Deceased husbands 5 yr old debt

Sept 24, 2010

My husband passed away Mar 12, 2005. We had been separated for over 4 years. After I moved out, he had refinanced our home. My name was not on these papers. After his death,the bank did accept an offer on the house and sold it so that is taken care of.

He had also taken out a personal loan with the same banking company, Wells Fargo. I started receiving phone calls from a debt company,I think it was 2008,demanding the money. I sent his death certificate to the bank and to the debt company. They must have make of copy of it and did send it back to me.

That was in 2008 and I didn't hear back from them. Now I'm getting phone calls, three in one day. I was very irate with the guy, who was not very nice but using acceptable words, but I didn't use very nice words. He said I was responsible for the debt since I was his spouse or widow even though my name was not on the loan.

Like I said, this debt was made sometime after I moved out. My name was not on the house refinance or this other loan he took out.

How should I handle this debt company without incurring attorney fees?

Comments for Deceased husbands 5 yr old debt

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 30, 2010
 your late ex-husband's death
by: Gerri and Mary

We hope you understand that we are not able to provide legal advice specific to this particular debt, however we are happy to try to point you in the right direction.

You can read our deceased person's debt FAQ page for some general information.

If you would like more specific information, though, we need to know the state you live in. It's possible that even if you were responsible for this debt, the statute of limitations may have expired. It would also be helpful to know whether you were legally separated from her husband at the time that this debt was incurred or whether you would simply moved out.

Also we do want to point out that if a debt collector breaks the law you may be able to get help from an attorney on a contingent fee basis which means you do not pay unless they win your case.

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Debt Collection Questions.

Learn how debt collection laws can help you!
This website does not provide legal advice.
All information is for educational purposes only.
Copyright 2007 - 2018 by Mary Reed and Gerri Detweiler.
All rights reserved.

Disclosure: We may receive compensation for marketing some of the services mentioned on this site. Above all though, our goal is to recommend products and services we believe can help our readers. You can learn more here.