[theodosha]

Death of father April 2007 leaving an $11,000 balance on his BA credit card. I am sole survivor and he was living with me at the time. The will went through probate and I inherited money which he had committed to contractors working on my house. I have been paying on the BA account, but along the way added to it by roughly $5K to complete the work he had contracted. I have been advised to speak to no one and simply not pay, but I feel obligated to pay the amount that I charged to this card. I live in Maine and that is where he died.
Thank you -- any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[ScottGem]

I hope you were paying out of the estate account. If you were paying from your own accounts, you could be deemed to have acknowledged the debt as your own and be responsible for the whole thing.

[Ted Sibley]

If the card is only in your father's name, no charges should have been made after your father passed away. If they have been made, they are called after date of death charges and the person using the card is deemed responsible. With regard to the outstanding balance at the time of death, if your name is not on the account as a joint user, the balance at death is the obligation of the estate. At the time of death, you have to assess the estate's assets and liabilities. It sounds like some cash was outstanding. It also sounds like liabilities may exist with BA and a Contractor. The Contractor situation makes this a little more interesting. The Contractor may have a lien on your house. But the house probably isn't in your father's name. If the contract with the Contractor is not in your father's name, the cash should probably have been used to pay BA. If I were you, I would call BA and cancel the card. Tell them the specific date that your father passed away. Pay them the after date of death charges (but do not pay any interest). And then tell them your father had no assets when he passed away. They will write off the remaining balance.