UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT

NOTICE TO DEBTORS RE: CREDIT REPORT

How Do I Remove a Bankruptcy from My Credit Report?

Generally, the Bankruptcy Court does not control the actions of the credit reporting agencies (CRAs).

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (See 15 U.S.C. Section 1681 et seq.) is the law that controls CRAs. The law requires that "consumer reporting agencies adopt reasonable procedures for meeting the needs of commerce for consumer credit, personnel, insurance, and other information in a manner which is fair and equitable to the consumer, with regard to the confidentiality, accuracy, relevancy, and proper utilization of such information in accordance with the requirements of this subchapter." (See 15 U.S.C. Section 1681).

The law states that CRAs may not report a bankruptcy case on a person's credit report after ten (10) years from the date the bankruptcy case is filed. Generally, other adverse credit information is removed after seven (7) years. (See 15 U.S.C. Section 1681c).

Consumers must directly contact CRAs to dispute discrepancies on their credit report. FCRA authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the requirements of the Act with respect to consumer reporting agencies. (See 15 U.S.C. Section 1681s).  If consumers have questions about contacting CRAs or have problems gaining cooperation from CRAs, a consumer may contact the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection in Washington, D.C. by calling (202) 326-2222 or online at www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection.

For additional resources for consumers, the Federal Trade Commission has a Consumer Information page available at: www.consumer.ftc.gov.