017.

FFELP Loans are insured or guaranteed by state or not-for-profit agencies and are protected by contractual rights to recovery from the United States pursuant to guaranty agreements among ED and these agencies. These guaranty agreements generally cover at least 97% of a FFELP Loan’s principal and accrued interest for loans that default.

As a result of the long-term funding strategy used for our FFELP Loan portfolio and the guarantees provided on these loans, the portfolio generates consistent and predictable cash flows. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 90% of the FFELP Loans held by Navient were funded to term with non-recourse, long-term securitization debt.

ED is in the solicitation process for its new servicing platform and service providers. While the Company has submitted a proposal in response to one of the components of the solicitation, the Company cannot predict the timing and nature of the next steps for this RFP nor its impact on the current ED servicing contract. In December 2019, ED extended the current contract through December 2020, with two 6-month extension options.

Navient provides asset recovery services on defaulted education loans to ED. We are operating under a contract awarded to our subsidiary, Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc. (“Pioneer”) in 2017. This contract expired in 2019. Under the terms of that contract, ED has begun to recall any accounts placed with Pioneer under the contract which are not in a payment plan or other satisfactory arrangement. Also under the terms of that expired contract, we continue to work with borrowers on any accounts in a payment or other arrangement. The Company cannot predict the timing or nature of ED’s next steps with respect to this contract.

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Consumer Lending Segment

In this segment, Navient holds, originates and acquires consumer loans and performs servicing activities on its own education loan portfolio. Originations and acquisitions leverage our servicing scale and generate incremental earnings and cash flow. In this segment, we generate revenue primarily through net interest income on the Private Education Loan portfolio (after provision for loan losses). This segment is expected to generate significant amounts of earnings and cash flow over the remaining life of the portfolio.

Our refinancing loan products leverage our more than 45 years of experience. We have seen that borrowers who graduate gain the benefit of their investment in education with higher levels of employment, higher incomes and stronger financial health. Our loan products are focused on helping consumers refinance their education loans at the lower rates they have earned. We believe our product offerings, digital marketing strategies and origination platform provide a unique competitive advantage. At December 31, 2019, Navient held $6.4 billion of Private Education Refinance Loans, having originated $4.9 billion in 2019.

In 2019, we launched an in-school loan product that leverages our current infrastructure and digital capabilities. We created a minimum viable product that could be enhanced and grown over time. In 2020, Navient will expand its product offerings to high quality borrowers throughout the United States.

Navient’s total portfolio of Private Education Loans as of December 31, 2019 was $22.2 billion. We expect this portfolio to have an amortization period in excess of 20 years, with a 5-year remaining weighted average life. Navient’s goal is to maximize the amount and optimize the timing of the cash flows generated by its Private Education Loan portfolio. We bear the full credit risk of the borrower and any cosigner on our Private Education Loans. Navient believes the credit risk of the Private Education Loans it owns is well managed through the rigorous underwriting practices and risk-based pricing applied when the loans were originated, the continued high levels of qualified cosigners, our internal servicing and risk mitigation practices, and our careful use of forbearance and loan modification programs. Navient believes that these elements and practices reduce the risk of payment interruptions and defaults on its Private Education Loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 59% of the Private Education Loans held by Navient were funded to term with non-recourse, long-term securitization debt.

Business Processing Segment

In this segment, Navient performs revenue cycle management and business processing services for over 500 non-education related government and healthcare clients. Our integrated solutions technology and superior data driven approach allows state governments, agencies, court systems, municipalities, and toll authorities (Government Services) to reduce their operating expenses while maximizing revenue opportunities. Healthcare services include revenue cycle outsourcing, accounts receivable management, extended business office support and consulting engagements. We offer customizable solutions for our clients that include hospitals, hospital systems, medical centers, large physician groups and other healthcare providers.

Other Segment

This segment primarily consists of our corporate liquidity portfolio and the repurchase of debt, unallocated expenses of shared services and restructuring/other reorganization expenses.

Unallocated expenses of shared services are comprised of costs primarily related to certain executive management, the board of directors, accounting, finance, legal, human resources, compliance and risk management, regulatory-related costs, stock-based compensation expense, and information technology costs related to infrastructure and operations. Regulatory-related costs include actual settlement amounts as well as third-party professional fees we incur in connection with such regulatory matters and are presented net of any insurance reimbursements for covered costs related to such matters.

Employees

At December 31, 2019, we had approximately 5,800 employees. None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Supervision and Regulation

The Dodd-Frank Act

The Dodd-Frank Act was adopted to reform and strengthen regulation and supervision of the U.S. financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act contains comprehensive provisions that govern the practices and oversight of financial institutions (including large non-bank financial institutions) and other participants in the financial markets. It imposed additional regulations, requirements and oversight on almost every aspect of the U.S. financial services industry, including increased capital and liquidity requirements, limits on leverage and enhanced supervisory authority. Some of these provisions apply to Navient and its various businesses and securitization vehicles.

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The Consumer Financial Protection Act established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), which has authority to write regulations under federal consumer financial protection laws and to directly or indirectly enforce those laws and examine financial institutions for compliance. The CFPB is authorized to impose fines and provide consumer restitution in the event of violations, engage in consumer financial education, track consumer complaints, request data and promote the availability of financial services to underserved consumers and communities. It also has authority to prevent unfair, deceptive or abusive practices. Since its creation, the CFPB has been active in its supervision, examination and enforcement of financial services companies. In January 2017, the CFPB filed a lawsuit against Navient alleging several unfair, deceptive or abusive practices, and other violations of consumer protection statutes. Additional information on the CFPB lawsuit is included in Item 3. “Legal Proceedings” in this Form 10-K.

The Dodd-Frank Act also authorizes state officials to enforce regulations issued by the CFPB and to enforce the Dodd-Frank Act’s general prohibition against unfair, deceptive and abusive practices. The Attorneys General of the State of Illinois, the State of Washington, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State of California and the State of Mississippi have also filed lawsuits against Navient and some of its subsidiaries containing similar alleged violations of consumer protection laws as those alleged in the CFPB lawsuit as well as several additional areas. We refer to the Illinois, Washington, Pennsylvania, California and Mississippi Attorneys General collectively as the “State Attorneys General.” Additional information on the State Attorneys General lawsuits is included in Item 3. “Legal Proceedings” in this Form 10-K.

Regulatory Outlook

A number of prominent themes appear to be emerging from these actions:

Navient is subject to oversight from several regulatory entities. We expect that the regulators overseeing our businesses will continue to be active and that consumer protection regulations, standards, supervision, examination and enforcement practices will continue to evolve in both detail and scope. This evolution has added and may continue to significantly add to Navient’s compliance, servicing and operating costs. We have invested in compliance through multiple steps including realignment of Navient’s compliance management system to a servicing, collections and business services business model; dedicated compliance resources for certain topics (such as the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“SCRA”); the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”); unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices (“UDAAP”); and third-party vendor management) to focus on consumer expectations; formation of business support operations to enhance risk, control and compliance functions in each business area; additional regulatory training for front-line employees to ensure obligations are understood and followed during interactions with customers, as well as additional regulatory training for our board of directors to enhance their ability to oversee the Company’s risk framework and compliance as it and the regulatory environment changes; and expanded oversight and analysis of complaint trends to identify and remediate, if necessary, areas of potential consumer harm.

Despite these increased activities, our current operations and compliance processes may not satisfy evolving regulatory standards.  Past practices or products may continue to be the focus of examinations, inquiries or lawsuits.

As described in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —Risk Management,” Navient has implemented a coordinated, formal enterprise risk management system aimed at reducing business and regulatory risks.

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Listed below are some of the most significant recent and pending regulatory changes that have the potential to affect Navient.

Education Loan Servicing and Consumer Lending. The CFPB has been active in the education loan industry and undertook a number of initiatives in recent years relative to the private education loan market and education loan servicing. In addition, several states have enacted various state servicing and licensing requirements beginning in 2017, including Illinois, Washington, California and Connecticut. We anticipate that these state activities will continue. It is possible that more states will propose or pass similar or different requirements on either holders of education loans or their servicers. Depending on the nature of these laws or rules, they may impose additional or different requirements than Navient faces at the federal level.

Debt Collection Supervision. The CFPB also maintains supervisory authority over larger consumer debt collectors. The CFPB recently updated its regulatory agenda making the likelihood and timing of any new debt collection regulation uncertain. The issuance of the CFPB’s rules does not preempt the various and varied levels of state consumer and collection regulations to which the activities of Navient’s subsidiaries are currently subject. Navient also utilizes third-party debt collectors to collect defaulted and charged-off education loans and will continue to be responsible for oversight of their procedures and controls.

Oversight of Derivatives. The Dodd-Frank Act created a comprehensive new regulatory framework for derivatives transactions, to be implemented by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), other prudential regulators and the SEC. This framework, among other things, subjects certain swap participants to new capital and margin requirements, recordkeeping and business conduct standards and imposes registration and regulation of swap dealers and major swap participants. The scope of potential exemptions continues to be defined through agency rulemakings. Even where Navient or a securitization trust sponsored by Navient qualifies for an exemption, many of its derivatives counterparties are subject to capital, margin and business conduct requirements and therefore Navient’s business may be impacted. Where Navient or the securitization trusts it sponsors do not qualify for an exemption, Navient or an existing or future securitization trust sponsored by Navient may be unable to enter into new swaps to hedge interest rate or currency risk or the costs associated with such swaps may increase. With respect to existing securitization trusts, an inability to amend, novate or otherwise materially modify existing swap contracts could result in a downgrade of its outstanding asset-backed securities. As a result, Navient’s business, ability to access the capital markets for financing and costs may be impacted by these regulations.

Other Significant Sources of Regulation

Many aspects of Navient’s businesses are subject to other federal and state regulation and administrative oversight. Some of the most significant of these are described below.

Higher Education Act. Navient is subject to the HEA and its education loan operations are periodically reviewed by ED and Guarantors. As a servicer of federal education loans, Navient is subject to ED regulations regarding financial responsibility and administrative capability that govern all third-party servicers of insured education loans. In connection with its servicing operations on behalf of Guarantor clients, Navient must comply with ED regulations that govern Guarantor activities as well as agreements for reimbursement between ED and our Guarantor clients.

The Higher Education Act Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 4508 “Prosper Act”) is currently under consideration by the House of Representatives. The HEA is the primary law that authorizes federal student aid programs for higher education. While the HEA is required to be reviewed and "reauthorized" by Congress every five years, Congress has not reauthorized the HEA since 2008, choosing to temporarily extend the Act each year since 2013. We cannot predict whether or when legislation will be passed or how it would impact us.

Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. As a third-party service provider to financial institutions, Navient is also subject to periodic examination by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (“FFIEC”). FFIEC is a formal interagency body of the U.S. government empowered to prescribe uniform principles, standards, and report forms for the federal examination of financial institutions by the Federal Reserve Banks (the “FRB”), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the CFPB and to make recommendations to promote uniformity in the supervision of financial institutions.

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Consumer Protection and Privacy. Navient’s education loan servicing business is subject to federal and state consumer protection, privacy and related laws and regulations and is subject to examination by the CFPB. Some of the more significant federal laws and regulations include: