An exposé published in the Daily Texan of the University of Texas has widened the portrait of the “preferred lender” scandal initiated by inquiries from the New York State Attorney General’s Office. The latest revelations, discovered through an open records request, show that the financial aid office used “lender presence” in the financial aid office, “extracurricular activities” for Office of Financial Aid Staff, and “treats” as categories on which to base preferred-lender list analysis. PDFs of lender reviews and internal emails accompany this excellent piece of muckraking.

4/30/07  Read More from the University of Texas

We’re all for investigative journalism, so we feel we should report that Campus Progress, a progressive student media project, has assembled a guide that helps students investigate their own schools’ preferred lenders lists. To download the guide, go to: http://campusprogress.org/common/1522/honest-lending-fair-lending