Each year many women are denied credit because they have no credit history. If you are married, tell creditors or stores to report shared accounts in your name as well as your spouse's name. You may have difficulty establishing credit in your name if you have kept all your credit cards in your married name (e.g. Mrs. John Smith). Make sure credit bureaus have a file on you, and that shared accounts listed in your spouse's file are listed in your file.

Whatever your marital status, you should establish your own credit history. If you've never used credit and are considering doing so, consider opening a checking or savings account in your name; acquire a credit card in your name; or establish a pre-arranged credit line with your bank.

If you are no longer married, you can still apply for credit on the basis of accounts you shared with your spouse.

Note: A good credit history—a record of how you paid past bills—often is necessary to get credit. Unfortunately, this hurts many married, separated, divorced, and widowed women. There are two common reasons women don’t have credit histories in their own names: they lost their credit histories when they married and changed their names; or creditors reported accounts shared by married couples in the husband’s name only.

If you’re married, divorced, separated, or widowed, contact your local credit bureau(s) to make sure all relevant information is in a file under your own name.  

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