Question about dates on credit report

[bkrelief22]

Hi everyone,
We filed Chapter 13 in Oct of 2008 and were discharged in Oct. of 2011. I notice that on some credit reports, they will list a creditor and say "Included in bankruptcy October 2011". To me that sounds like it was filed in 2011 instead of discharged in 2011. I've tried to have it corrected but not much has happened. Is this something I should pursue?? We hope to get a mortgage shortly and I'm trying to be sure the reports are clear. Thanks so much!!

[CCsAreEvil]

That's odd. At least on mine which was a Ch 7, the creditors did apply the date of discharge (not the BK filing date). Also, I thought that the discharge had to happen within so many days of filing/341 meeting.... like 90 days? I'm surprised your debt was discharged 3 years later. But maybe Ch 13 might be different and Ch 13 folks may need to chime in.

[spidge]

For a ch13 filer the time starts from the date filed.

Sorry I cannot help with the way it should be recorded on credit. It is something I would like to know the answer to though.

[IBroke]

Also, I thought that the discharge had to happen within so many days of filing/341 meeting.... like 90 days? I'm surprised your debt was discharged 3 years later. But maybe Ch 13 might be different and Ch 13 folks may need to chime in.

As far as I know, this actually is the difference between a CH7 and a CH13. In order to get a discharge in CH13, you would have to fulfill you payment-plan which is either 3 or 5 years and once that happened, you get the final discharge.

I'm not sure in regards to the OP's question though. My gut tells me that the "included in BK"-date should be the date you filed - after all, the drop-off clock of the public record of a CH13 BK (7 years) also starts when you file and not when you get your discharge several years later.

To the OP: I would suggest you obtain credit-reports directly from the credit-bureaus and double-check the date your accounts included in BK are scheduled to drop off. If they are scheduled to be removed about 7 - 7 1/2 years after the filing-date (so late 2015 to early 2016), you should be fine and won't get a scoring-hit due to this reporting. However, if the accounts are scheduled to stay on file 'til 2018 or even 2019, something is wrong and needs to be corrected.

Of course, these time-lines are under the assumption that you were current the day you filed. If you were already delinquent, the accounts should be removed even earlier. I assume many of them are already gone by now.

[kmjatl]

I have disputed a few of these with the bureaus online. As I recall, the dispute reason is selected in a check box, and for a BK they ask for the date of BK. I entered the filing date.

Also, the big 3's dispute sites are a great backdoor to see your credit report....