Can I settle cards if not in my name?

He can give the OC permission to talk to you, however, I'm pretty sure he'll have to do that everytime he gets a call. Since your name is not on the account and you don't have power of attorney filed with them, the OC will call him and want to talk to him everytime. He can give permission, but he may even have to conf. you in on the call first. I'm dealing with my Mom's OC... but I have POA. Perhaps someone has more experience with giving permission.

Depends on what state you live in (i.e. Ohio - yes Mass. - no). Send a letter to your creditors signed by your husband stating he gives them permission to speak with you.

Nothing precludes him from giving them authorization to speak to you, or for you to negotiate on his behalf..... it just depends on their policies and procedures.

Keep in mind they are only protecting themselves by having such policies (ie financial privacy laws). If one of my customers calls and tells me their spouse's name and that it's okay to talk to them -- then I will put the information in the account "notes". The next time the spouse calls, I will read back my notes to see if it's okay to talk to them. However, it all depends how well other people read the notes ---- if you call and get another employee who doesn't read my previous notes all the way, then they might give you some problems discussing the account.

So I would say initially that you and your husband should both call together (3-way). Have him start the conversation, and then he can chime you in. Then ask them what they need to talk to you --- ie is his verbal authorization sufficient, or should it be in writing?