Notification of death to credit bureaus; why must this be done?

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Notification of death to credit bureaus; why must this be done?

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I have "heard" you have to notify Experian/Equifax/Transunion of death if you are the survivor. Does everyone do this? They make the task quite onerous with requiring death certificates, Letters testamentary and etc. If you have ALREADY cancelled all credit cards why must this be done? I understand their concerns about identify theft, but in all truth, the person who is dead can hardly be held responsible for debts when everything else has been cancelled.

End of Life Financial Planning

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So new accounts are not opened up in the dead person’s name. The death certificate means a malicious person can’t declare you dead and wreck your credit if you are not dead.

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I cancelled my mother’s credit cards after her death but then a few years later she was sent a new credit card through the mail. I called the bank and they said that I should have notified the credit bureau because if someone had intercepted it they could have racked up debt in her name. The checklist from the government on dealing with an estate did not mention this. The bank could have come after the estate if it had not yet been settled or come after me if I had made any payments from my personal accounts on that particular credit card.

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I think there is some statute of limitations, as well, Snowfall, but don't know what it is. It is the reason one has to "publish" that all creditors must contact estate. I think it is within a year. If they do not the statute closes their ability to recover. But I am limited on my knowledge of that and imagine it goes according to the state. Cali is basically correct. Just do it. It amounts to a copy only of the death certificate, and notification of death and not to issue any credit in the name of that person with that social security number.

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I have never heard of this, but googled it and this came up:
"Reporting a Death of a Loved One to TransUnion. There can be a lot to take care of when a loved one has passed away, but it's important to notify the credit reporting agencies so the individual's credit report can be marked as deceased and you can help prevent theft of their identity."
I suspected identity theft to be the reason. Then I googled "who should notifiy credit bureaus" thinking maybe the funeral room notified, like they notify the SSA. This came up:
Consult a qualified trusts and estates attorney to determine if you are the person entitled to notify the agencies on behalf of your loved one. agencies by telephone to report the death: Experian (888-397-3742), Equifax (800-685-1111) and TransUnion (800-888-4213). Request the credit report is flagged as “Deceased.
I'd just call them myself and see what each needs. Although it may be the case that if you notify one of them, that entity notifies the others, You could ask when you call. This was a great question. Thanks! Now I know.

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Just tried calling Experian. Recorded message. Only option was to try to freeze account. Would not let me talk to a live person. The requirements to freeze an account - must mail every conceivable piece of documentation except for your first born's food preferences - was unreal. I think I'll just hope for the best. Thanks, ArtMom58 for posting the phone numbers.

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Alva.......dead people can be the victim of identity theft. Would you want creditors coming after the estate for debt racked up by a criminal? I don’t think so. And suppose the deceased had joint accounts. The joint account holder could re-open the accounts and start racking up debt. And if you didn’t run the dead persons credit report, can you be sure there aren’t open lines of credit? My MILs credit cards may have been cut up and the accounts closed but her credit still needed to be frozen, the bureaus notified of her death and there were lots of accounts we never would have known about if we hadn’t run her credit & placed a freeze on it.

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I notified social security they notified the bank where her deposits went the same bank did her credit card so that was ok they closed , we had to send death certificates to her life insurance and all her money accounts, the bank so she could be taken off the account
I suggest anyone having older parents with dementia get a joint account before they get to far along if they let you and become social security representative payee sure helped us

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NO NO NO .... ON JOINT ACCOUNTS! If you have to put an elder parent in a nursing home and apply for Medicaid they will consider all money is elder parent's. For years, I had a joint account with my mom, just as an emergency fund for car, house repairs (or new car) plumbing, etc. I paid into the account not my mom. When I had to put her in nursing home because of demintia, Medicaid did a five year "look back" and said all the money in the account was considered hers .... over $5,000 which would have made her not eligible for Medicaid until all the money was spent on her nursing home bill.

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Like Debster, I didn't find it hard at all.

In 2018, after Mom passed I took Mom's certified death certificate and mailed it to Experian per their requirements. They'll notify the other credit agencies.

Heck, about the same time I even ordered a certified death certificate from the State (Kansas, and the online application was easy) for my stepdad who had been dead 18 years! I sent in a letter and the original certificate to Experian. I figured it was the final thing I could do for him.

The address that was on Experian's site was PO Box 4500, McAllen, TX 75013. Go on their website and see if anything's changed in the few years since. It's easy and rewarding to ensure her financial peace is secure.

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I didn’t do this when my parents passed. Maybe probate did it? Is it a state specific thing? It was never mentioned by anybody to me and I was personal representative for both of my parents. First time I have heard of it.

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My friend spent hours on hold yesterday, wanting to inform the credit bureaus of her husband's death last week. TransUnion wanted her to send the death certificate, a copy of his driver's license, a copy of her driver's license, and other documentation. She gave up and finally called her bank about the issue. Her particular Bank has a policy of informing the credit bureaus, and their customers don't have to worry about this.

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If you look at the statute in your state, they'll have a list of all those you must notify as the Executor or Administrator. Often the Estates office has an online brochure that tells you what to do.

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Identity theft is a real problem. In truth, the deceased person's estate could be held liable. I simply sent a letter with a copy of the death certificate for my father who passed in December. I didn't find it onerous at all.

Notification of death to credit bureaus; why must this be done?

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