my mistakes costing gf her credit!!! how do i help her repair this

[deeptrouble]

i added my gf as an authorized user on a Chase Visa that is currently 4 months past due.

doing some research on credit boards, while she may not be financially liable, it is still hurting her credit report.

is there anything i can do at this point to help her?

she never even activated the card that has her name on it.

so worried... she does not deserve to be punished for MY mistake.. argh.

[JollyGG]

Just have her dispute it with the credit reporting agencies. It will probably fall off. If that doesn't work you can remove her as an authorized user then have her dispute it.

[deeptrouble]

i just called the cc company and they won't/can't remove her as an AU unless i bring the account up to date.

i think this will leave me with a preferential payment if i choose to go w/ the BK ch7 route

my last option is to go back to family and ask them to bail me out of my immense debt load... wow i wish i weren't alive right now!

[JollyGG]

If she is only an authorized user, just have her dispute it with the credit reporting agency.

Just worry about it one step at a time. If that doesn't work come back here and we'll help you with a letter to the original creditor.

[deeptrouble]

yea... i fear that if she disputes it, transunion takes it off, and next month it gets put right back on.

i'm scared that my only recourse now is to bring the account up to date in order to remove her...

which will add additional troubles w/ my possible ch7 filing due to preferential payments.

argh.

[CindyLou]

important question: is she an AUTHORIZED USER or a JOINT ACCOUNT HOLDER? I suspect she is a joint account holder or they would have removed her from the account. They would only refuse to remove her if she were responsible for the debt. Please check with them ask them which one she is....

[JollyGG]

http://www.bkforum.com/showthread.php?t=14808&highlight=authorized+user+FICO

Really if she is only an authorized user her credit should not be hurt.

Have her send a letter to the credit card asking to see a copy of any documentation she signed making her responsible for the debt. When they cannot produce it demand that they remove any damaging information from her credit reports.

[deeptrouble]

important question: is she an AUTHORIZED USER or a JOINT ACCOUNT HOLDER? I suspect she is a joint account holder or they would have removed her from the account. They would only refuse to remove her if she were responsible for the debt. Please check with them ask them which one she is....

authorized user. on the transunion report, (the only of the credit reporting agencies to list the account), it is denoted as AUTHORIZED ACCOUNT

[floorman]

I don't believe you have to worry about preferential payments. That would be a problem for the company who received it. The trustee could make them return the payment to the BK estate. Maybe a legal type could clarify that.

[CATCHMEIFYOUCAN]

I would think if she never even activated her card she should call them up and say something like "hey, I never asked for this! You better take me off! I didn't sign for anything! I don't want your card! etc etc etc!"

I had my SO on all my accounts BEFORE I decided to file (she was just an authorized user). When the time came to file, she was clearly off by the time I had to present certain statements to the Trustee.

Instead of calling them, why don't you send in a written statement, requesting she be taken off the account? Some of the creditors said I had to send in a written statement to have her taken off my accounts. Sometimes I think when you send in a letter (and don't talk to a live person), the request is just generated automatically by a "data entry," person who doesn't dig too deep into your account and just enters the data or takes off the data per your request. Its worth a shot?

Best of Luck Catchmeifyoucan

[deeptrouble]

It's worth a shot I suppose.

[CindyLou]

I don't believe you have to worry about preferential payments. That would be a problem for the company who received it. The trustee could make them return the payment to the BK estate. Maybe a legal type could clarify that.

Yea, but then the money is lost for good to the trustee when the matter could have been resolved another way. If she is in fact just an authorized user it shouldn't be an issue. I have a suspicion that maybe they do not just have her as an authorized user. That's why I have asked the original poster to get the exact wording directing from the credit card company...not from the credit report. I would ask the credit card company for the exact wording of her relationship to your account. Is it JOINT ACCOUNT HOLDER or AUTHOURIZED USER? It doesn't matter what ther credit report says. They get it wrong all the time. The credit report does not decide whether she is responsible for the debt. The type of relationship to the account does.

[CindyLou]

call them up right now and ask them the exact wording of her relationship to the account and whether her social security number is tied to the account.

[HRx]

It depends...if you have to submitt your girlfriends SSN and DOB, then she is being negatively impacted by the late payments.

[JRScott]

Have her write the credit reporting agency and dispute the listing.

If they can't provide evidence she is responsible they have to remove it.