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Long story short-two years ago my dog was bitten by a copper head. My credit was not great then as I had no cards or any payment history of note. The vet bill estimate was way outside what I had so care credit seemed a good choice. However, to be approved, I needed my father to co-sign. I paid the charge off quickly and have used it here and there for dental work etc always paying it off and keeping charges low. Since then I have worked super hard to bring my credit score up 200+ points.

Out of no where it drops 57 points. My father had increased the $1500 credit limit to almost $7000 then maxed it. Well my credit lines totaled together don’t equal $7000. I’m not concerned he won’t pay it but I’m really upset he didn’t ask me or even notify me.

I want off this account and I want to know if there is any way to reverse some of the damage!Am I stuck until he pays it off? Does it even matter if I get off the account or not? Advice is greatly appreciated!

(Also for context he does this as I’m looking to purchase land to move out of a house he owns. He has fought me taking over my own finances tooth and nail and this feels a lot like a sabotage)

Thank you!

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  • Is this in the United States?
    – mhoran_psprep
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 12:29
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    If his goal is to sabotage you, then he will not pay off this balance. Follow D Stanely's advice and pay this sucker off yourself. A high credit score is not the path to financial security.
    – Pete B.
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 14:12
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    Co-signers should not be able to increase credit limits or make charges. What it sounds like is that you converted your credit card into a join account card which is not the same thing.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 14:13
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    @DJClayworth while you are technically correct, in reality most lenders make the other person a co-owner or authorized user. They misrepresent the relationship to the applicants. It happens all the time at card dealers as many questions on this site can attest.
    – Pete B.
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 16:23
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    @DJClayworth "co-signer" is essentially a joint account. The bank doesn't really care who of the two actually needed the credit, for the bank these are just two co-owners that are both equally responsible.
    – littleadv
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 22:40

1 Answer 1

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First, call the card issuer. Getting removed as a cosigner is unlikely if there's a balance, but you can possibly get it frozen so that he can't use it anymore. As a last resort, you could close the account all together. The balance will still need to be paid, but it will stop the damage from getting worse.

Second, MAKE SURE your father is planning to pay off the card quickly. If it sabotage as you suspect, he may be planning to just let the debt linger. Make sure one of you is at least paying the minimums so it doesn't do ant more damage.

Third, don't ask your father (or anyone else) to co-sign any more debts - EVER. Co-signing is a sign that you can't afford the debt (yet) on your own.

Fourth, start saving up cash for an emergency account. If you get into another emergency that you can't pay immediately, you can ask for family to give (not lend) you money to help, but don't open another card for a purchase that you can't pay back.

This would will heal over time. If it's the utilization that's killing your score, then as it gets paid off that will go down and you should see your score come back up over time. You can't magically make it go away - you did get a cosigner and they did take advantage of it. You can't just make that disappear.

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  • If this is a joint account (which I suspect it is, not a co-signed card) then you should be able to remove yourself from the card.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 14:16
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    @DJClayworth - a joint owner can remove himself from the account while it has a balance owed? That doesn't really sound right.
    – davidbak
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 20:36
  • @davidbak That's probably true.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 20:46
  • I believe joint account can only be closed, not "removed". It's a joined responsibility, not an authorized user.
    – littleadv
    Commented Mar 31, 2022 at 22:39
  • He will pay it off. He isn’t quite that up front with his efforts to keep me yolked to him. I’ve always stayed debt free as I was afraid of credit cards or loans. Unfortunately, when I applied I was on the way to the vet with a dying dog so I was willing to do anything to make sure I could afford $800 a vial antivenin. This taught me a lesson. No credit history is crippling. Now, I have buckets in my savings account for these types of emergencies. I’ve slowly & carefully been building my credit paying off all balances each month. Cont’d
    – J. Canon
    Commented Apr 1, 2022 at 13:47

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