Security Clearance??

[ChickenWing]

Hello to all!

Was wondering how the clearance would work, I have a clean record on paper, but would the following things hinder my shot at having a clean clearance?

My mother (whom didn't raise me till about 11) has married for $$ and other things;

My father (left when I was born) was born in Korea with no records left besides name and birth-date

I think I have a mortgage under my name that my mother put me on, I honestly have no way of checking.



I am really worried about this, I think I have as good a shot as any at finally finding a calling in life; I called my local courthouse (FL) and asked about disownment, the state of FL doesn't permit sibling to family (as opposed to disowning a child) and has no direct method of taking them off my reference list.


My recruiters said "no worries, you'll be fine".


Is there any better advice than that? Anything I can do on my end to speed up my results/make the situation easier for investigators?

[Bortz]

deleted

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by Wang

Hello to all!

Was wondering how the clearance would work, I have a clean record on paper, but would the following things hinder my shot at having a clean clearance?

My mother (whom didn't raise me till about 11) has married for $$ and other things;

My father (left when I was born) was born in Korea with no records left besides name and birth-date

I think I have a mortgage under my name that my mother put me on, I honestly have no way of checking.



I am really worried about this, I think I have as good a shot as any at finally finding a calling in life; I called my local courthouse (FL) and asked about disownment, the state of FL doesn't permit sibling to family (as opposed to disowning a child) and has no direct method of taking them off my reference list.


My recruiters said "no worries, you'll be fine".


Is there any better advice than that? Anything I can do on my end to speed up my results/make the situation easier for investigators?

Having purchased a few houses (5 I think) you cannot be placed on a mortgage without signing it yourself.

One of the SF guys here is a realtor and I'm sure he'll be along shortly to answer you.....

[Kemical]

I recently got my clearance and I had some similar issues.

My biological father was not listed on my birth certificate so they didn't even ask a question about him. Just make sure you have the exact dates of any name changes or anything like that.

The mortgage shouldn't be an issue either. I was worried because I have student loans. I made sure none of them were in default and it was smooth sailing. But as stated, if you didn't sign anything you're not on it.

I realize you've probably already gone through it but the security clearance was the most nerve wrecking part for me. One little blip and it could be a no-go. I would tell everybody trying to join to get a credit report and make sure there are no loose ends. The three main things they are looking for are 1. Debt 2. International ties/travel and 3. Legal (including traffic).

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Kemical

....But as stated, if you didn't sign anything you're not on it....

Not entirely true.

A spouse can take out all kinds of credit that you may know nothing about, but when the accounts fall into arrearages, they can and will damn sure come after you to satisfy them.

TR

[BlueYing]

A spouse can take out all kinds of credit that you may know nothing about, but when the accounts fall into arrearages, they can and will damn sure come after you to satisfy them.

Unfortunately, this is very true and I have first hand knowledge of this. My wife and I have been married for what will be four years this year. She had some serious money problems before we were married. I knew of some of them. The debt I did know about she claimed came from her ex-husband's poor money management skills and lack of job. I've learned that she has poor money management skills, too, and I've been working with her on those. I thought we fixed a lot of the problems. Then, one day I found a credit card that I didn't know about in my name. Of course, when I called it was maxed out and four months behind. When confronted about why she opened up a credit card in my name she justified it by saying it is in our name. Because that made all the difference in the world. Makes me wonder how much of her problems were her ex-husband's fault and how much was her fault.

Moral of the story, be careful who you trust because, like it or not, you're the one who will have to pay in the end.

[Kemical]

Originally Posted by BlueYing

Unfortunately, this is very true and I have first hand knowledge of this. My wife and I have been married for what will be four years this year. She had some serious money problems before we were married. I knew of some of them. The debt I did know about she claimed came from her ex-husband's poor money management skills and lack of job. I've learned that she has poor money management skills, too, and I've been working with her on those. I thought we fixed a lot of the problems. Then, one day I found a credit card that I didn't know about in my name. Of course, when I called it was maxed out and four months behind. When confronted about why she opened up a credit card in my name she justified it by saying it is in our name. Because that made all the difference in the world. Makes me wonder how much of her problems were her ex-husband's fault and how much was her fault.

Moral of the story, be careful who you trust because, like it or not, you're the one who will have to pay in the end.

Yeah, I didn't even think of this. Side effect of having a wife that is much better with money than me.

[TFA303]

My experience is that just about any-freaking-one can get a clearance, as long as:
- You disclose everything when you fill out the SF86
- Whoever you'll be working for really wants you to get it

The second one is can be a problem for initial enlistees, as once you're in, it's easy for the service to just say, "No clearance for you, go work in the admin shop." On the other hand, I've seen folks - who were headed to jobs where they were a high-pri hire - get cleared after months and months of back-and-forth in the clearance system with all kinds of insane stuff in their background.

That said, nothing you specified should be a problem at all, as long as you put it on the form.

[JimP]

You'll be fine. The stuff you mentioned won't even cause them to lift an eyebrow.

[TylerBethea34]

I've been a little worried about the clearance, too. I didn't want to ask the question on a new thread, but after a few minutes of searching thankfully I found this.

I have NO credit whatsoever. When I try to get credit reports, they tell me my score is unavailable because it is too low to score (or something along those lines). I've tried to get several "starter" credit cards, and they keep denying me. I can't take out a loan without having to pay way too much interest. The first thing the recruiter asked when I told him I wanted 18X was "How's your credit?"

Can having no credit at all hurt my chances in getting a clearance? I've been in the National Guard for 5 years now, but I've never held a clearance. I'm approaching the midnight hour now and don't know if I have enough time to build up a sufficient credit score.

Thanks for your time.


P.S...I also have one traffic ticket from earlier last year

[plato]

Originally Posted by TylerBethea34

I've been a little worried about the clearance, too. I didn't want to ask the question on a new thread, but after a few minutes of searching thankfully I found this.

Can having no credit at all hurt my chances in getting a clearance? I've been in the National Guard for 5 years now, but I've never held a clearance. I'm approaching the midnight hour now and don't know if I have enough time to build up a sufficient credit score.

I think we would more accurately say that you have no "credit history". (Had a similar problem way back when, til I charged a couple of items at a local store and then made a couple of payments.)

If you are not "in over your head", you are not seen as desperate enough to divulge secrets for $$.
That's what the S-2 types are interested in.
Sounds like you're good to go.

[TylerBethea34]

Thanks, Plato. I was a little worried over that.