Risky student debt is starting to sour – Wall Street Journal

  Risky student debt is starting to sour – Wall Street Journal

The number of student loans held by subprime borrowers is growing, and more of those loans are souring, the latest signs that a weak job market and rising debt loads are squeezing recent graduates.
In all, 33% of all subprime student loans in repayment were 90 days or more past due in March 2012, up from 24% in 2007, according to a Wednesday report by TransUnion LLC.
Meanwhile, the Chicago-based credit bureau found that 33% of the almost $900 billion in outstanding student loans was held by subprime, or the riskiest, borrowers as of March 2012, up from 31% in 2007.
"If you become subprime, it's more likely that you will not pay your debt," said TransUnion Vice President Ezra Becker, who oversaw the study.