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Divorce and credit
Going through divorce is very difficult. Not addressing important credit issues can make it even harder. There are two things that are important to understand about your credit during the divorce process.
First, the only information about your spouse that should appear on your credit report is their name. All other personal and account information should belong to you.
Second, joint accounts are the responsibility of both partners and appear on both your credit report and your spouse's.
Don't assume all of your joint accounts are closed or that you no longer share responsibility for them. Order a copy of your personal credit report and carefully review it. Then you will know for sure.
Contact any creditors who still list joint accounts. They must agree to absolve one of you from responsibility for any outstanding debt and can tell you how to remove one spouse's name from the account.
Your divorce decree does not affect the credit contract you entered into during your marriage. Both you and your ex-spouse agreed to take full responsibility for the debt. Only the creditor can change the contract.
The status of the joint account will be updated automatically if it is closed or will be removed from your report if
you no longer are responsible for the debt.
Wait a few months after the divorce is final and get another copy of your credit history. By then, the divorce and all of the associated changes should be reflected in you credit history, and the name of your ex-spouse should be removed. If not, an Experian representative will be able to help you work through any problems.
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