Will it affect her...

[CANTDOIT]

If my sig/other is an authorized user on my credit cards will she be affected when i file???

[Help!]

If the accounts are held only in your name (e.g., you named her as a signer but did not give the CC company her social security number) she is not responsible for the debt and her credit will be unaffected by your filing. I would recommend ordering her credit reports from Equifax, TransUnion and Experian to make sure none of those accounts are are reported. If they're not on her credit report, they're not joint accounts and she is only a signer.

That will not stop the CC companies (or collection agencies if they've sold the debt) from contacting her and trying to intimidate her into paying the debt. They may tell her that if she doesn't pay she'll be sued, blah blah blah. At that point, she can confidently tell them she's not a joint account holder and has no responsibility for the debt.

[MajorMike]

Not true,
If she is an authorized user, it will show up on her credit either negatively OR positively. Many people have people with good credit add them to boost their own score. In this case, it would impact it. Get her removed as an AU immediately. I was an AU on my mom's to help her get airline miles and I paid off her cards in full each month but the CC showed up on my credit reports and I'm sure if she filed BK, they'd show as such.

[Help!]

Not true,
If she is an authorized user, it will show up on her credit either negatively OR positively. Many people have people with good credit add them to boost their own score. In this case, it would impact it. Get her removed as an AU immediately. I was an AU on my mom's to help her get airline miles and I paid off her cards in full each month but the CC showed up on my credit reports and I'm sure if she filed BK, they'd show as such.

No, it is possible to be a signer but not actually on the account. There are subtle differences in the way a CC account is designated. If the OP's account is designated "individual", not "community" or "joint" and the accounts are not on sig. other's credit report, she is only an authorized signer.

I had a boyfriend in college who listed me as a signer on several cards before he filed BK. When creditors started calling me, I saw a lawyer immediately. I was not in any way responsible for the debt, even the charges that I had signed for. To the OP, as I said, check her credit reports and if you're still worried ask a lawyer.

[Help!]

No, it is possible to be a signer but not actually on the account. There are subtle differences in the way a CC account is designated. If the OP's account is designated "individual", not "community" or "joint" and the accounts are not on sig. other's credit report, she is only an authorized signer.

I had a boyfriend in college who listed me as a signer on several cards before he filed BK. When creditors started calling me, I saw a lawyer immediately. I was not in any way responsible for the debt, even the charges that I had signed for. To the OP, as I said, check her credit reports and if you're still worried ask a lawyer.

Here's a link the OP should check out:

http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2008/01/beware_of_this_collector_trick.html

[nomoneynomore]

This is NOT always true, at least not in KS. My husband had several credit cards, Sears, Chase & Cap One BEFORE we were married. I was only on as an authorized user, NOT as a joint account holder or anything. When we stopped paying on them, they did all show up on my credit report as a negative (were never there when we were current). We called several times to make sure that I wasn't a joint holder, and I was ONLY an authorize user. We were told that since I was a user, and helped make the debt, it was only fair that I be held liable for it. When the accts were current, I couldn't speak with them, couldn't make payments or anything.

I would certainly make sure before doing anything more as it didn't turn out in my favor.

"If the accounts are held only in your name (e.g., you named her as a signer but did not give the CC company her social security number) she is not responsible for the debt and her credit will be unaffected by your filing. I would recommend ordering her credit reports from Equifax, TransUnion and Experian to make sure none of those accounts are are reported. If they're not on her credit report, they're not joint accounts and she is only a signer. "

[morallyBR2]

If they have her SS# then get her removed. If not, then don't worry about it.

[CANTDOIT]

Thank you. I will have her run her credit report, and i will also have her removed just in case...

[Flamingo]

There was a large class action lawsuit going on as to this (probably still is going on as class actions take forever). We received papers during our Chapter 13 plan years asking if we wanted to be part of the class. It involved the listing of BK on one's credit reports where that person was not involved in the filer's BK (i.e., authorized user) and the lawsuit was filed to stop the practice. I don't have the name of the matter as we did not join the Class and tossed the papers (we filed BK jointly) and don't have the interest nor time to research the matter, but it might be worthwhile for those that may be affected to check out the status of that Class Action.

[ThreadsSnapping]

Hubby added me to a few of his cards as an authorized user before we were married and they showed up on my credit report almost immediatly. The only info they had was my name, no SSN or anything else. But they all report on my report as an authorized user. So they can be on her credit report but should be listed as an autorized user, not joint. There shouldn't be much of a problem getting them off if they are just AU accounts.

TS

[itcaughtup]

I would say it's similar to having a company credit card, which I do, my ss number was never used and after I filed it' still unaffected. I'm simply and authorized user on a business based account.. same thing kind of..