I'd been meaning to order a credit report. You know, just to see how I'm doing. Just to see how big of a bite has been taken out of my credit score due to the post-divorce joint credit card entanglements. Just to see if I'm really as battered as I feel. But I've been meaning to make a will, and get new glasses, and new tires--and well, I never did order up my credit score or get to the other stuff quite yet either.
My mortgage broker did order a credit report though. It's not fabulous, my score. But it's not horrible. I did however, find that the two biggest hits were credit cards that I had forgotten about--or in one of the cases, perhaps never even used. I made a phone call and got my name taken off that card. I was an authorized user--not a co-owner. The other card was already closed, but had a bad history of payments 30 and 60 days late. That's a credit report mortal sin, and if you have enough of those they send you to home-mortgage-interest-rate hell. I think I'm just going to purgatory. Or maybe limbo. I wrote the paid-late account a letter explaining that the late payments occurred post-divorce. And of course I sent them a copy of my divorce decree. I wish I'd kept track, all these years, of how many people and places I've sent a copy of my divorce decree to. I used to carry one in my purse, so as I traveled from place to place back when I couldn't bear to stay home, I could prove to the TSA agent why my ticket had one name and my driver's license another. Crazy-divorced lady. Sometimes you just have to play that card. But these days, I'm about to run that card through the shredder.
So... if you'd like a copy of my divorce decree, let me know. I'll send it right out. Triplicate? Duplicate? Or will one copy be all you'll need?
Oh, and if you're getting divorced, you might want to order a credit report. You might be entangled with things you've forgotten about.
photo credit: www.kotku.com
2 comments:
I just heard the other day that you should order a credit report every year whether you are divorced or not. It is a good way to make sure you are not a victim of identity theft.
2 1/2 years post divorce, i still carry a copy of my divorce decree around in my car glove compartment. I have another one under my desk blotter at work. My biggest problem is: I got my drivers' license renewed in early 2009, while still married. When the divorce was finalized in Sept. 09, I went to the DMV and told them about it - gave them a copy of my divorce decree - and all they gave me was a paper 'change of name' card, which is getting mighty worn out. I still need to wait 2 more years to get a new license, unless I lie to the DMV and tell them I lost it - not an easy lie to pull off in a post-911 world.
On the other hand, Hillary and the State Department were super and I got a new passport with my new-old name before my divorce was final, just by submitting birth certificate, old passport with that name from 1972 and a high school transcript and with the promise that I wasn't changing my name for any criminal purposes. So, I use that when I travel, even in the US.
If I had it to do over again, I would have never changed my name to the ex's name to begin with!
I suppose I should check my credit...
Lucy
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