The clerk’s office does not report bankruptcy cases to credit reporting agencies, and it has no input as to what the credit reporting agencies have on record regarding any given bankruptcy case.

All filings with the court are a matter of public record available through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) website: https://www.pacer.gov. After you set up an account with PACER, you will be able to locate your case and view a complete copy of the docket. You should contact your attorney if you have questions about your case.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 6 U.S.C. § 605, is the law that controls credit reporting agencies. It states that credit reporting agencies may not report a bankruptcy case on a person's credit report after ten years from the date the bankruptcy case is filed. Other credit information is removed after seven years. The larger credit reporting agencies belong to an organization called the Associated Credit Bureaus. The policy of the Associated Credit Bureau is to remove chapter 11 and chapter 13 cases from the credit report after seven years to encourage debtors to file under these chapters. Credit reporting agencies may report cases that are filed, even if they are dismissed without the debtor receiving a discharge.

For more information, contact the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Education Division, Washington, D.C. 20580, or telephone them at (202) 326-2222 and request the publications “How to Dispute Credit Reporting Errors” and “Fair Credit Reporting.”