The fact that you have even a verbal agreement of sorts is a plsus since most co-signors do not.  Hre is what you can do: if the primary borrower defaults and you as the co-signer makes the payments, then you have a cause of action against the primary borrower to recover the damages.You may also negotiate with the creditor to settle the debt. You should do that immediately. See if the debt is still in the hands of the original creditor. If so, then the original creditor may be reluctant to negotiate a settlement for less than the full balance. If the collection account is in the hands of a collection agent, it most likely purchased the collection account for pennies on the dollar. If this is the case, the collection agent may be willing to accept a lump-sum settlement for 10-15 cents on the dollar.  Good luck.