Your Discharge as Public Information; down the road...

[Flamingo]

We are over 3 years past Chapter 13 discharge. Credit reports cleaned up, BK removed since April 2009, doing OK, all behind us and lo and behold, in Saturday's mail we get a "Pending Notice for Allocation of Funds" in an unidentifiable white envelope. I open it - it's from a Subaru dealership. It lists our Bk case number, case status as discharged and authorizion "pending." It states:

"In conjunction with current court records, you have been authorized to take part in a National Credit Building Program. This program is beig offered to those who have been or are currnetly involved in a bankruptcy litigation proceeding and funding is now available to you as a result...." Then it goes on to advise they work with "dignity and respect" and also blurb a paragraph as to being aware of reaffirming a current auto loan and how that is not a good thing to do.

Goes to show you how your information is right out there as public information years beyond your discharge, even listing the case number on the advertisement.

Car dealerships are like bees on a root beer mug when one is discharged and deluge everyone with all sorts of junk offers. Now they are going back in time and hopefully trying to get business from past filers. What a joke...I am tempted to send this letter back to them and copy the Trustee's office and indicate that since receipt of this junk nonsense showing our former case number, I would never consider the purchase of a Subaru in the future...

[StartingOver08]

The dealer obviously bought a list of BK filers with a long look back date. The dealer is looking for business and assumes that BK filers that are discharged are willing to pay a higher interest rate. It's just business.

There are all kinds of mailing lists available with any kind of demographic the vendor can describe. Some of those lists are more accurate than others. Here is a sample: http://www.cas-online.com/index_bank...ing_lists.html or http://www.accudata.com/gppc.123.233...FRSdnAodu0OUrQ There are hundred's of vendors for any kind of list you seek.

[Logan]

And really who cares if it's public information?

Someone's marketing department downloads the list of BK's with certain criteria and then sends out the mailers. They just want to make money--nothing else.

BTW-I just bought a Subaru Outback and I financed through Subaru who uses Chase and was approved for a 72 month loan at 4.5%. They initially said they wouldn't give me that rate because of my BK and I said ok and walked out. The phone rang 2 days later with the 4.5% offer and now the car is in my garage.

Logan

[Logan]

The dealer obviously bought a list of BK filers with a long look back date. The dealer is looking for business and assumes that BK filers that are discharged are willing to pay a higher interest rate. It's just business.

There are all kinds of mailing lists available with any kind of demographic the vendor can describe. Some of those lists are more accurate than others. Here is a sample: http://www.cas-online.com/index_bank...ing_lists.html or http://www.accudata.com/gppc.123.233...FRSdnAodu0OUrQ There are hundred's of vendors for any kind of list you seek.

I posted my previous post before I read this one.
Exactly as I said--someone's marketing department trying to generate some business.

Logan

[Flamingo]

Oh I know it's all about business, money, etc., etc....my main intent was to show that we are 3 years and 3 months past discharge, almost 8 years since filing...Just wanted to indicate that it never really goes away even when it's off your credit reports - and I was really suprised to see our Case Number for our filing at the top of the advertisement...seen all sorts of after discharge junk mail 3 years ago but none of it had Court information on it...

[ABC]

Business is slow, they'll sell a car to anyone.

[frogger]

Sounds so good you might want to buy a couple of them..............

[nodollarsnomo]

Flamingo, thanks for the post. This maybe the reason why my husband and I have been receiving offers in the mail from debt consolidation companies that say they know we are behind in our cc payments they even know the amount of the total debt. I thought that it seemed odd that they knew this information. Are the credit card companies selling them this info or are they getting from our credit reports? Considering we have not filed yet, I was curious as to how they knew about our financial problems.

[frogger]

Are the credit card companies selling them this info or are they getting from our credit reports?

The credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, & TransUnion are selling everything but your soul. If they could figure out a way to sell that, they would well your soul too.

It's amusing how you hear radio/tv advertisements about securing your credit, protecting you from id theft, and such. When you get down to the basics of who is selling that service, it's the credit reporting agencies.

You or I would get put in jail for the things that the credit reporting agencies are doing.

[Flamingo]

Flamingo, thanks for the post. This maybe the reason why my husband and I have been receiving offers in the mail from debt consolidation companies that say they know we are behind in our cc payments they even know the amount of the total debt. I thought that it seemed odd that they knew this information. Are the credit card companies selling them this info or are they getting from our credit reports? Considering we have not filed yet, I was curious as to how they knew about our financial problems.

They have your credit reports right in front of them. They contact the CRA's looking for a certain criteria of people to which to contact in hope of selling their services. If you have a lot of credit card debt or are behind on payments, they can and will target you IF you have no block in place to keep this from occurring. Put a block on your credit reports so they cannot be reviewed for those purposes. Prior to filing our BK, we had one place that would not leave us alone trying to get us not to file but to use the equity we had in our house for a home equity loan to pay off most of the debt. When we reviewed the paperwork they sent us, it was highway robbery with the fees, costs, etc. They had over $9,000 worth of fees listed. I ripped up the paperwork and when they called again I told them we were not at all interested and if they called again we would report them to the BBB and take their ripoff charges public. Never heard from them again and we filed Chapter 13 the following month.