What would happen in this situation? i always wondered this!!?

Question

For example, if there was a 30 year old man... that had 50 thousand dollars debt in credit cards... he was not married had no kids.... never spoke to his parents...lived in rented house and drove a car that he was still paying off..... then one day he dies... who has to pay off his credit cards? do the credit companies just forget about it? how about if he did have kids and was married his wife has to pay the credit people even though it was only under his name?

Answer 1

The estate pays off any debts and after that, no one is held responsible.  

Answer 2

It will go to probate and the probate court decides where his money/assets go.  Anything he owned can be sold off to pay for his debts.  It's a complicated question really, dependent on whether he had a will etc.  Family not liable for most of his debts, but as I said his assets could be sold off to pay for them.  

Answer 3

if he does not have a will it will go through probate and anything he owns will be his assets and part of the estate and they will send notice out to creditors and they have a certain time frame to respond to be considered for payment otherwise they have to write off the debt and if there isn't any money to pay the debt gets written off.