 His
bills on my credit report
|  Dear
Dr. Don,
I'm an authorized user on my husband's credit cards.
I recently ordered a copy of my credit report and I saw all of these
credit card accounts listed there. There are no late payments, but
the balances are high. I'm afraid that these credit cards that I
hardly use might hurt my credit scores.
Should I ask the credit card company to remove me as an authorized
user and have them remove the entries from my credit reports? Or
would it be better if my husband contacted the credit card companies?
Is there a procedure to make sure this gets done right? -- Rai
Recount
 Dear
Rai,
When a spouse is an authorized user on an account,
federal law requires that the account and payment history show up
on his or her credit report. You aren't responsible for these debts,
unless you live in a community-property state, but a negative payment
history can hurt your credit score. The Bankrate feature, "Dangers
of being an authorized user," has more information on the
pros and cons of being an authorized user on a credit card.
You can ask the credit card provider to remove you
as an authorized user. The account's payment history from that point
on will stop showing up on your credit report. The prior payment
history will continue to be reported on your credit report typically
for the next 10 years. Positive information can stay on your credit
report indefinitely while negative information for the most part
drops off the report in seven years.
You should be able to contact the credit card companies
on your own to notify them that you no longer want to be an authorized
user on your husband's accounts. Do this in writing and save a copy
of the letter for your records. I've had readers tell me that the
credit card provider will only deal with the cardholder when it
comes to removing authorized users from an account. That shouldn't
be the case, but having your husband contact the credit card providers
may speed up the process.
If you and your husband are carrying high balances
on his credit cards, you should work together to pay down those
balances and get your family finances under control. Before you
shut yourself off from his credit I'd suggest that you apply for
a credit card of your own. Use Bankrate's credit
card search to help you find the card that's right for you.
| 
