How to change your name with the credit bureaus after marriage
Finding out how to change your name after marriage can be a difficult and tedious task, especially when it comes to making sure that the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, have current information. If you have to change your name, my wife’s recent experience will help you avoid increased agony.
Yesterday, my wife, who changed her name about six months
ago, decided to get her free annual credit report online from all three
bureaus. (You can get your reports too
at AnnualCreditReport.com.) However, there was a major problem: Two bureaus,
Equifax and TransUnion, did not allow her to view their reports. Instead, they
flashed errors. Equifax’s read:
“Internet Delivery Unavailable – Mail in Request. We’re sorry, for your protection we are
unable to deliver your FACT Act Equifax Free Annual Credit Report on the
internet.” TransUnion’s read: “Please
Order by Phone or Mail. We are currently unable to obtain your credit information.”
We wanted the reports immediately online,
so the 3 to 7 days mail order was not an option. By the way, thanks to Experian,
the only company to get it right. It had her new name on file and provided a
current report.
To get some answers, we called Equifax. A customer service representative, who talked
extremely fast, was somewhat helpful. He
explained that Equifax gave us an error message, because it still has her
information under her maiden name, so she cannot access it through the
AnnualCreditReport.com site using her new name.
He also explained that creditors have to report under her new name to
start the process. Meanwhile, the opportunistic
representative tried to sell us her Equifax credit report for a “nominal” fee.
No thanks. Free is better.
In a nutshell, we learned that in order to make the process
go smoothly and perhaps faster, you must ensure that your creditors are
reporting under the new name. Also, it
takes some credit bureaus longer than six months to receive and to update the
new information. So, be prepared to deal with the inconvenience of the delay. My
wife, being the smart woman she is, suggested that she just log back onto
AnnualCreditReport.com and put in her maiden name. We will see if that works and let you
know.
Do you have any suggestions?
Greetings! I’m Kevin D. Johnson, a business owner who has recently assumed the role of consumer advocate and internet activist. Atlanta, Georgia is my home.
Upon returning from my wonderful honeymoon in Jamaica in October 2008, I received what I thought was an ordinary American Express bill, but to my surprise it was a disappointing letter informing me that my credit line was reduced by about 65% for a highly suspicious and discriminatory reason. Considering my excellent credit score and pristine payment history, it just didn’t make sense. However, what does make sense are the unfair and insidious policies that I have uncovered when asking why. It is time to change them.
I created this web site to document and share my challenging journey to change what is wrong, unfair, and unjust in the credit card industry. The ultimate goal of this web site is to inform consumers of ways to stand up for themselves against treacherous business practices and to educate consumers about how to improve their credit. Finally, I hope to encourage a more open dialogue with credit card companies about their policies–good and bad.
I am proud to say that this blog's unyielding demand for change led to an important 
You two make a gorgeous couple! Congratulations.
Posted by: Anne F. | February 05, 2010 at 06:13 PM