I had a credit card with my name on it that the original acct. owner was my mother.?

Question

I had the card because my mother had ask me to do business for her when she couldn't and/or didn't fell up to it. She died last year and when I enformed the credit card company, they told me to send them proof, which I did immediately. They called me and wanted me to pay the balance. I refused. They now have it on my cedit report. Am I by law forced to pay this? If not, how can I get them to take it off my record?

Answer 1

If the credit card account was a joint account then yes, you are liable. If you were just a secondary card holder, you would need to look at the contract to see if secondary card holders are liable for debts of the primary card holder upon death.

You could also call your state's attorney general and they may be able to inform you of laws regarding your situation.

Either way, even though it was your mother's debt, it is a liability that has to be paid by her estate. If it wasn't paid by her estate, you would need to check with an estate lawyer to see if you are liable for your mother's debts. If you were the executor and in charge of paying off liabilities and disbursing of assets, you may be liable since you didn't take care of all of the estate's liabilities.

Answer 2

If your mom was the primary account holder, but you took it over for her, you are not liable to pay the amount on the card. I think only if you are a joint account holder then you are liable. But if you are not a joint account holder you can't be held reliable. If the primary account holder dies then the company writes off the balance. When my grandfather died back in 2003, he had over $30,000 in credit card debt by himself. When my grandmother sent the necessary documents that proved he had died, they wrote off all of the amounts. Contact all three credit bureaus and tell them that your mom passed away and that the accounts were not your responsibility to pay. I have all three numbers:
Equifax: 1-866-798-6598
Experian: 1-800-734-4617
TransUnion: 1-800-888-4213
If they can't help you, try contacting your local lawyer and asking her/him what your options are. But you are not held liable for paying off your mom's debt since she passed away. Best of Luck!

Answer 3

If she was the one that signed up for the account then she is still responsible. You were just added as a user but she accepted all responsibility. They could go to court and get it from her estate though.

Answer 4

It really depends on how this card was set up. Were you listed as a co-signer? If so then you are responsible. If you were listed as an authorized "USER" then no you're not responsible.