What is a public record?
Not all personal information is privateincluding Public Records. All federal, state, and county courts make certain information public. This includes information about legal matters affecting your credit. It works like this: the courts record legal information, make it public, put it on your credit report, and it becomes a “Public Record.” The most common types of Public Records include judgements against you in civil actions, state or federal tax liens, or bankruptcies. Public Records stay on your credit report for seven years. If the Public Record is a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, it will stay on your credit report for ten years. If you have a Public Record on your credit report, you can take steps to ensure that you receive credit under the best possible terms. The most important step is to make timely payments on your Public Records. Set a goal for yourself: Aim to have your Public Records paid-in-full by a certain number of months or years.
Information on tax liens, lawsuits, bankruptcies and judgments that relate to the consumers debt obligations. Most public record items are listed for seven years including successfully completed Chapter 13 bankruptcies. Other bankruptcies are listed for 10 years. Tax liens are listed for seven years from the date paid.
