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How the Student Loan Payment Pause Affected Borrowers’ Credit Access and Credit Use


Abstract: This brief examines how the pandemic-related, 43-month moratorium on federal student loan payments and interest accruals affected borrowers’ credit card limits and balances. The pause freed up an average of $280 a month for each of the 17 million student loan holders in active repayment, and it included a provision that erased previous defaults on student loans.

Keywords: student loans; payment pause; consumer behavior; credit cards;

JEL Classification: G51; H81; I22;

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File(s): File format is application/pdf https://www.bostonfed.org/-/media/Documents/Workingpapers/PDF/2025/cpp20250113.pdf
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Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Part of Series: Current Policy Perspectives

Publication Date: 2025-01-13

Number: 25-1