Friday, January 20, 2012

Credit Where Credit is Due



Below is the exact text of an email I sent yesterday:

Hi,

I tried again recently to get my name taken off our joint credit card. No go since I am joint owner of the account. 
It is possible to close the account even though a balance remains. Bills would continue to arrive, etc.
Would it be all right with you if I closed it? It's important to my personal and financial well-being.
Please let me know.

I have not yet received an answer. But my brain is working overtime on this thorny issue. I have not used this card since October of 2008, and the balance continues to grow and grow. 

Credit card companies do not recognize divorce, which I've written about here,  and here
Yesterday I called the credit card company for advice. "You could get an attorney and take him to court," the young woman said.  Ha, ha, ha, I said, not going into any detail about the fortune that I've already spent on my divorce. But, yes, I thought, after I hung up, what about the Stipulation to Divide Joint Assets? Didn't my attorneys include some provision about this credit card, and yes, I will invoke whatever solution lies within this legal document, because several times I expressed my concern over this card to them, and yes, that's where the solution is!  Here is what I found in the Stipulation. 

Credit card account xxxxxxx : (Respondent shall close the account upon payoff by Respondent)


HMMMM. Toothless is the word that comes to mind. 


Meanwhile debt continues to mount in my name while I ponder my options. One option I am NOT considering is going back to my attorneys for advice on this one.



4 comments:

Birdie said...

When my ex and I divorced I took every penny of our debt because I would not afford a lawyer. He walked away debt free and still complained. Divorce is a bitch.

Wrinkling Daily said...

If you called the credit card company and asked to have your name removed, aren't they obligated to close it, whether your ex is in agreement or not? You gave the courtesy of a question to him, and if you do not receive the courtesy of a response, could you, yourself close it out? Just wondering; I have similar loose ends out there. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Dear Denise,
Do you ever get over the anger? I ask because I woke up at 2:00 am and thought crazy-making thoughts, getting angrier & angrier until I just gave up & got up. (So now I'm tired and grumpy as well.) I've been given lots of good advice about balance, but in the middle of the night when I pull on another sweater because I'm scared I can't pay the heating bill & I think of him and his mistress in their massive, well-heated house I just get - just so angry.

But to end on a less me-me-me note, I'm sending positive thoughts out to two other bloggers who've both recently announced a separation. I think they are both strong women, but I hope the media glare on their blogging lives doesn't make it even worse.

Maybe this is a weird way to have a conversation - but I feel better already (thanks for letting me throw a hissy fit.) Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Just close the account.