what now/

[Joe]

I filed Ch7 in July 04, received discharge in November. Its now been
over 6 months since filing. Nobody has died, and I havent inherited
anything.

1) is my CH7 over and done with, a closed case now?

2) what should I do to start repairing my credit (other than borrowing,
which I dont want to do quite yet...)

3) Is it too soon for me to check my credit report and see if FirstUsa
or anyone else listed me as a charge-off, or should I wait a while
longer. If they have, what should I do?

Thanks. Its so good to have this behind me finally (I hope!), and I
appreciate the advice I got here that helped me through it. I feel so
much better than I did a year ago.

 

[Elliott]

I filed Ch7 in July 04, received discharge in November.

1) is my CH7 over and done with, a closed case now? IANAL, but yep.

2) what should I do to start repairing my credit (other than borrowing,
which I dont want to do quite yet...)

"Credit repair" is a process, and, if you don't know what can and
can't be done, it can also be a scam.

3) Is it too soon for me to check my credit report and see if FirstUsa
or anyone else listed me as a charge-off, or should I wait a while
longer. If they have, what should I do?

What creditors want to see is that you consistently pay your bills on
time. If you've been paying rent, make sure that every rent check gets
to the landlord/managment company on time. Ditto on a mortgage. No
30-day lates on your rent and utilities is a good start.

The other part of credit repair is the process of knocking derogatory
items off your credit report. Time works -- the credit bureaus have to
drop items after x years, where x is different for debts and for
public record items (like your BK). It can also be done directly by
asking the credit bureaus to have the creditor verify the derogatory
item(s). If the creditor can't (or doesn't) verify the derogatory
item, off it comes. If you identify an item as having been included in
your BK, you've verified the item. Whoopsie! If you don't know what
you're doing in this arena, don't mess, you can dig a great big deep
pit for yourself.

 

[Jack]

There are communities on the web dedicated to these issues, and they
don't charge a dime. Try artofcredit.com and creditnet.com to get
started.

Since your discharge was six months ago, the BK court can't attach any
windfall you receive now or in the future.

Under recent revisions to the FCRA, everyone will be eligible for a
free annual credit report from each bureau by the end of the year.
Check the FTC's web site to see if you're eligible now (Western states
now, Midwest next month). If you're not eligible until later in the
year, go ahead and pay for them--it'll be worth it to get started
removing any inaccurate info.

 

[Joe]

There are communities on the web dedicated to these issues, and they
don't charge a dime. Try artofcredit.com and creditnet.com to get
started.

Since your discharge was six months ago, the BK court can't attach any
windfall you receive now or in the future.

only 3 months since disharge, 6 plus since filing. Doesnt the 6 month
period start with filing?

Under recent revisions to the FCRA, everyone will be eligible for a
free annual credit report from each bureau by the end of the year.
Check the FTC's web site to see if you're eligible now (Western states
now, Midwest next month). If you're not eligible until later in the
year, go ahead and pay for them--it'll be worth it to get started
removing any inaccurate info.

Thanks. I can wait 3 weeks for a free one.