After Your Bankruptcy: How to have a fresh start?
The Discharge Order can be a fresh start after bankruptcy and should certainly allow you to take a deep breath and regroup.
Here are 5 things to do after you receive your Discharge Order:
- Review your credit report 60-90 days after your bankruptcy is discharged on www.annualcreditreport.com. You are entitled to one free credit report every year. The three main reporting agencies are: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. If you are married and filed a joint bankruptcy, each spouse must request their own reports.
- Request a credit report from Telecheck, Early Warning Services, and Chexsystem. Banks and credit unions rely on these agencies to help them decide if you can open an account with them. These agencies are not part of www.annualcreditreport.com.
- If you see that a creditor is still listing a balance on your credit report, you have to dispute the report of that creditor. The Federal Trade Commission offers a sample letter to consumers who need to dispute.
- When you dispute an item on a credit report, the agency must investigate. The creditor can either verify the accuracy, update or remove the information. The credit reporting agency has deadlines for their response to go back to the consumer.
- Get back on track – create and follow a realistic budget, call us at 215-348-8003 to set up an appointment and we can help walk you through the steps of creating your budget.
