Bre Wonders Why Her Credit Report Still Shows Negative Items That She Thought Should Have Been Removed By Going Bankrupt

Posted by Steve Rhode

November 20, 2008

Bre wrote to me through the GetOutOfDebt.org site and asked the following question. If you have a credit or debt question you’d like to ask just use the online form. I’m happy to help you totally for free.

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“Dear Steve,

I filed chapter 13 bankruptcy and little to my knowledge my attorneys who represented me did not clear my credit after the filing or even in the process so in essence I still have all the listings of old creditors on my credit report and it’s a bit tasking to have them removed.

Any suggestions on how to do so? My credit score has not increased even after filing actually the calls has just stopped and I’m still in ChexSystems so what’s the purpose of bankruptcy if there is not a reflection of it to clear your credit and increase your credit score?

Do you know a great attorney that actually will clear your credit in the process?

I did see the physical results in my bankruptcy however, I desire my credit report to represent the “paper effects” of it as well.

Bre”

Dear Bre,

Wow! I’m stunned that you thought that going bankrupt would somehow clean your credit report and improve your credit score. It won’t. In fact bankruptcy adds another big negative item, bankruptcy, to your credit report and lowers your credit score in the short run.

Let me use a school analogy to help you better understand your credit report. A credit report is not like a report card, it is more like a transcript. The transcript lists all the classes you attended and the grades, good or bad, that you got. Dropping out of school does not wipe the records off your transcript. Going bankrupt does not remove negative but accurate items off your credit report.

I am very surprised that throughout your discussions with the bankruptcy attorney and the pre-bankruptcy credit counseling that this was not clarified for you.

Now that you have gone bankrupt there are ways to repair your credit and improve your credit score.

Get a copy of your consolidated credit report and look for any negative but inaccurate items that are listed. Use the dispute procedure shown in this credit report and have those items removed.
To rebuild your credit score you will need to start having good information reported on your credit report. To do this you will need to get a major credit card that will both give you a card and report to the credit reporting agencies.
There are credit cards available for people with bankruptcy on their record.
As you continue to pay your new account on time and more time passes from your bankruptcy, your credit score will improve.

Big hug.

Steve

Source: Bre Wonders Why Her Credit Report Still Shows Negative Items That She Thought Should Have Been Removed By Going Bankrupt

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