On average, how soon will creditors go after a co-signer?

[Dirk Squarejaw]

I have an line of credit with BofA. My ex-wife co-signed on the loan but the statements come directly to me. As I am planning on filing in about 4mo, I am wondering how long it typically takes for creditors to start going after the co-signer? If I miss a payment, are they going to start calling on her immediately?

[lrprn]

I have an line of credit with BofA. My ex-wife co-signed on the loan but the statements come directly to me. As I am planning on filing in about 4mo, I am wondering how long it typically takes for creditors to start going after the co-signer? If I miss a payment, are they going to start calling on her immediately?

The answer is....it depends.

The creditor will start off by harassing you for payment. A lot depends on if they have current contact information for your ex on file or not.

If the creditor does not have current contact info for your ex, then the length of time before they contact her for payment is going to depend on the creditor's internal processes...how quickly your non-payment makes it through to the financial back end (usually within a week or two for the big cc companies), how quickly they decide you aren't going to pay and then figure out you have a co-signer, and how quickly they can figure out how to contact your ex.

Once you file, then for sure they WILL eventually find your ex to inform her she now owns the debt and she's obligated to start paying on it.