Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos and her husband have extensive financial holdings through their private investment and management firm, RDV Corporation. The firm, where DeVos once served as director, has financed real estate acquisitions, telecom companies and online charter schools, among other things. But one particular deal is creating concern on Capitol Hill.

RDV is affiliated with LMF WF Portfolio, a limited liability corporation listed in regulatory filings as one of several firms involved in a $147 million loan to Performant Financial Corp., a debt collection agency in business with the Education Department.

Twenty-three percent of Performant’s revenue is directly tied to its dealings with the Education Department, which awarded the company 14 contracts worth more than $20 million in 2016, according to regulatory filings and government documents. The company lost out on a recent contract bid with the department and is now protesting the decision with the Government Accountability Office, which can dismiss the dispute if the department reverses course.

If confirmed as secretary, DeVos would be in a position to influence the award of debt collection, servicing and recovery contracts, in addition to the oversight and monitoring of the contracts. She would also have the authority to revise payments and fees to contractors for rehabilitating past-due debt — all of which has Senate Democrats concerned.

An investment fund formed by the DeVos corporation, Ottawa Avenue Private Capital, is listed as the resident agent for LMF WF, which shares the same address as companies run by the DeVos family. A resident agent handles much of the official business of a fund, such as receiving official documents for a business, and may even have a stake in the fund. RDV senior executives, some of whom head up Ottawa Avenue, did not respond to requests for comment.

A senior Democratic aide who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly said Performant is one example of a company with possible connections to DeVos that could lead to conflicts of interest should she be confirmed. Senate Democrats have been urging full financial disclosures and the completion of an Office of Government Ethics review before DeVos is confirmed.