Thank you for your kind words. My Dad used to say "There, but for the grace of God, go all of us".

Fairly objective article on bankruptcy.

Can I File for Bankruptcy With $35k in Credit Card Debt? - Experian

Please stop posting facts.

When I lend to family I assume I might not get paid back and if that happens I would forget about the debt. So far I have gotten paid back although it took longer than I though it would.

And how many people replied here that ever had to file? Probably only me. Bankruptcy is no big deal. If you determine you must then do it. Rebuilding credit is easy and you just do it step by step and don't fall back into bad habits that got you there. 7 or 10 years on your record is easily delt with and before you know it all is ok again.

You obviously didn't read the thread because you were too excited to post a holier than thou, rude comment.
Are you one of those people who can't feel compassion because it makes you feel better about yourself to put others down? Or are you the one who just trolls a message board hoping to hurt someone's feelings? Maybe you are the one who is just a mean, cold hearted person that nobody wants to be around so you take out your frustrations on a message board.
See how that works?

You can tell your Granddaughter that you don't walk away from the $20,000 debt. The living expenses will be gone over with a fine toothcomb. Then the income of everyone in the house that your granddaughter is living in is added up. Now you go to see a mediator who proposes a monthly number that you must pay back each month for 36 or 60 months. If you miss a payment anytime during the 60 months there is no do-over, you then owe the entire 20 G'S.

Run towards the creditors who have you on the hook or rather the ones you owe a legitimate debt to and tell them your story and tell them you are trying to come up with a solution. Whatever you do don't hide and avoid those you owe, trust me you'll be sorry. Contact them by phone tomorrow.

I worked with many people over the years who were facing financial ruin, the phone calls each day from collection agents were terrible. The answer is own up to it and forget about BANKRUPTCY over $20,000. It's foolish to do it. Please don't do it. I helped many make the decisions that they were incapable of making. They felt shame. Forget about that, it's strictly business.

Credit.org is a reputable debt counseling service that can help restructure her debt. It’s better known as Consumer Credit Counseling CCCS. I am a retired NE banker.

Thank you, may I pm you for some more information which I do not want to put on an open chat line such as this?

Sure

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me some really good information. I have made my decision using much of your good ideas. We will work on getting the debt reduced and she will pay it off.