California is a community property state. This means that even your individual accounts in marriage will reflect your spouse's credit score if you are an authorized user on the account. You and your spouse are both responsible for all debts incurred in marriage, whether by you or your spouse. This means that your spouse's debts may appear on your credit score, causing it to drop dramatically.
Also, if you and your spouse have joint accounts, these will be your joint responsibility in marriage. At the time of the divorce, all debts will be divided equally, regardless of which spouse is actually responsible for them.
For example, if your husband has a significant debt due to medical bills, you may be required to pay a portion of that debt out of your own accounts post-divorce. Also, if your wife has collected thousands of dollars in credit card debt after a few too many shopping sprees, you will be required to take on some of the debt on your own account.
This may not seem fair, but the court is quite strict on the fact that all property and debts acquired during a marriage is considered community property in the state of California. Also, the state of California gives no regard as to who actually handled the bills in the household. If a husband was in charge of bills and failed to pay them frequently, then his wife is just as liable for the incident. A creditor who reports the credit history of a joint account to credit bureaus will need to report it in both names.
It is important to recognize that even if an account is not in your name, and you are merely an authorized user, your credit score may be affected by debts on the account. If you want to discuss concerns about debts on an account, don't hesitate to contact the firm right away. A compassionate Los Angeles divorce attorney can help you to work through any concerns that you have about your credit score.
