One important part of filing bankruptcy is listing all of your debts. Many of my client ask whether Credit Karma is a good tool for determining their creditors. In the past, I have said no. This was because Credit Karma did not provide enough information about your creditors.
This has changed. Credit Karma is now offering access to your full Trans Union credit report — for free!
If you do not already have a Credit Karma account, you might consider signing up. I use it for my own personal finances. Now that they offer access to your full Trans Union credit report, it is even better.
For each creditor listed in a bankruptcy, I need the following information:
- Name of the Creditor
- Mailing address
- Amount owed
- Approximate dates that the debt was incurred
- Type of debt
All of this information can easily be found on a full credit report! Therefore, it saves a lot of time for both me and my clients if I have an up-to-date credit report.
Another great resource for free credit reports is www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the government-sponsored website where you can get each of your credit reports once a year for free.
Do not search for “free credit reports” online. Many of the websites that you come across will charge you a fee or even enroll you in monthly credit monitoring. The resources above are the best options for getting your real credit reports for free!
Please call me at (916) 333-2222 if you need help getting your credit report. A credit report is a critical part of preparing to file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.