Someone who is fully liable for a debt they did not borrow.
A co-signer signs a loan or lease alongside the primary borrower and takes on the same legal obligation to pay. This is not a backup role: if the borrower misses a payment, the lender can usually pursue the co-signer immediately, without first exhausting its remedies against the borrower.
“Co-signer agrees to be jointly and severally liable for all amounts due under this Note.”
Main AI reads the notice or agreement and explains where a term like this affects what you owe — and what your options are.
Analyze my document free →Joint and several liability means the lender can collect the entire balance from either party, in any order it likes. The account also appears on the co-signer’s credit report, so a late payment damages both people’s credit and the full balance counts against the co-signer’s own borrowing capacity. Release is rarely automatic — some loans offer it after a run of on-time payments, but most require refinancing in the borrower’s name alone.
See this in your own document: run a free analysis — findings quote the exact language.
“The holder may proceed against any one or more of the undersigned without first proceeding against, or exhausting any remedy against, any other party.”
That “without first proceeding against” language is what separates a co-signer from a guarantor in practice. Before signing, ask three things: whether the agreement offers a release path and on what terms, whether you will be notified when a payment is missed, and what the total exposure is including fees and default interest — not just the sticker balance.