Husbands account can be added to my report even if I'm not on the account - is this true?

I talked to a credit reporting agency today and the rep told me that when 2 people are married, if only one of them applies for an individual account, that both parties are responsible. They also said that if the person who has the individual debt defaults on the debt, they can report the defaulted account of the spouse who was NOT on the account. Even if they were to get divorced, the collection agency can report on both spouses credit even though it was an individual debt and not a joint debt.

Is this true?! If my husband opened a credit card individually that I had no knowledge of and did not sign an application for and he was late or it was a charge-off, can it be reported on my credit report?

I think the person you talked with must have been new or just didnt understand how credit report data is managed. First, married couples do not share a credit history. Each person’s credit files are stored separately and your FICO scores are calculated at the individual consumer level - not jointly. Second, any joint credit accounts typically show up on both of your credit reports and will affect both of your credit scores. And lastly, if you did not sign or authorize the account and your name is not included on the account, they cant just randomly report it in your credit report.

Hope this helps!

Deanna is absolutely correct as far as the credit reporting aspect goes. In addition, unless you live in a community property state

* Arizona
* California
* Idaho
* Louisiana
* Nevada
* New Mexico
* Texas
* Washington
* Wisconsin

you are not responsible for your spouse's individual debts. If you do live in a community property state, then debts incurred after your marriage may be considered "community property," which means ultimately you could be held responsible. Even then, however, they would not appear on your credit report.

It's not uncommon for debt collectors to try to force innocent spouses to pay. If a collector makes any statements that you are responsible for your husband's debt, or that his debt will hurt your credit, talk with a consumer law attorney right away.