Is there any way to protect your good credit rating from an ex-spouses bad bill paying habits after the divorce?

The situation is this:

Ex has credit card debts that were assigned to her by the court in the divorce. She has continued to use the previously joint owned credit card, but not make the payments required.

My now fiance, is getting calls from the credit card Company threatening his credt rating.

Is there anything he can do? They are also threatening him with the same on another card that his name isn't even on. His credit was used to obtain it though without his knowledge.

Appreciate any help.

hmmmm...I'm not sure I fully understand the question based on the wording of your post..

but I will try to answer..

if you have a jointly owned credit card..contact the credit card company..let them know their was a divorce on such and such a date..and the former spouse according to court order is responsible for said debt...but because the card is a jointly owned--they could come after EITHER party for payment..they don't care about divorces and who is supposed to be responsible..

So maybe if you contacted the company--and say we were divorced on such and such a date, and see if they will work with getting your name off of the card..if not..see if they will work with you to get X amount paid off from pre-divorce balance..

Contact Equifax, or who ever does the credit ratings, write them a letter, and let them know of the divorce..as of such and such a date..and have that placed in your file..so that if a creditor checks your credit..they will see that information as well..

Hope this helps

Immediately contact the credit bureaus & get a copy of your credit report! NOW, NOW, NOW!

Equifax — www.equifax.com
To order your report, call: 1-800-685-1111
or write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
To report fraud, call: 1-800-525-6285
and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1-800-556-4711 ( remove from preapproved credit offers)

Experian — www.experian.com
To order your report, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
or write: P.O. Box 2104, Allen TX 75013
To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013

TransUnion — www.transunion.com
To order your report, call: 800-916-8800
or write: P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022.
To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289
and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634

Ex has credit card debts that were assigned to her by the court in the divorce. She has continued to use the previously joint owned credit card, but not make the payments required.
Immediately contact the credit card issuer & cancel the card. The debt is still owed by whoever but no new transactions can be made on the card. If you have a court order giving her the debt, send a certified copy by certified mail to the credit card issuer and tell them to remove your name from any credit reporting caused by her.

My now fiance, is getting calls from the credit card Company threatening his credt rating.
How is your fiance's credit being affected by your ex's credit?

Is there anything he can do?
Immediately call the Fraud Numbers above and tell them what is happening. Ex is using his name/social security to get credit.

Also, put a fraud alert on your name and ANY credit inquiries will have to get a verbal confirmation from you before credit is granted.

This needs to be done immediately and not later!

<small>[ March 13, 2003, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: Chris (CA123) ]</small>

Thank you for your reply.
I can see I worded it rather confusingly. Sorry.

It's actually my fiance's ex-wife who is running it up and not paying off the pre-divorce balance that she was assigned. ( He was assigned other cards, which he is still paying off.)

He has contacted the card Company and they say they don't recognize divorce, period. WHAT? He has court papers stating that the divorce was final 2 1/2 yrs ago and that she "got" that card and the balance.

Card Co. won't take his name off or consider his divorce valid.

We have decided to contact the credit rating companies. But from what I've read I'm not sure that will even help. I hope it will keep his credit from getting marred, but not sure.

She also got the house in the divorce. So we could begin to have problems there as well.

It's actually my fiance's ex-wife
Makes sense now.

He has contacted the card Company and they say they don't recognize divorce, period.
He needs to make sure the account is closed, meaning no new transactions can take place on that account.

She also got the house in the divorce. So we could begin to have problems there as well.
He needs to contact the mortgage company and find out what he needs to do to get his name off the mortgage. Probably he needs to sigh a Quitclaim deed. This gets his name off legally but financially it is still in his name until she gets a mortgage in her own name.

Very likely he will have to get a lawyer who is savvy in financial matters with divorce and getting the debts off his record. Don't take this too lightly. Spend money now to make sure he doesn't get screwed later.

I'd recommend waiting to get married until this all gets sorted out.

One other thing. If there are ANY charges (including interest) on the accounts his wife got after the date the court awarded them to her, then he should be able to sue her for those charges.

Again, he needs to get a lawyer ASAP! This can't do anything except get worse.

And let the credit bureaus know he is divorced as of date.

Thanks chris,
I know you're right about the house. He did sign a Quickclaim, but it won't protect him if she decides to file for bankruptcy or is just really late in her payments. She doesn't handle money very well so I doubt she has any money to refinance in her own name. And the way she's headed with the credit cards, she probably would be turned down for any refinancing on her own credit.

I think you are right. He needs an attorney quick! Right after he contacts the credit reporting agencies that you so kindly listed. [/LIST]

He could buy the house from her. That would settle that pretty easily. It would give her some cash and she could pay off some bills. Something for him to look into (talk with the lawyer.)

Be nice to his ex and she might go for it. Be nasty & she would say no just to piss him off.

fyi - it's Quitclaim, not Quickclaim. As in you quit all claim to something.

Thanks for the FYI...

And she would burn the house down before she'd let him buy it. But it was a good thought. She's done everything to turn his kids against him and hurt him anyway she could throughout all his dealings with her. She even ticked her own attorney off. (wouldn't pay his fees.)

Nah, I don't think she'd sell him the house. And if she knows she can ruin his credit she will, just for spite.

[b]And she would burn the house down before she'd let him buy it.[/]
Which is why he does it in a way that he is going out of his way and doing it ONLY as a favor to her.

I don't think there's any way in the world she would do anything with him, for him, involving him or anything else unless she could hurt him somehow.
Frankly I'm glad he's beyond the child support issues and is "free" so to speak. Other than this new credit issue.

He may be able to get an attorney to force her to sell her house and pay her debts, I don't know. I just know he and I are both better off not associated with her in anyway, shape or form.
Let a stranger buy her house. She would have to be more accountable to them, and probably would be. (well,maybe)

Any other ideas??

I'm thinking that perhaps you are the OW that broke up their marriage and she might be resentful of your relationship with her husband!!!

Am I right?

Dawn <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

Hi daybreak,

I know it sounds that way, but..uh no. I didn't even meet him till they were living seperately for over a yr. and already divorcing. I met him 2 months before their divorce was final. And they had issues from several yrs. back that they couldn't and didn't resolve. Nothing to do with me at all. I don't date married men.

She hated him long before I was ever in the picture. I just don't like the things she's done since the divorce out of sheer vindictivness. She would hate anyone he will ever be with. She doesn't want him, but doesn't want him to have anyone else either.

is that what you want to live with for possibly the rest of your married life if you go through with it?

I would advise that you stand back and tell your man to get all the financial stuff cleared up, completely, all financial ties severed before you go any farther. . .

good luck

wiftty

Wiftty,

I know, I have thought about that. I don't want any of this effecting our future. And I don't intend on getting further involved until it is out of our lives completely.

We have our own issues to deal with and I don't want his past problems becoming mine. I think this is something he needs to clear up on a permanent level so it doesn't keep resurfacing and hurting us.