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smc · Apr 4, 2006, 07:05 PM

Hi! My brother is having problems with his wife. Right now they are living separately in two different places. At this moment she doesn't want to come to him. He has two kids. All the credit cards which he has, he is the primary member while she is the secondary member. I advised my brother to remove her name from the credit cards. She is behaving very badly, and recently there were instances in which my brother is not able to trust her(for example she gave a check for $4600 which bounced and there were some more examples like this). She is in India now and my brother's kids are with her. My brother is scared to remove her name from the credit cards because he thinks that the kids might suffer. What should he do? --Thanks

RickJ · Apr 5, 2006, 04:53 AM

I have the same concern he does.

I would suggest that he wait until she comes back, thenremove her name from all the credit cards.

I also would be very hesitant to let her take the kids out of the country in the future.

... just my thought on it.

fredg · Apr 5, 2006, 06:56 AM

Hi,
Since she is a "member" with the credit card company, she is liable, along with the "primary" member for charges.
I would leave her name on it. If he removes her name, that makes him responsible for all the charges. If she decides to really run up the bill, with stuff not even concerned with the kids, she is still responsible for at least half the charges.
Just my 2 cents worth.

CaptainForest · Apr 5, 2006, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by fredg

Hi,
Since she is a "member" with the credit card company, she is liable, along with the "primary" member for charges.
I would leave her name on it. If he removes her name, that makes him responsible for all the charges. If she decides to really run up the bill, with stuff not even concerned with the kids, she is still responsible for at least half the charges.
Just my 2 cents worth.

I don’t agree with this at all.

How about she goes and buys $5,000,000 of houses together in their name. Don’t worry, he will only be responsible for HALF of it.

I agree with you, have her name removed from the credit cards NOW.

However, perhaps as Rickj suggested, it might be better to wait till they are back in the country first. But, you need to look at her spending habits now. If she is spending improperly now, then remove her name now.

RickJ · Apr 5, 2006, 12:53 PM

As to whether she is responsible or not, it depends on what her status actually is.

If she is a "secondary" then she is equally responsible for the entire debt. If she is just an "authorized user", then she is responsible for zero.

smc, you did say she was added as "secondary", but this usually entails her completing an application and being approved by the card issuer(s). Are you positive about that she is a "secondary" and not an "authorized user"?

ScottGem · Apr 5, 2006, 01:07 PM

Let me clarify some things here. The ONLY person responsible for any debt run up with a credit card is the persons who signed the application. These are generally listed as co-applicants on the original application. If the wife did not sign as a co-applicant then she may not be responsible for the debt. However, community property laws may make her partially responsible.

Frankly, I think your brother is caught between a rock and a hard place. His concern for his children is preventing him from removing her ability to use the cards.

I think he needs to consult an attorney who can advise him what to do.