Ask Terry Questions Ex-Husband Ruined my Credit by Cancelling my Credit Cards

Ex-Husband Ruined my Credit by Cancelling my Credit Cards

By Terry Savage on July 12, 2017 | Credit/Debt

Hi Terry, Last year my husband of 30 years filed for divorce. My Husband became upset with me and cancelled/removed me only from our "several" Personal and Business credits cards(we own a business jointly 50/50). He got upset with me because I would not respond to his several emails and text messages while I was at work during the day. I had asked him on several occasions not to bother me at work unless there was an emergency with our children and any other issues I would respond to after work. I was the one paying all of the bills for both of our charges on all of these accounts...most of them paid in full each month. He kept all of the accounts open with himself and our children on the accounts. I contacted my attorney at the time who said there was nothing she could do about it and not to worry it would not affect my credit. As you can guess my credit score tanked from mid-low 800's to low 600's. They came up as derogatory on my report with comments such as terminated by the card holder, removed by the card holder, etc. I have contacted some of the credit card companies but they were unable to give me much info. One very nice Rep suggested I write a letter to the the company regarding what happened...what will this do? I would like to get my excellent credit history back. Most of our accounts had been open over 20 years old with very high credit limits. What can I do to restore my credit history and rating? After all, I am the one who paid all the bills and managed building our long time credit over all these years. Why is divorce still so unfair to women? Thank you,

Terry Says

Gosh, I hate to hear stories like this.  You do have some recourse, but it isn't going to be easy.   First, you have the ability to file a statement either disputing the information on your credit report, or explaining it.  Go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com and contact each of the three major bureaus via this site, asking to place such a letter in your record. You can also contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau online to submit a complaint against any bureau that does not respond to your request promptly. Finally -- GET A NEW DIVORCE ATTORNEY!   Any lawyer who doesn't know that letting a spouse get away with these actions could ruin your credit isn't the one you want to have representing you in the divorce!  In fact, I'd go as far as threating malpractice against her.  And you can  quote me!  Yes, this is definitely my "hot button" issue -- women and divorce --  which is why I co-authored The New Love Deal with a prominent divorce attorney and a divorce court judge of 20 years!

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