Cosigned Loan Problems

[jsl1224]

Any information on this would greatly appreciated! A few years ago I cosigned for a relatives home equity line of credit. I never heard anything about the loan neither from my relative or from the finance company so I assumed everything was going good. However the loan payments fell behind. My relative took the loan to debt settlement lawyer who settled the loan as a short sale. Still without ever contacting me about it. Now I am trying to purchase a house and have been told it will be atleast three years before I can apply for a mortgage because that home equity line of credit was settled as a short sale and is showing on my credit report. Is there anything I can do to get this removed from my credit report considering neither the finance company, collections agency or the lawyer ever contacted me?

[Mr. Knowitall]

Contact the creditor and see what you can negotiate.