You can find Public Records either at the top of your report, before the trade line information begins, or after the trade line information nearer the bottom of the report. The section will be labeled as “Public Record” and will include: Bankruptcies, Judgements, and State and Federal Tax Liens. In July 2017, the credit bureaus made public that as a result of any inaccuracies in reporting, they will no longer report many judgement and tax lien accounts. Let’s hope you’re one of the lucky ones!
One of the most inaccurately reported items on a consumer credit report is bankruptcy. All too often, accounts on the credit report do not match the accounts on the court discharge paperwork. The bankruptcy trustee frequently fails to notify credit bureaus of the accounts that officially get discharged as a bankruptcy. You need to file these accounts for removal. You can also frame an argument for the removal of the bankruptcy public record itself. Note any questionable public records so we may dispute them in the upcoming chapters!
