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Rebuilding Credit after Bankruptcy

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MalibuKrissy
Member

Rebuilding Credit after Bankruptcy

I have a question?  I am currently rebuilding after my Chapter 7 bankruptcy which was discharged in August. I have been on this forum before and was given some good advice.  I was approved for a Capital One Mastercard with a credit limit of$3000 in October . I have PIF now for 2 months.  So my question is do I just let this card report for 6 months continuously PIF or should I apply for another card also for the rebuilding process?? I am just very nervous and do not want to do the wrong thing. I tried for the Discover but I burnt them in the Bk . (Just looking for some advice) 

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3 REPLIES 3
NYC_Fella
Frequent Contributor

Re: Rebuilding Credit after Bankruptcy

To my knowledge, the only mainstream issuers that will approve you soon after BK are Capital One and Disco. I would counsel being patient and waiting at least 6 months before applying for a new card. If you want to build up more of a record the subprime cards such as Credit One and Merrick are always a possibility.


Message 2 of 4
Horseshoez
Senior Contributor

Re: Rebuilding Credit after Bankruptcy

Another way to build credit relatively quickly is to apply for one or even two secured credit cards; this was the approach I took after my discharge.  Keep in mind, not all secured credit cards are created equal, and not all are allowed to graduate to unsecured, and to take it one step further, some of those which are advertised to graduate take their sweet time doing so (often years).  The approach I took was to open a secured card with my bank; it graduated almost exactly 6-months to the day after my first charge; it became unsecured two years ago next week and has already had its limit increased significantly (as in more than 2x) since that time.

 

As mentioned above, patience is key when rebuilding; take your time, do your due diligence, and choose the right cards for you, secured or otherwise.

Chapter 13:

  • Burned: AMEX, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and South County Bank (now Bank of Southern California)
  • Filed: 26-Feb-2015
  • MoC: 01-Mar-2015
  • 1st Payment (posted): 23-Mar-2015
  • Last Payment (posted): 07-Feb-2020
  • Discharged: 04-Mar-2020
  • Closed: 23-Jun-2020

 

I categorically refuse to do AZEO!

In the proverbial sock drawer:
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masscredit
Senior Contributor

Re: Rebuilding Credit after Bankruptcy

I followed @Horseshoez suggestion last May and went with a secured card from TD Bank. Also moved all of my banking there while I was at it.  I then went with a few other secured cards. I'm now being approved for decent unsecured cards with limits that I'm happy with. I recently wrote an update on my 6 month progress here - https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Rebuilding-Your-Credit/My-update-6-months-after-DC/m-p/6627056#M664... 

EQ - 698 / TU - 682 / EX - 692

Capital One Savor - $17000 / AAA Travel Advantage Visa - $14000 /Capital One Venture - $13000 /Bread Rewards AMEX - $11950 /Apple Card - $8500/ TD Cash Card - $7500 / TD Double Up - $7000 / Mercury - $5000 / Ally Master Card - $4300 / DCU Visa - $3000 / Capital One QuickSilver - $600
$91,850
DCU Auto Loan
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