Removing a Bankruptcy

With a bankruptcy on your credit report, most lenders look no further; they see that note and immediately reach for the big, red DENIAL stamp.

If you ask around, many people will tell you that it’s impossible to remove a bankruptcy from your credit report. The truth is not so clear-cut. In fact, you can dispute a bankruptcy the same way you would dispute any other type of negative mark on your report.

It’s important to keep in mind when disputing a bankruptcy that whether or not the account is truly yours is beside the point: the credit bureau must verify this fact on its own. If they can’t verify the account and its status, the bankruptcy must be removed from the report. End of story. The burden of proof falls entirely on the credit bureau.

Please understand, first and foremost, that it is never a good idea to be dishonest when communicating with credit bureaus or reporting agencies. Really, you don’t need to be dishonest. Disputing the bankruptcy is entirely possible without lying.

Most credit bureaus don’t bother to investigate public records when responding to a dispute. This is because courts will often only verify those records in person. Credit bureaus can claim that they have a system in place to handle verification through other means, but that isn’t true. They’re well aware that if a disputer brought them to a court of law, seeking financial recompense for keeping that bankruptcy on-record without actually verifying the account, they would be in a great deal of trouble.

My own bankruptcy was removed from 2 of 3 reports. The bureau that refused to remove the bankruptcy claimed to have verified the public records electronically. And while they’re correct that the records are public, they weren’t able to answer my question of who went down to the local courthouse to check on those records in person. It’s impossible for them to have done so electronically – the local courthouse confirmed that they never verify electronically, through the mail or over the phone.

Unfortunately, the credit bureau in question is much more difficult to deal with than the other two. They are determined to keep notes on your record regardless of their accuracy and regardless of their inability to verify those notes. Unsurprisingly, they have been sued more often than the others. As long as they continue to act inappropriately, against Federal Law, they will also continue to find themselves facing an unsympathetic judge in court.

To learn more about removing a bankruptcy and other negative items from your credit report, visit us at the credit repair authority site today!