Student loan defaults are up, as borrowers fail to make payments : NPR

Roughly a million borrowers defaulted on their federal student loans late last year, with millions delinquent on their payments and sliding toward the same fate. That’s according to federal data and the latest Household Debt and Credit Report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which dropped on Tuesday. The report includes student loan data as of the end of 2025.
Student loan delinquencies have continued to worsen, said New York Fed researchers on a call with reporters, and they expect the number of borrowers in default to continue to grow.
The report offers further confirmation of a crisis in the U.S. student loan portfolio, in which too many borrowers are not repaying their student loans. Nearly 10% of student loan balances are more than 90 days past due, according to the report.
The stakes are high, not only for borrowers but for the broader U.S. economy. Americans in default can have up to 15% of their disposable pay garnished by the government. The government can also garnish income tax refunds and Social Security benefits. Borrowers’ credit also takes a hit, making it much more difficult to buy a car or home or even rent an apartment.
This default wave