Thanks to my feminist principles I kept my name after I married – until I met my mortgage advisor

Photograph: skynesher/Getty ImagesPhotograph: skynesher/Getty Imageshe worst imaginable time to have to renew your mortgage would be now, but the second worst time was last week, when interest rates had already risen, but not all the way to here – and everyone knew they were shortly to go up again. Of course that’s when I did it, and it’s already pretty punishing.

Well, yes: we had a whole big thing. I was prepared for my partner to change his name to mine, but, unfortunately, he has a real name of his own, and the first part is William. I was prepared to hyphenate, so he would be William Higham-Williams, which I thought sounded incredibly cool, like Ford Madox Ford. But for some reason he didn’t go for that either, so I exercised my ancient feminist right to carry on with my original, unoriginal surname.

“Right, so the thing is,” said the mortgage adviser , “I’ve got you down as Zoe Higham. I could change it, but I’d have to resubmit the application and then you’d be on the new rate.” I started to ask what he meant because that’s my answer to everything – start talking. But I knew exactly what he meant: I could either change my name or spend a lot more money, every month, for a really long time, on my principles.

I don’t have to change my name at work, apparently, and it doesn’t matter what is on my passport. So I don’t have to change it at the bank, either, and I don’t even have to tell anyone I have a new name; this could just stay a secret between me, the mortgage guy and the lender. But I think I am hereafter kicked out of feminism, which feels like a wrench, after the more important rifts we’ve got through in the past.

When going through the divorce process I learned that using your married name isn’t a legal name change, so technically you’re not changing your name, just using your husband’s. Hopefully the sisterhood won’t disown you for using that to your advantage as a one-off!

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Thanks to my feminist principles I kept my name after I married – until I met my mortgage advisorA paperwork blunder means I have changed my name. Some prices are too high to pay feminist principles - oxymoron that one Hmm. zoesqwilliams would to have changed your name to anything the mortgage guy had mistakenly put on the form? What if wrote 'Trump'? 😱
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Thanks to my feminist principles I kept my name after I married – until I met my mortgage advisorA paperwork blunder means I have changed my name. Some prices are too high to pay feminist principles - oxymoron that one Hmm. zoesqwilliams would to have changed your name to anything the mortgage guy had mistakenly put on the form? What if wrote 'Trump'? 😱
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

The economics argument that could cost a typical Aussie mortgage borrower $284 a monthThe major banks are deeply divided about the outlook for interest rates, and the difference is worth about $284 a month to a typical recent home buyer. So who will be right? And stupidity as if interest rates only target people struggling to buy a house, it affects business lending also. I own my house so interest rates don't interest me Anyone who bought a house thinking that interest rates would stay low needs their head read... It was up around 17% in the '70s.
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