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Divorce and Credit
When you obtained credit, you and your spouse engaged in a contract agreeing to pay your bills. A divorce decree doesn't change that contract. When you divorce, each of you remains fully liable for your debts.
There are ways to prevent credit obligations from making divorce more difficult, and re-establish your own distinct credit lines: Communicate with your soon-to-be-ex-spouse. Ask each company and bank that extended you credit to transfer the debt to the name of the person who will be responsible. Keep your joint bills current. Ask the credit grantor to remove your spouse's name as an authorized user or close the joint account to additional charges. Inform all creditors that you are not responsible for debts charged by your ex-spouse on joint accounts after the divorce. Close as many joint accounts as possible.
- Collection agencies can try to collect debt after it is deleted from your credit report
- Divorce decree does not remove contractual responsibility for debt
- Divorce decree will not remove property debt from your report
- How divorce can impact your credit scores
- Keep paying debts on time during a divorce
- Removing ex-husband’s name from your credit report
- Separating your credit after divorce
- Separating your credit from your ex-spouse
- When an ex-spouse attempts to get your credit report