09/22/2026
If you're going through a divorce, protecting your credit and your identity is easy to overlook while so much else is changing. These four steps are worth saving.
Two points stand out to me as a Certified Divorce Lending Professional.
Your divorce decree divides responsibility between you and your spouse, but it does not change your contract with a lender. If your name is on a joint account, the lender can still collect from you.
And after years together, your spouse likely knows your passwords and the answers to your security questions. Updating those protections is a routine step, not an accusation.
Here is where to start: check your credit reports for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com, freeze your credit at all three bureaus, change your passwords, PINs, and security questions, and report any account you did not open at IdentityTheft.gov.
If you plan to buy or refinance, keep in mind that a credit freeze must be lifted before a lender can review your credit. Just as important, talk with a Certified Divorce Lending Professional before you apply. As a CDLP®, I am trained specifically in how the terms of a divorce, from joint debts to the timing of your settlement, can affect your mortgage options.
Contact me directly to start your Divorce Mortgage Plan.
