I live in Colorado.
When we divorced we still had a joint card, target card, it was her card and I was the secondary on it. We both kinda forgot about it. I was the only one that used it and that was only to pay for medication at the CVS in the target.
Anyways fast forward 7 years and she fills for bankruptcy.
I find out the accounts been closed and sent to collections. The account had never been late. The card had a small balance but was in good standing. I tried talking to the card company but they basically told be I was screwed. I've filed a dispute with transunion and equifax, just those 2 so far, it hasn't posted to experian just yet. But my credit score has taken a 130 point hit and Im left to wonder if there is any way for me to fix this. I didnt fill for bankruptcy, my accounts were all in good standing. Is there any hope?
My ex wife's bankruptcy hit my credit report
byu/obatala0013 inpersonalfinance
Posted by obatala0013
6 Comments
Hey, that’s a mess. I’m sorry.
Since you were only an authorized user (secondary), you might be able to get it removed. Dispute it directly with the credit bureaus again, but this time say you’re not responsible for the debt and had no knowledge of the bankruptcy. Also try filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). They can put pressure on the card company to fix it.
In the future, make sure you’re never secondary on anyone else’s card. One person’s mess can ruin the other’s credit.
Hang in there. It might take time, but you can rebuild.
Are you sure her bankruptcy hit your credit report, or a joint credit card that also had your name on it too that was delinquent or sent to collections?
If the second….it was your card too….
Actual joint credit account is rare. Pull your credit from annualcreditreport.com to verify if you are actually one or just an Authorized User (AU).
When you say you talk to the card company, did you mean Target or TD Bank (issuer)?
If it was never late, how was it closed and sent to collections? It would have been paid off it it was never late, unless she was charging a lot more than just her medication.
>my accounts were all in good standing.
If you were a joint holder on this card, no they were not. You should have settled this in the divorce, but it’s accurate now. The bankruptcy shouldn’t be showing on your report, only the delinquent card.
Edit to add: also, you’ve had 7 years to look at your credit report and see it on there (if it was reported) and sort it out.
Why didn’t you remove yourself from that account. : dah
Well, it was your bankruptcy. Because you had 7 years to get off the card and you didn’t.