2nd UPDATE:US Education Dept Being Investigated Over Rules--Source
April 28 2011 - 1:03PM
Dow Jones News
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General
has launched a probe into possible influence by short-sellers on
the Education Department's recent rulemaking process, according to
a person familiar with the matter.
The investigation may proceed for some time, and there is no
guarantee the OIG will make any specific findings.
The Education Department has come under fire from a number of
sources since it began issuing a package of new rules last summer
that will affect for-profit college operators such as Apollo Group
Inc. (APOL), ITT Educational Services Inc. (ESI) and Corinthian
Colleges Inc. (COCO). The Education Department released 13 of 14
rules in October but has yet to release the most controversial,
which would tie graduates' student-loan repayment rates to
programs' access to federal financial aid. As student-loan default
rates rise, that rule is intended to ensure programs are educating
their students for gainful employment in a recognized
occupation.
In November, Sen. Richard Burr (R., N.C.) and Sen. Tom Coburn
(R., Okla.) sent a letter asking the OIG to look into possible ties
between the department and investors who were selling short the
stock of various for-profit education companies. Correspondence
between the parties, which include FrontPoint Partners's Steve
Eisman, had been released by the department after Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group known as
CREW, filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
Meanwhile, Sen. Michael Enzi (R., Wyo.) on Thursday sent a
letter to Education Department Secretary Arne Duncan asking the
department to release "all Department of Education written
correspondence, email or otherwise, regarding the development of
the proposed gainful-employment regulation," including documents
from the Office of the Secretary related to the allegations. Enzi
is ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee, of which Burr is also a member.
Additionally, lobbying groups supporting the for-profit colleges
have alleged the Education Department leaked early copies of the
rules to outside organizations and people with financial interests
in the industry.
The so-called "gainful-employment" rule has seen strong
opposition from lobbyists and a number of members of Congress, as
many schools fear they may face program closures if they lose
access to the funds. The U.S. House of Representatives voted last
month to de-fund the gainful-employment rule, but the measure was
later dropped from the final budget bill.
The Education Department said earlier this month it was "very
close" to issuing the final rule, which will be "much more
thoughtful" than an early draft. The department has said it sought
input from a number of parties, including the schools that could be
affected by the rules.
FrontPoint Partners's Eisman, the hedge-fund portfolio manager
famous for his bearish bet on the mortgage industry, likened
for-profit schools to subprime mortgages at an investor conference
in May. He sent a copy of that presentation to the Education
Department, according to documents released by CREW, and repeated
many of the criticisms in front of a Senate committee hearing in
June.
A representative from the Education Department referred
questions to the OIG. An OIG representative said it's the agency's
policy to neither confirm nor deny investigative activity.
The OIG investigation was first reported Thursday in the Daily
Caller, also citing sources.
-By Melissa Korn, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2271;
melissa.korn@dowjones.com
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