Ghost Buster

Twenty years ago we came within 2 hours of losing our house to foreclosure.  My then husband's secret spending and over all poor money management took us to financial ruin.  We were able to file bankruptcy in time to save the house.  We filed Chapter 13 which is the pay back plan and eventually, largely through the help of an inheritance from my paternal grandmother, discharged the bankruptcy.

All these years I have been haunted by thoughts of my old credit union. I had been with them since before our marriage when I first started building my credit.  At marriage we added my husband to my account.  When we filed bankruptcy, we hurried to the credit union and drew out all the money we had before they could seize it.  The bankruptcy included a list of all our creditors (most of whom I knew nothing at all about until the threatening phone calls started).  They were notified and given the opportunity to file their claim to be paid back through the bankruptcy .  It was my understanding at the time that the credit union did not file.  I have been haunted by the idea that I totally lost my good name with them and left them hanging (again with debts I did not incur, secret cash advances when he wanted money, but this is a community property state and his debts were my debts).  I have fantasied that I would some day have the courage and be financially able to go to them and find out what "I" owed and clear my name.

Since the divorce, I have been very careful with my money (and blessed with first, my alimony and child support, then later my share of his retirement.  I now have an excellent credit rating.  But I still thought of the credit union from time to time and wondered about contacting them.

Yesterday, going through old papers, I found the bankruptcy file.  Including a notice that the credit union while filing later than the others did make the deadline.  I saw annual reports showing that the credit union had been paid thousands of dollars.  I doubt that they would welcome me as a customer again, but I feel relieved of a long held burden