Friday, December 26, 2008

Removing Bankruptcy From Credit Report

By Matt Douglas

If you have a bankruptcy on your credit report you probably feel like there is no way to escape a low score. However you can remove this listing and you can create a positive score for yourself.

Contrary to popular belief this mark can be removed from your report and without waiting 10 years. To remove this mark we suggest:

1. Dispute the mark with the bureaus.

You can do this yourself or hire a service to dispute the mark on your behalf. Did you know that the bureaus do not check public records when they investigate an item? Public records are where this mark is recorded and where the bureau would find verification.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act says that a listing that in not verified must be removed from your report. Additionally this act says that you can dispute any item you feel is inaccurate on your report. It is a common concern about the legality of repairing your credit; you will never have any legal consequence for disputing a listing.

Before you dispute the bankruptcy it is a good idea to make sure that all other negative marks read "included in bankruptcy." The reason is once the initial bankruptcy mark is removed you will dispute all the other negative items because you do not have a bankruptcy mark on your report. There are rumors that it is much easier to remove this mark after two years.

2. Dispute each negative item.

This can be done because no where on your credit report does it say you have filed a bankruptcy so how can these negative items be included? Upon an investigation the marks should be erased and this will provide you with a clean report.

3. Build positive credit. This will help the most if you have a new revolving line of credit such as a credit card.

By making your on time monthly payments you will create a positive payment history. Additionally keep your monthly balance at 25% of your available limit because this will show the bureaus that you do use your card and use it responsibly. This will improve your ratio of available credit to debt, a very important factor when your score is calculated.

It might not be the most ethical to dispute items you know are accurate on your report. However is it ethical for lender to charge you 30% interest rate for missing a payment, no matter how long you have been a model customer?

In sum you can remove a bankruptcy and all the negative marks on your credit report. If you build some positive credit and remove the negative credit you can achieve a very high score. This will improve your quality of life by; lower interest rates, more purchasing power, and extra money. - 16036

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