[SmilingInside]

I am in the process of consolidating 2 student loans. I have some questions.

Background: I am solely responsible for the loans. I am married NOW but wasn't when I took the loans. It's vital that I keep the loans as solely my responsibility, as my husband does NOT want to be made responsible for them. So, if I do the consolidation, will I make him responsible? I have the documents here to do this, and he does NOT have to sign them-HOWEVER-they are asking for IRS records and we file joint taxes-AND-I am worried that if I modify my loans now that I AM married, I by default make him responsible legally. Can anyone address these concerns?

The consolidation loans are from William D Ford Direct Loan Program. Is this a reputable agency?


Is there anything else I should be aware of before going through with the loans? Anything else I should look into or be leery of?

[ebaines]

As long as your husband is not named on the loan paperwork, and he doesn't sign anything, he is not responsible for your personal debt. They want to see your tax returns to verify your income, so no - that doesn't somehow automatically include him. However, as a married couple I'm guessing you probably have jointly held assets - perhaps a checking account, real estate, other investments - and if your assets and his are comingled in those accounts it's possible that if you default on the loan the creditor will come after your assets, including such joint acconts. So his "portion" of your joint accounts may be affected. But that's true regardless of whether you consolidate or not.