A bankruptcy generally affects a person’s credit rating for 7 to 10 years. However, this depends entirely on the individual credit reporting agency. The Bankruptcy Court has neither influence on the type of information the credit bureaus report, nor how long they keep it in their records. Under federal law, you may be able to periodically receive a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. Each agency's report may contain different information. To receive a free annual credit report, you can visit www.annualcreditreport.com or you can call or send a written request to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
PO Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
1-877-322-8228
The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681, is the law that controls credit reporting agencies. If you believe that there is an error in your credit report and want to correct it, you should contact the credit reporting agencies directly at:
Equifax – www.equifax.com / 1-800-685-1111
Experian – www.experian.com / 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion – www.transunion.com / 1-800-916-8800
Further information may be obtained from the Federal Trade Commission website at “How to Dispute Credit Report Errors.”
The Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Education Division, Washington, D.C. 20580 may also be contacted. The toll-free telephone number is 1-877-382-4357. That Office may be able to provide further information on reestablishing credit and addressing credit problems.