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How do I request my free credit report?

We suggest you upload the form Annual Credit Report Request, fill it out, and mail it to the address on the form.  That address is:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

Do not request a report by phone or over the Internet.  By using the mail in format you will get the most complete information in a format that you can use in court, if need be.

Glossary of Bankruptcy Terms

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: Also known as “liquidation bankruptcy”, a process provided under United States Federal Law where most kinds of unsecured debt are eliminated.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: An interest-free debt relief repayment plan through which people consolidate their debt and make repayment on their debt over a 3 to 5 year period.

Adversary Proceeding: A lawsuit filed with the Bankruptcy court which is related to the Debtor’s Bankruptcy case. Examples include, but are not limited to: complaints to determine dischargeability, complaints to determine validity of liens, and complaints alleging fraud on the part of the Debtor.

Arrears: The amount that is unpaid and overdue as of the date the Bankruptcy case is file. This phrase is usually used when referring to back child support, past due mortgage payments or attorney fees.

Assets: Personal possessions of value that have been paid for.

Automatic Stay: As of the exact date a Bankruptcy petition is filed, an injunction takes place which stops lawsuits, foreclosure, garnishments and other collection activity against the Debtor.

Bankruptcy Code: Title 11 of the United States Code governs Bankruptcy proceedings.

Bankruptcy Estate: The estate includes all of the legal and equitable interests of the Debtor, as of the commencement of the case.

Creditor: Any person or business that is owed money by a Debtor.

Debtor: Any person liable to another for a debt.

Default: The failure to make payments within a specified period of time governed by the original contract.

Delinquency: The failure to make payments when payments are due.

Denial of Discharge: Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. 727, this is the penalty for a Debtor’s misconduct with respect to the Bankruptcy case. When discharge is denied, the debts that could have been discharged now cannot.

Dischargeable: Debts that can be eliminated in Bankruptcy.

Discharge: The legal term for the Order which eliminates a debt through a Bankruptcy case.

Equity: The difference between the value of the property and the amount still owed.

Exempt: Property that is removed from the Bankruptcy estate and is not available to pay the claims of creditors.

Exemptions: Certain kinds and values of property that is legally beyond the reach of creditors of the

Bankruptcy Trustee: Exemptions are governed by state and federal statutes, and they vary from state to state.

Fair Market Value (FMV): The highest and fairest value one might pay for property.

Foreclosure: The legal process by which a bank, mortgage company, and/or lender must follow in order to take back property wherein the Debtor has defaulted on his/her obligation to pay. This usually involves a forced sale of the property at public auction where proceeds of the sale are applied to the mortgage debt to allow the mortgage company to become whole again.

Garnishment: A court-ordered method of debt collection in which a portion of the Debtor’s salary is paid to a creditor to gradually satisfy a debt.

Lien: A charge upon real or personal property for the satisfaction of a debt or discharge of an obligation.

Non-dischargeable: A debt that can not be eliminated in Bankruptcy.

No Asset Case: A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy case in which the Trustee determines, after the applicable exemptions, that there are no significant assets to liquidate. The Debtor retains al of their real and personal property.

Personal Property: Property that is not real property or affixed to real property.

Petition: The document that initiates a Bankruptcy case with the Bankruptcy court.

Property of the Estate: The property that is not exempt and belongs to the Bankruptcy estate. This type of property is usually sold/liquidated by the Trustee in order to satisfy the claims of creditors.

Reaffirm: The process by which a Debtor can choose to keep debts that would otherwise by discharged by the Bankruptcy. To reaffirm, the Debtor generally signs a Reaffirmation Agreement, which is a new contract between the Debtor and the creditor for the Debtor to continue to pay.

Relief from Stay: The way in which a creditor asks the Judge to lift the automatic stay and permit action against the Debtor or the property of the estate. If the motion is granted, the creditor can freely take whatever action the Court has allowed (ie: foreclosure).

Repossession: Once a creditor is in default, the creditor can take back the collateral.

Schedules: The Debtor must file the required lists of assets and liabilities to commence a Bankruptcy case, collectively called the Schedules.

Secured Debt: One where the creditor takes personal or real property as collateral.

Trustee: A private individual or corporation appointed to review Bankruptcy filings. A Trustee represents the interests of the creditors in the Bankruptcy estate and weighs those interests with the rights of the Debtor in a Bankruptcy.

U.S. Trustee’s Office: The office that watches over the rulings, orders and reports of the individual Trustees. While the actual Trustee has more direct contact with the Debtors, the U.S. Trustee’s Office serves to protect diverse interests and rights of all parties involved in the Bankruptcy, as wells to detect fraud or improper documentation on the part of the Debtors.

Unsecured: A claim or debt is unsecured if there is no collateral that is security for the debt.

Unsecured Debt: A debt is unsecured if you have promised to pay a creditor a sum of money at a particular time and you have not pledged any real or personal property as collateral for that debt.

Zombie Debt: Debt that still appears on the credit report after bankruptcy discharge.

Your bankruptcy can appear on your credit report for up to 10 years.  However, this does not necessarily mean that you have “no credit” for that amount of time.  Many clients see drastic improvement in their credit scores after 2 years or so.  Remember, this is your fresh start!

You can start to rebuild your credit immediately!