For so many years, you’ve been working to keep your credit score high. If you end up having to file for bankruptcy protection, there are ways to help increase your score, and to have the credit report accurately reflect the bankruptcy. Why would you want the credit report to accurately reflect a bankruptcy? Because then your credit report would then show that the debt is “included in bankruptcy”, with a zero balance. This gives your credit score a chance to increase faster. Within 2 years of a bankruptcy, your credit score should increase. There are also many myths about credit scores that I wrote about in this blog article.
As a result of a class action lawsuit, the 3 major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union, have been reporting bankruptcy cases more accurately on peoples’ credit reports. See this New York Times article.
I pull a 3-bureau merged credit report for each client who files bankruptcy, before the case is filed, to be sure all debts are listed. And, the credit report shows an estimate of what the credit score would be 2 years after bankruptcy.
After the bankruptcy case is discharged, in order to be sure that the credit bureaus have your bankruptcy listed properly, you should send your Discharge Order to them:
Equifax (formerly CBI/Equifax)
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
(800) 685-1111
(800) 997-2493 for residents of Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Vermont
www.equifax.com/
Experian (formerly TRW Information Systems, Inc.)
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-2104
(888) 397-3742
(888) EXPERIAN
www.experian.com
Trans Union Corporation Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
(800) 888-4213 (to order a copy of your credit report)
(800) 916-8800 (to ask a question about your credit report)
You can also get a (truly) free credit report once a year from each bureau, so you can check your report later, at AnnualCreditReport.com.
We can assist you every step along your way to protecting yourself and your credit score.
Daniel J Winter
BankruptcyLawChicago.com
312-789-9999
Offices in Chicago, Gurnee, Oak Lawn, and Skokie, Illinois.
