How to Fix a Credit Score From a Deceased Spouse's Bad Debt

Your credit score can affect almost every aspect of your life. Having a bad credit score can impair your ability to get a car loan, a mortgage, even car insurance or a job. Unfortunately, if your spouse dies and leaves a lot of unpaid bills, debt collectors may try to make you assume your mate's debt, or write off the debt and try to attach it to your credit report. Here's what you need to do to fix this problem.

Instructions

1

Write to the debt collectors in question. If you were not a co-borrower with your spouse, ask them to remove your name from their records because you were not a party to the loan. If they refuse, you can demand that they prove that you owe what they say you owe. You'll need to ask for documents with your signature on them.

2

Contact the 3 major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
You will want to make it clear that the debt collector is attempting to collect a debt that you do not owe. Provide documentation that shows that you are not listed as a co-borrower on your late spouse's debt-related paperwork. Also, get everything in writing or tape record any phone conversations you have with the debt collectors and credit bureaus.

3

File a civil suit. Before filing civil suits (such as in small claims court), you need to have exhausted all administrative avenues. This means making every attempt to resolve the issue directly with the debt collectors and the credit bureaus.

4

Contact the Attorney General.l in your state of residence and in the state where the debt collector does business. If you personally do not owe the debt collector money, he cannot attempt to collect on it.

5

Piggyback on someone else's good credit. The last way you can fix your credit score because of your spouse's bad debt is by rebuilding yours. If you know someone with good credit, you can be added as an authorized user on one (or several) of their credit card accounts. Check with the credit card company before you do this to make sure that they report all activity on the card to both the primary user and the authorized user's credit report.