Is Foreclosure Or Bankruptcy Worse For Your Credit?
For any individual considering filing personal bankruptcy, a key concern is of course what is the long term impact on your financial life of bankruptcy. One of the major issues some people are worried about is home foreclosure, and specifically which will be worse for them and their credit score, bankruptcy or foreclosure. But bankruptcy and foreclosure will impact your credit score differently, and are two different processes, so it’s not easy to compare apples to apples. Here is how you might approach making a decision.
To begin, a foreclosure stems from your mortgage loan, which is mostly like any typical type of secured loan, like a car loan. In the event that you are unable to pay, the lender will be protected because the debt is secured by your asset, therefore the lender will repossess, or foreclose, on your home to pay your debt. In the same way as another asset such as a car, a foreclosure will be a major black mark on your credit and bring down your score.
Bankruptcy is somewhat different, because it is an organized way to wipe the slate clean of nearly all of your debt, both secured and unsecured. Generally, you can either get rid of, or discharge, debt, or set up a court-approved repayment plan. When it comes to which is worse a foreclosure or bankruptcy for your credit score, the big credit scoring companies will never tell you exactly. However by the time you have gotten over your head in a big way enough to go to bankruptcy court, your credit is probably already pretty poor, so that a bankruptcy will not hurt your credit score too much more.
Yet here are the big issues to consider before making a decision. If you still haven’t been foreclosed on by your lender, and you decide to file bankruptcy, remember that you can still lose your house to a sale because the mortgage lender is able to ask the bankruptcy court to allow a sale in order to pay your debt. A sale would more likely occur in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, where most of your debt is discharged, while in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy you set up a payment plan that might allow you the chance to keep your home by making payments. Using a Chapter 13 bankruptcy could thus help you avoid foreclosure.
When it comes to your credit score, while a bankruptcy might not lower your credit score number drastically if it was already low, the fact of the bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for ten years. So, while in five years, for example, you could have a better credit score, a lender will still see that you filed bankruptcy five years ago, and turn down your applications for credit. Foreclosure is like any other repossession, and stays on your report for seven years, but after a few years you can qualify again for credit. You can see that credit score alone is not the only thing you need to consider when making a choice between bankruptcy and foreclosure.
Before choosing bankruptcy or foreclosure, it’s best to talk to a bankruptcy attorney and also a non-profit credit counseling agency. These individuals can help you determine how your debt, income and expenses will play out in either instance. For some people, it’s more important to protect their credit score; for others, it’s necessary to use bankruptcy to start over cleanly. If you’d rather save your home, you ay not care about your credit score. Talk to a professional to find out more before taking any steps.
Are you trying to determine which is worse, bankruptcy or foreclosure? Find bankruptcy advice at Bankruptcy Help Online.
