Credit Unions and other financial institutions have credit builder loans which is like Self-Lender. I'm looking at possibly getting this through DCU because I don't have an active installment loan at the moment. You pick an amount, you make regular payments, and after you're done you have $X in your savings account. Some places won't do a HP pull, you'll have to look around. These are low risk loans since they keep the money until you pay your agreement upon amount.
Ditto to what others have already said to this point. There are many reputable sources (credit unions, Self, etc). I personally would prefer a SSL (share secured loan) with a credit union for the long term benefits of borrowing potential. Preferably, you already have a membership with a local credit union or a "big box" national credit union like PenFed, etc.
With regards to your goal of building your credit to obtain an FHA mortgage once you're 2 years out of BK, it will be beneficial to your scores to have the loan active and drastically paid down at the time of mortgage application in order to optimize your scores. Keep in mind, if you're worried about if factoring into your debt ratios, simply tell your loan officer it will be paid in full prior to closing. This way you get the benefit of an open/active installment loan and not penalized for the debt ratio from the payment (should this be an issue)
With that being said, make sure whatever lender you choose for your secured loan has your loan term extending several months past when you plan to close on your new home so this route will be effective. Make you monthly payments (minimums) on time/before due date until approximately 2 months before your mortage application and then pay your loan down to (ideally) 8.9% or just under this figure of the original loan amount...also making sure that minimum payments going forward won't pay it in full UNTIL closing day since the mortgage company will likely do a soft pull on your credit (mainly to ensure no credit seeking has occured other than normal utility credit checks, etc)...I've heard of people having their scores tank right before closing and no longer qualifying for the loan as a result.
YMMV on all of this and I'm not a mortgage professional so take my advice with a grain of salt. I'm sure if I'm wrong on any of this, others will chime in.
Best of luck on your credit journey and new home in the future!
