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Chase MasterCard problem

Mon Sep 11, 2006 09:09PM | By Tony

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Q: I have a major problem with Chase MasterCard. In 2001 my brother added me to his Chase MasterCard account as an authorized user only. The account was never late and in excellent standing. Somewhere in 2004 he decided to take me off as an authorized user, and called Chase requesting to take my name off so that I no longer had access to this MasterCard. Chase however claimed that I was a joint account holder not just authorized user. After some time arguing back and forth, Chase said that it would take me off once my brother and I sign a letter which stated that my brother would be the only account holder. At the time I lived out of state, so he signed it for both of us.

It so happened that my brother had to file for bankruptcy. Since that point Chase has demanded that I pay this MasterCard off since they claim, I am a joint account holder. I have been living in a different state for the past 6 years, and I had no clue this card had existed until I pulled my credit report and saw that the account was late for 90 days once and for 30 days twice. My credit scores are 591, 609 and 618. All the Chase correspondence has been sent to my name to P.O. Box I never had. I called Chase and was told that this MasterCard is in my name. I requested the original application and never received it. At this point I decided to start credit report dispute with the credit reporting agencies. Then Chase sent me a copy of that very letter that my brother asked so he alone would assume full liability for the account and which he signed for me as well. Next to my name and signature, the letter states "joint account holder. Now the letter is being used by Chase as a proof that I am responsible for this MasterCard account.

My question is, this letter from Chase is not the original application I had requested, and it is not the contract between myself and Chase. How do I go about it? Do I dispute this again since what they sent is not a binding contract? Do I ask them again to send the original application and if they don't, what I should do?

A: The problem is that in many cases if you are an authorized user, you automatically become a joint account holder or a responsible party. Of course Chase will not send you the original application back as you are not on it. The letter your brother signed is binding now. One thing I don't understand - if this letter stated that he was the only account holder with full liability for the Chase MasterCard account and your name was supposed to be off before he declared bankruptcy, what right Chase has to go after you? If that is the case, then this is it - you can argue that account became delinquent after you got off.

If I didn't get it right or the signed letter claimed something different, there isn't much you can do but to claim that your brother forged your signature, and I don't know if this is something you want to do. One way out you may have, however, is the fact that you have lived in a different state, and the correspondence was going to P.O. Box you never had. Write a strongly worded dispute letter along these lines stating the facts about different state and wrong address, to the credit reporting agencies, and the other stating your case again, to Chase. Attach some proof of residency for as long as you can - copies of rental agreements, mortgage statements, utility bills, etc. You may have go even further to figure out whom this P.O. Box belonged to.

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