Should an account of my wifes be on my credit report?

[Anonymous]

My wife openeda credit card account with a dept. store before we married. After we got married she added me to the account as an authorized user although I have never used the acccount. This account now shows up on my credit report although I did'nt sign any agreement with this company.

Is this legal? and can I have it removed even though we are still married?

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's legal, although the responsability for payment lies with her. You just get to collect the history and use the card if you choose to do so. Yes, she can have you removed as an AU but you will also loose the history associated with the account.

[Anonymous]

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SavannahMan wrote:

My wife openeda credit card account with a dept. store before we married. After we got married she added me to the account as an authorized user although I have never used the acccount. This account now shows up on my credit report although I did'nt sign any agreement with this company.

Is this legal? and can I have it removed even though we are still married?

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Since you are an AU, you have equal responsibility towards the account. People often add themselves to take advantage of the primary owner's good, long credit history and boost their scores. If you want, you can remove yourself. Just call the CC company and it should wear off your CR by the next reporting cycle. 

[fused]

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SavannahMan wrote:

My wife openeda credit card account with a dept. store before we married. After we got married she added me to the account as an authorized user although I have never used the acccount. This account now shows up on my credit report although I did'nt sign any agreement with this company.

Is this legal? and can I have it removed even though we are still married?

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Yes, this is legal and you potentially benefit from it.  The fact that your wife did this and is it legal, not sure.  But after reading this post, you shouldn't care.  Read on...By being an AU on your wife's dept store card and assuming there is nothing negative being reported on this card, you have a nice aging tradeline (TL) reporting on you credit reports.  If however, something is negative on this tl then it will ding your score.  If everything is positive, do not remove yourself as an AU.  You could potentially take a major hit to your scores.  By the way, do you know your FICO scores.

[fused]

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overdrive wrote:

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SavannahMan wrote:

My wife openeda credit card account with a dept. store before we married. After we got married she added me to the account as an authorized user although I have never used the acccount. This account now shows up on my credit report although I did'nt sign any agreement with this company.

Is this legal? and can I have it removed even though we are still married?

---

Since you are an AU, you have equal responsibility towards the account. People often add themselves to take advantage of the primary owner's good, long credit history and boost their scores. If you want, you can remove yourself. Just call the CC company and it should wear off your CR by the next reporting cycle. 

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AU's have NO FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILTY, only the primary cardholder does.

[Anonymous]

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fused111 wrote:

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overdrive wrote:

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SavannahMan wrote:

My wife openeda credit card account with a dept. store before we married. After we got married she added me to the account as an authorized user although I have never used the acccount. This account now shows up on my credit report although I did'nt sign any agreement with this company.

Is this legal? and can I have it removed even though we are still married?

---

Since you are an AU, you have equal responsibility towards the account. People often add themselves to take advantage of the primary owner's good, long credit history and boost their scores. If you want, you can remove yourself. Just call the CC company and it should wear off your CR by the next reporting cycle. 

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AU's have NO FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILTY, only the primary cardholder does.

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oops, I meant in the context of affect on credit scores + or -

[fused]

Hey, no worries!  We are all students and Tuscani is our Professor!  One thing about being an AU and not knowing it is hopefully the primary cardholder is responsible.  Otherwise, in the future when you pull your cr's and suddenly its showing a negative tl, you have been given a nasty surprise present.

[Tuscani]

Dispute it as "not mine"

[fused]

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Tuscani wrote:

Dispute it as "not mine"

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Huh? Why?

[Tuscani]

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fused111 wrote:

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Tuscani wrote:

Dispute it as "not mine"

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Huh? Why?

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If the OP does not want the account on his reports he should dispute it. With that said, it's probably only helping him and there is no need to remove it as long as the payment history is good.

Message Edited by Tuscani on 05-30-2007 05:45 AM

[coachhenson]

My wife and I are working on cleaning up our credit, and an account she had as a charge-off recently was listed on my credit.  I disputed it with TU, deleted the next day.

[Anonymous]

So when you disputed, did you go the route as Tuscani advised of stating "this is not my account", or did you state "this is my wife's account and I am only an AU, please remove"?  I am in the same boat (I am an AU on my husband's card and there is one 30 day late payment that is reporting to my CR) and was about to write a GW letter but wonder if I would get faster, better results by disputing. There is otherwise a perfect payment history on this card. The account is about 5-6 yrs old but I have others and it's currently reporting as "closed by the consumer" - so not sure it's doing anything but hurting my score right now anyway.

[Anonymous]

bump.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you could do the GW from him, then if its not removed, and you have older TL's, and its not going to really effect your UTIL % you could dispute it as, not mine.

[Anonymous]

thanks so confused!

[Anonymous]

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focused07 wrote:

I am in the same boat (I am an AU on my husband's card and there is one 30 day late payment that is reporting to my CR) and was about to write a GW letter but wonder if I would get faster, better results by disputing. There is otherwise a perfect payment history on this card. The account is about 5-6 yrs old but I have others and it's currently reporting as "closed by the consumer" - so not sure it's doing anything but hurting my score right now anyway.

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Lates hurt until they drop. The amount of hurt fades with time.

Have your husband pursue GW. If your husband can get GW, it's almost assured they will delete the TL altogether rather than delete only the late.

You can hold out and see whether your husband can get them to delete only the late, but as I say it's not likely. But I would go ahead and dispute it off your CRs since you're an AU.

[Anonymous]

Noah - I am a bit confused.  So are you recommending that I should have my husband send a GW letter to them?  Or should I dispute the tradeline as not mine?  I have prepared the GW letter and I am ready to send.  Can I do both simultaneously (the GW and the dispute as not mine)?  If I go the "not mine" route, do I indicate anywhere in the letter that I am an AU on the account?

Help???

[Anonymous]

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focused07 wrote:

So are you recommending that I should have my husband send a GW letter to them?  Or should I dispute the tradeline as not mine?  I have prepared the GW letter and I am ready to send.  Can I do both simultaneously (the GW and the dispute as not mine)?  If I go the "not mine" route, do I indicate anywhere in the letter that I am an AU on the account?

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Both.

Your husband should pursue GW, and that may or may not come to pass.

But you can dispute this away without any problem since it's an AU account for you. Either online or in a letter. You can tell 'em either not mine or you're only an AU.

The only way an adverse AU account of a spouse can be reported on the AU spouse's CR is if the married couple resides in a community property state (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin) and the account was acquired "within the marital community." However, even if you're in a community property state, I would still dispute it as not mine or AU account. Not every OC is aware of community property statutes. They might just see AU and think, "uh-oh, don't wanna be another $100K Johnson v. MBNA."

[Anonymous]

Thanks Noah - got it now.  We were not married at the time that he added me as an AU (about 4.5 years ago), but we are now (just 1 yr.).  And we do live in CA, so I am going to have him sign the GW letter I drafted and also send a dispute letter and online.  One more question since I have not disputed much:  do I file the dispute online directly with the bureau are with the creditor?

[Anonymous]

Dispute with the CRA to get the TL deleted off your CRs.

[Anonymous]

On a reverse note, I have been an authorized user on my mothers Chase account for about a year now, and none of my credit reports show it. I assume maybe Chase does not report AU's? I even have a card with my name on it. Joined her account before finding this board thinking it would be a positive punch to my score.....mother has almost perfect history. Now that I have accumulated my own cards, it really doesn't matter anymore.....just curious.

Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Chase does report.  My mother and I were both listed as AU's on my dad's card that is a CO now.  I disputed as "AU only please remove" and it has been deleted from my mom's CR (EX &TU) waiting on my results from all three and hers from EQ.  I've done it before...disputed thru the big 3 and it was gone.  Simple as that.

[Anonymous]

Can disputes be done through the reports purchased here at myFICO or do they have to be done directly through each bureau's report?

[MercyMe]

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fused111 wrote:

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SavannahMan wrote:

My wife openeda credit card account with a dept. store before we married. After we got married she added me to the account as an authorized user although I have never used the acccount. This account now shows up on my credit report although I did'nt sign any agreement with this company.

Is this legal? and can I have it removed even though we are still married?

---

Yes, this is legal and you potentially benefit from it.  The fact that your wife did this and is it legal, not sure.  But after reading this post, you shouldn't care.  Read on...By being an AU on your wife's dept store card and assuming there is nothing negative being reported on this card, you have a nice aging tradeline (TL) reporting on you credit reports.  If however, something is negative on this tl then it will ding your score.  If everything is positive, do not remove yourself as an AU.  You could potentially take a major hit to your scores.  By the way, do you know your FICO scores.

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  Lolly, lolly, lolly ....  lolly's going to be stuck in my head, all night long!  That and Conjunction Junction ... what's your function??? 

[Anonymous]

I've done them here and at TC through their online dispute process.  You can print out a copy of exactly what you've disputed and when they are done with their investigation they email you the results along with a link to view more info regarding the decisions.

EQ still requires a letter and if you dispute EQ at myfico you can print out a letter that needs the last 4 of your SS# and your signature and it's ready to mail with all your dispute info on it.

I've run into a little trouble at TU as I'm going over reports.  There were 2 other things that I needed to dispute and tried to go in and it won't let me dispute.  We just got the results from the 1st dispute today and yesterday.  I don't know why I'm not being allowed to dispute again.  The 2 things I need to dispute weren't included on the first dispute.  I guess I'll try again tomorrow or just send them a letter.

[Anonymous]

You can dispute with EQ and EX online and you don't need a confirmation number. Info off your MyFico reports will be more than adequate.

https://www.ai.equifax.com/CreditInvestigation/jsp/email.jsp

http://www.experian.com/rs/fi2.html

You can also dispute TU online.

http://annualcreditreport.transunion.com

I'm still having good luck with faxed disputes, and I can include all the supporting docs I like.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/fico/board/message?board.id=generalcredit&message.id=22739

[Anonymous]

Noah...you are the bestest!!!

I couldn't find an online way to dispute with EQ...you are the man with the answers!!  My letters have already went out to them tho...think I could try it this way ~ or would it be considered frivolous??  It's so much quicker when it's done online.  I'm getting aggrevated having to wait on EQ when stuff is dropping off TU and EX now.

[Anonymous]

An additional online dispute shouldn't hurt. If one works, then the other dispute might be met with a letter stating, "We could not find the information you requested to be deleted on your credit file." No big.

[Anonymous]

I and my exwife after we got divorced,somethings happened with my credit?I have been usa more than 10 year,I did not doing anythings was wrong,please,let me know?this is first time I would like to know my credit because I had application for line credit of bank of america for pay off my home but it does work by my credit? it ok! right now I do not need anything eles,I aready pay off my house by last weed,I do need the bank anymore...you can see that,do you know me good or bad?Just myselt know about that!credit must by myselt,they checks very hard credit of every one and they go the hell! and myself is bad credit but I pay off my home by my money?I living here over 10 years,I NEVER NEED CREDIT! THANK FOR CREDIT BUT I DONOT DEED IT!

[Anonymous]

Does my Wife have any liability for My Credit Card debt if she is NOT JT on the account and she is NOT an authorized user?? I have been told NO by a debt management person at my local Credit Union.

[Anonymous]

Your wife can certainly legally add you to her credit card as an authorized user. This means that you could get a card so that you can legally use the account if you wish. However, I was told (by a credit card rep when I had my daughter on my card as an authorized user) that she would not build credit as an authorized user; she would only build credit as a joint user. So, I am surprised that the credit information appears on your credit card. Are you sure you are not a "joint" user.

[llecs]

Reminder to anyone responding to this thread: It's 5 yrs old and OP hasn't been around since then.

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@Anonymous wrote:

Your wife can certainly legally add you to her credit card as an authorized user. This means that you could get a card so that you can legally use the account if you wish. However, I was told (by a credit card rep when I had my daughter on my card as an authorized user) that she would not build credit as an authorized user; she would only build credit as a joint user. So, I am surprised that the credit information appears on your credit card. Are you sure you are not a "joint" user.

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Both FICO and creditors alike can and do consider AU accounts and it is a good way to help build credit. FICO looks at AU accounts equal to and on par as if it were your own accounts. Creditors generally don't mind AU accounts and they certainly help. However, if you have a 100% reliance on AU accounts, then than can be an issue for some lenders. There are some posts in Mortgage Loans, for example, where the lender asked the borrower-to-be to remove AU accounts. It's OK to have a couple to get started, just don't rely 100% on them.

OP hasn't been on in 5 years, but it is normal for an AU to appear like that without providing a SSN. Happens all the time.