Learning Centre

Losing Your Job | Marriage or Divorce
Other People In Your Financial Life | Moving to a New Country

Marriage or Divorce

Marriage

Getting married can impact your credit. For women, marriage often means changing their surname. When you or you and your partner jointly apply for credit, information about you may not be returned as it is held under your former surname. Be sure to update your existing creditors with your new name and include your former name as an alias on any new credit applications. What's an alias? - Aliases are other names you may be known as and including your aliases on applications allows credit reference agencies to provide all your data regardless of the variation of names you have used.

Divorce

Credit problems from divorce are common. At a minimum, you should protect the integrity of your credit report if you are faced with such a transition. With a copy of your current credit report in hand, notify credit reference agencies when you legally separate or divorce.

During divorce, consider closing all joint accounts and try to pay off the current balances. Also, secure your post carefully, as items such as pre-approved credit applications can be easily confiscated by a disgruntled ex-spouse.

Consult with your lawyer about making preliminary debt-paying arrangements with your spouse even before your divorce is finalised (although some of these agreements will be spelled out in your final divorce decree).

If you change your name, be sure to update your creditors with your new name. If you apply for credit after divorce, include your former name as an alias on any new credit applications. This allows credit reference agencies to provide all your data regardless of the variation of names you have used.

If you have no active financial accounts with your former spouse you can ask us to remove any financial links you may have with them. To order a copy of your credit report to check who you have financial links or associations with click here.

Structure a revised budget based on your new status. Closely track the money that's coming in and going out, and continue to check credit reports for accuracy. You can also subscribe to a credit monitoring service like Equifax Credit Watch™. Such a service will notify you immediately of key changes in your credit report.

Losing Your Job
Other People In Your Financial Life
Moving to a New Country