With a bankruptcy mark on your report your score will be lowered considerably. However there is hope, you can remove this mark and by building some positive credit you can create a good score.

There is a lot of inaccurate information that claims a bankruptcy will be on your report for 10 years. This is not true you can remove it without waiting 10 long years. We suggest that you:

1. Dispute the mark with the bureaus.

This is done by sending a dispute letter to the bureau; you can do this yourself or hire a service to do it on your behalf. The bureau will then conduct an investigation into the listing. However bureaus do not check public records when they investigate a dispute, thus the listing will not be verified.

Congress passed the Fair Credit Reporting Act and this says that the bureaus must remove any item on your report that can not be verified. People frequently ask if credit repair is legal. It is not only legal but this act explicitly says any mark you do not feel is accurate can be disputed. There will never be any legal ramifications for filing a dispute with the bureaus.

We suggest before you dispute the bankruptcy you double check to make sure any negative accounts are reported as 'included in bankruptcy.' This is because once the bankruptcy is removed from your report you will dispute each listing on the basis that it says 'included in bankruptcy' yet there is no bankruptcy on your report. Additionally it is rumored that removing a bankruptcy is easier after 2 years have expired.

2. Dispute each negative item.

This can be done because no where on your credit report does it say you have filed a bankruptcy so how can these negative items be included? Upon an investigation the marks should be erased and this will provide you with a clean report.

3. We suggest you start building positive credit. This is most effective by opening a new revolving line of credit such as a credit card.

When you make your on time monthly payments you will create a positive payment history on your report. Additionally this will help your utilization ratio, this is how the bureaus decide if you are in over you head financially. It is measured by the amount of available credit you have versus how much debt you have. These are the two biggest factors when your score is calculated.

While it is not illegal to dispute an accurate mark on your report it may not be the most ethical thing to do. However in my opinion charging people outrageous interest rates upwards of 30% and charging late fees is not ethical either.

In sum you don't just have to live with bad credit. You can remove the items and you can do it today. You can create a high score for yourself by removing the bad items and building positive marks. This will save you; on interest rates, embarrassment from a low score, and give you the purchasing power you deserve.

Author: Matt Douglas

About the author:
For a free credit repair letter used to dispute your credit report or for more online credit repair tips visit us. Additionally you can get a free credit consultation by calling 1-866-246-7311.

Article source: Free Bankruptcy Articles.