A Powder Keg: Debt and Unemployment

When times are good, some people still struggle to keep up with their credit and debt payments. In a downturn, bad gets worse because for some, there's less money to devote to debt.

In a recent online discussion, about a fourth of the questions I received had to do with debt issues. This gave me a window into how some unemployed folks are getting by and how others are fighting to hold onto their good credit name. Here are some of those questions:

QI'm in a tough situation. My dad and I co-own a home. My dad has the first mortgage, and I took a second mortgage based on the home's equity to improve the house since my credit was much better. My dad pays for the second mortgage. too. Because of the economy, my dad may declare bankruptcy and the house will be foreclosed. I cannot afford to pay the second mortgage. Does this mean my credit is shot?

AUnfortunately, one of the downsides to co-signing is that if the loan goes into default, all that bad payment history gets reported on the co-signer's credit report. So yes, in all likelihood your credit is and will be shot.

This is why time and time again I warn people about co-signing. As economic conditions continue to deteriorate, a lot of people who co-signed will learn this lesson the hard way.

When you co-sign you are not agreeing to be a backup, you are agreeing to be equally and wholly responsible to pay back the loan.

In the case of the second mortgage, you were completely responsible if your dad didn't co-sign. Never take a loan for anyone if you can't make the payments yourself.

If you want to try to avoid trashing your credit, negotiate with the second lien holder either to settle the debt for less or to lower the payments to an amount you can afford. Because it isn't likely that you'll be able to sell the home under these market conditions for a price that would even cover the first mortgage, you actually have some leverage.

I'm using my tax refunds to pay my credit card bills. I want to wipe clean my credit card debts before I go on maternity leave. My income will be cut in half while I'm out. But even with the tax refunds, I'm still a couple of thousand dollars short. Should I take it out of my savings?

It's great that you have an emergency fund. Typically in such a case, I would recommend you take all the refund money and pay down the debt. However, I'm a little concerned about your income being cut. Be careful about paying down debt until you get a handle on what it's like to live on half your income during your maternity leave.