US student loan fairness and key corporate moves

Labour MPs have called for urgent action on what they describe as 'unfair' student loan arrangements, highlighting sharp differences in interest rates between cohorts of borrowers. For students who started university in 2023 or later, the current interest rate is 4.3%. By contrast, those on Plan 2 loans – covering entrants between September 2012 and July 2023 – face an interest rate set at the Retail Prices Index, now 3.8%, plus up to 3 percentage points depending on earnings.

The structure means many Plan 2 borrowers can face higher effective interest rates than more recent students, despite being on earlier versions of the scheme. Critics in Parliament argue this differential undermines perceptions of fairness in the system and places an undue burden on graduates whose repayment terms are already linked to income.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated that the government is examining ways to make Plan 2 student loans 'fairer'. Referring to comments from Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, he said ministers were looking at potential changes specific to Plan 2 borrowing. Asked whether reforms could be announced by the chancellor in next week’s spring statement, Starmer declined to elaborate, saying he would not 'get ahead of the spring statement'.

Starmer also accused the previous Conservative administration of having 'scammed the country' over student finance, saying that this applied 'to everything they did in government'. His remarks underline the political sensitivity of loan terms as interest rates and living costs remain elevated, and as MPs from different parties seek to position themselves on graduate debt ahead of future fiscal decisions.

Wynn Resorts has confirmed that an unauthorized third party accessed certain employee data in a cyberattack on its computer systems, first reported by local media. The Las Vegas‑based casino operator said the intruders acquired employee information and that the hacking group ShinyHunters had reportedly demanded a $1.5 million ransom, claiming to have obtained 800,000 files.

In an emailed statement, Wynn said the third party has 'stated that the stolen data has been deleted', and that the company has 'not seen any evidence that the data has been published or otherwise misused'. All seven resort properties remain fully operational, with Wynn stressing there has been no impact on guest experience or operations. The company has offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection to all employees and is working with external cybersecurity experts and 'industry‑leading third‑party IT advisers' to strengthen its systems.

Wynn noted in a December 2024 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that cyberattacks are becoming more difficult to anticipate, prevent and detect, warning that it may need to make 'significant further investments' in data protection. It acknowledged previous data security incidents, although none had materially affected its financial condition. Following news of the latest breach, Wynn’s shares fell 6.4% on Monday before rebounding 2% on Tuesday to close at $109.44.

Southern Company’s subsidiaries Georgia Power and Alabama Power have secured up to $26.5 billion in loan guarantees from the US Department of Energy. The financing package is aimed at enhancing grid reliability across their service territories and is projected to save the company around $7 billion.

The federal support underscores continued policy emphasis on bolstering critical energy infrastructure. The scale of the guarantees positions Southern to pursue large‑scale investments while reducing financing costs, at a time when utilities face rising capital needs to modernize networks and integrate new generation sources.