My non-FW SIL is getting a divorce and her husband ruined his credit so all accounts are in her name with him as user or joint account - she has never bothered to learn anything about the finances - seriously nothing - I doubt she could pull a credit report since you have to know the bank you have a mortgage or car loan with and she would be clueless. Anyway - she is starting to realize she does need to get a grip on things and wants to freeze the credit cards so he can't run up the bills any more than he already has - can she just call the credit card companies and freeze the use of the cards temporarily? and can she get the credit bureaus to freeze her credit report so no more issuers will issue cards until the divorce is final and she is able to get something in her name only? I have done a search on FW and google and not found the answers I need so decided to try this flame free zone. Apparently her lawyer did not have the answers - not sure why - its a small town maybe or she is so rattled she did not ask. Thanks in advance.

Rule #1 - Don't get joint accounts next time

Rule #2 - See Rule #1

Call up all the banks where she is the primary CC holder, remove him and his cards from the account. Tell them why, verify that they won't still work.

First, she should call all the credit bureaus and get a copy of her credit report. They should list most / all of the credit cards and loans opened in her name.

1. Then she needs to call every single bank listed and find out if her husband is a joint user or just an authorized user.
-- If he is a co-signor on the account, she needs to close the account. NOW.
-- If he is just an authorized user, she needs to remove her husband as an authorized user, report her credit card lost or stolen, have them close the account and issue a new account number. Just removing her husband from authorized user status will not work -- he could still run up more debt if he still has a credit card in his possession with the old number.

2. Change the address for all the credit cards to a PO Box so he doesn't get his hands on them again.

3. File a credit freeze with all three credit agencies ( Equifax, Experian, Transunion).

First of all, no need to panic. There is something called "innocent spouse" clause, which will be handy for her in case of tax liability, debt, etc. But I would say if possible, consult or hire a good attorney. It's no time to keep being innocent (or ignorant) any more...

meanwhile, she should call at least one credit bureau (eg Transunion 800-680-7289) to add a "fraud alert" for 90 days. This is free. Depending on where she lives, she can pay a modest fee (say $10 in VA) for a "freeze." But again, I think it's better to take a serious and professional approach....

srenna said:cevee, your sister-in-law can get one free credit report annually, from each of the credit reporting agencies, at annualcreditreport.com. I don’t know what information she would need to know to request her reports online or by phone. But to request a report by mail, she just needs to fill in the simple printable form available at the website. The form only asks for basic information such as name, address, social security number, and date of birth. If she requests her reports by mail, I’d recommend that she mail in her request by Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested since the form will have her ss # and date of birth on it.

not sure how to do a 'multi quote' here - but want to thank you too for your answer!

cevee said:lillianlake said:First of all, no need to panic. There is something called "innocent spouse" clause, which will be handy for her in case of tax liability, debt, etc. But I would say if possible, consult or hire a good attorney. It's no time to keep being innocent (or ignorant) any more...

meanwhile, she should call at least one credit bureau (eg Transunion 800-680-7289) to add a "fraud alert" for 90 days. This is free. Depending on where she lives, she can pay a modest fee (say $10 in VA) for a "freeze." But again, I think it's better to take a serious and professional approach....

Good to know as well - thanks!"Innocent Spouse" may help with tax issues if there are any and your SIL can satisfactorily prove to the IRS that she is in fact an "innocent spouse".
If this is an issue, your SIL should probably consult an experienced tax attorney.

As for loans and CC debt there is no "innocent spouse" defense if your SIL's husband is either a co-signer or an AU.
Maybe, depending on circumstances, there might be an issue of fraud (but I wouldn't get my hopes up).
Again consult an experienced attorney before proceeding.

no way a joint CC will let you off the account without payment in full.
in many cases if you co-applied you both must agree to close the account.
they will come after both of you.
some stupid store cards will let a spouse re-open an account(!!@#?) without your permission even though the account is joint.

best to always keep your credit (except home) separate. joint checking/credit cards just put you in a really bad spot like this incident.

hard lesson to learn

There is great significance to the date of separation with respect to who is responsible for what. In addition to good advice of slc39 above, I would urge your sister-in-law to stop using all the accounts that she or her husband ever used prior to the separation. That will distinguish to the court all marital debt and accounts from those that she is solely responsible. I would have her apply for a brand new credit card immediately and use it exclusively going forward.

I might also encourage her to close ALL credit cards that her husband might have known of. Even if she has account numbers changed and new cards issued, with a little persistance, it would not be unheard of for him to talk his way back onto the account or get new cards issued to himself as well by impersonating her. Think about it, he has all the all the info he would need to sweet talk some CSR into adding him back on to the account.