Bankruptcy improved my client’s credit score, almost on the spot. Before bankruptcy, a miserable credit score was no surprise. This client reported a 498 credit score before he filed. What was surprising is that, three month after he filed bankruptcy, his score was 614! That’s a 116 point increase in his score in three months. […]
Damaged Credit Reports Heal
Will filing bankruptcy hurt my credit? Probably. Should that hit to your credit keep from filing bankruptcy? Not by a long shot. Incredibly, I encounter people drowning in debt who think their credit report is more important than their financial health. Their thinking seems to be that credit, once damaged, is never the same. It’s not […]
The Truth About Tax Liens After Bankruptcy
We have a lien on your name. Not your property, your name. That’s what the county tax collector told my client, years after he got his bankruptcy discharge. And that multi-thousand dollar lien claim threatened to sink the refinance of his house. Eventually, we got the county straightened out without going back to bankruptcy court. […]
Bankruptcy Changes Your Life, Only Not The Way You Think
How will filing bankruptcy change my life? My clients ask all the time. They imagine the remainder of their life after bankruptcy with neither credit cards nor credit. Outcasts in our economy. Shunned by all. Crippled by bankruptcy. They can see a scarlet “B” tattooed on their foreheads to mark them forever as Bankrupts. My […]
Credit Scores Trend Upward After Bankruptcy
After bankruptcy, credit scores go steadily up, says a 17 year study released by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Got that? Go UP. Every year. Importantly, credit scores start improving the same year that the bankruptcy is filed. Think on that for a moment. Creditors and their shills shout that bankruptcy trashes your credit score; […]
Your Bankruptcy Discharge Has Teeth: Bite Back
Your bankruptcy discharge is more than a piece of paper. It’s a federal court order prohibiting action to collect the discharged debt from you. And it has teeth. When creditors ignore a federal court order, it has unpleasant consequences. Or should have consequences. So, my call to debtors is to stop being prey to unscrupulous debt collectors. […]
4 Easy Tips To Prepare For Bankruptcy And Beyond
Ready for life after bankruptcy? Even before your case is filed, you can start preparing for your life after bankruptcy. These four steps will probably make the bankruptcy case be smoother, too. Change banks Your money on deposit in “your” bank may not be solely yours. If you have a loan or other debt to your […]
Your Right To Credit Reporting After Bankruptcy
You’ve finished your Chapter 13 and emerged from bankruptcy with your home loan current. But your credit report is a blank page as to your mortgage. The mortgage servicer isn’t reporting your payments to the credit reporting agencies [CRA’s]. Nothing. Nada. Crickets. So, even though you’re making regular payments, you’re not visibly rebuilding your credit. […]
Forgiveness Starts At Home
The need for forgiveness in bankruptcy extends beyond forgiving debts. Kansas City bankruptcy lawyer Rachel Foley wrote about forgiveness in the bankruptcy context. She wasn’t talking about the forgiveness of debt, but about the negative emotions that can eat you up. Shed the anger at others who threaten your family’s well being, she counseled, and […]
