The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 6 U.S.C. § 605, is the law that controls credit reporting agencies. The law states that in most cases, a consumer reporting agency may not report negative information that is more than seven years old, or bankruptcies that are more than 10 years old.

Debtors may want to contact the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Washington, D.C. 20580, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp or telephone them at (202) 326-2222 and request the publications "How to Dispute Credit Reporting Errors" and “Fair Credit Reporting.”

Credit Ratings & Reports

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court clerk’s office is not responsible for credit reports. Bankruptcy records are public records and the information contained in them can be retrieved by anyone. Any disputes with a credit agency must be resolved by the debtors and that agency.

The three Credit Reporting Agencies are: