OHIO STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR CREDIT CARD DEBT

Any resident of Ohio or individual who agreed to a credit card contract in Ohio may enjoy the protection that the state statute of limitations on the enforcement of contracts provides. Credit card companies that attempt to collect on a debt after more than six years has passed may find that the liability has expired and payment can no longer be legally compelled.

A debt that is older than six years is referred to by the term "time barred." The U.S. Federal Trade Commission states that any lawsuit brought against a citizen based on a time-barred debt may be dismissed by informing the court of the aged status of the liability. The six-year period begins from the time that the debt becomes delinquent, which in many cases would be the date of the most recent payment. If the credit card agency can elicit a payment or otherwise obtain acknowledgement of the debt from the creditor, then the clock restarts on the statute of limitations. The debt would still remain on the consumer's credit report.

The credit card company is not necessarily obligated to bring the suit against the consumer in Ohio. They may file their claim in the state where the consumer lives or in the state where they signed the contract. In cases where the credit card agreement has made the proper provisions, the lawsuit may be filed in the home state of the credit card company.

Attempts to purge the credit record of unfair or misattributed credit card debt may benefit from the assistance of an attorney. In cases where the debt might still be enforced and the consumer is unable to make payments, bankruptcy may be an avenue to debt relief.

Source: Creditcards.com, "State statutes of limitation for credit card debt ", Connie Prater and Fred O. Williams, November 15, 2014