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ITT Technical Institutes Shuts Down, Leaving a Hefty Bill

Taxpayers have sent billions of dollars to the company since 2010.
An ITT Technical Institute location in Chantilly, Virginia on July 6, 2014.

An ITT Technical Institute location in Chantilly, Virginia on July 6, 2014.

Photographer: Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa USA via AP Photo

ITT Educational Services Inc. has abruptly shut down its eponymous for-profit technical schools, closing more than 130 campuses and leaving as many as 40,000 students stranded in one of the largest college closures in American history.

The company blamed the Department of Education for its downfall in a statement released on Tuesday. Last month, the feds demanded the company produce an additional $153 million in collateral—nearly double its $78 million in cash on hand—to cover possible losses that the government might incur if the company were to suddenly fail.