A few questions: Credit report and credit card

[memama]

Hello all!
First things first: 8 months post-chapter 7 discharge, house was surrendered but no foreclosure sale has happened yet.

My husband is headed on a business trip for two weeks later this month and needs to rent a car. Unfortunately we do not have a credit card and heard that car rental companies use a credit check if you try and pay via debit or cash and seeing how husband's credit score is 630 (from credit.com...not sure how accurate that is, I'm assuming it's lower) I don't think he'll pass a credit check. SO...we are interested in getting a secured credit card and came across the Capital One Mastercard. Seems legit, seems to be an okay deal with a $29 annual fee. Interest rate is kind of high but we don't plan on using the card much. My husband is staunchly against getting a credit card or loan of ANY type...I'm hoping to get some info from here to pass on to him that it's OKAY to go with a secured card. Does anyone use/recommend a secured card?

My second question is in regards to my credit report. There are a few things that concern me on there. First thing is that after we filed we obviously did not pay our mortgage and that is reported on our credit report as being 90 days late, then it's reported as "included in bankruptcy". Is that normal? I just wasn't aware that they reported anything to the credit bureaus while we were going through the bankruptcy process...

Also, there were things included in the bankruptcy that are NOT reported as such. One account is for our camper, which we continued to pay through the bankruptcy, and this account is listed as "open/never late". I thought that it would also say "included in bankruptcy" and any further payments would not positively affect our credit score? The same is happening for my Sallie Mae student loans. Now, I understand that my student loans weren't actually discharged, but my attorney said that any future payments made to my student loans would not positively affect my credit score because these would be listed as "included in bankruptcy". I'm so confused! I mean, it's a *good* confused if these accounts are helping my credit, I'm definitely not complaining there, but I am really puzzled-I guess I thought everything would be listed as IIB and we wouldn't reap any benefits of paying this stuff on time or paying it off. Also, none of the credit cards that were included in the bankruptcy are on my report-they're just *gone*. Is that normal?

[IBroke]

I have the secured Capital One Master Card, too. Nothing bad about it and it's certainly better than one of these $150 annual fee 35% interest BK-cards. Just be advised that this card can't be converted to an unsecured card at any point in the future. They just don't do it. However, this needn't be a disadvantage if you want to play it safe.

My second question is in regards to my credit report. There are a few things that concern me on there. First thing is that after we filed we obviously did not pay our mortgage and that is reported on our credit report as being 90 days late, then it's reported as "included in bankruptcy". Is that normal? I just wasn't aware that they reported anything to the credit bureaus while we were going through the bankruptcy process...

If you were less than 30 days late (if at all) when you filed, they are not allowed to report you late on that mortgage.

I'm not an expert on student loans but IMO, if a debt wasn't discharged through BK (and student loans obviously can't) I don't see a logical reason why they should report as "IIB".

The cc-accounts: Some lenders simply take off your entire tradeline after BK but I have to add that this is not the norm. This can be either good or bad - depending on your payment performance prior to filing.

The camper-account: I'd say it's good to have your positive history reported. Legally, you could insist on an IIB-reporting but as you know, it wouldn't be of any advantage to you. Keep in mind that you won't lose this "right" in the future so should a problem arise on that account in the future (let's say you decide to stop making payments), you can still have it reported as IIB instead of a late payment.

[Mayo]

I got a Merrick Bank Visa Secured card 4 months after my 13 Discharge. I think the annual fee is around 30 dollars. It is supposed to convert to an unsecured card sometime in the future. Check with your credit union, a guy I work with just got one through ours at work.

[memama]

IBroke-
We were current until the day we filed for Bankruptcy. They reported us late for April, May, and June. Our bankruptcy was discharged in August 2012. We filed April 16, 2012, made our April mortgage payment in March. I'm *super* confused. Do I need to dispute this?

Our payment history was current on everything, including the cards-we never missed a payment until we filed. Since my husband was the primary on these accounts and I was just an allowed person (I guess you'd call me) maybe they're reported on his report? My score is 658, his is 630, so I'm wondering if he got hit harder because of that. And yes, we just want to stick with secured, try and improve the score a little bit and be able to use it for the rental car at this point, but in the future may use it for gas.

Mayo- There was something I didn't like about the Merrick, but I can't remember what it was. We don't want unsecured at any point (okay, at least at this point in our lives we don't see ourselves ever wanting an unsecured) because we just don't trust ourselves with it. We are trying the credit union tomorrow but read that some people have had a hard time getting one through there, even a secured!

[IBroke]

IBroke-
We were current until the day we filed for Bankruptcy. They reported us late for April, May, and June.

That's not allowed. I'd say you send them a certified letter, return receipt requested (CMRRR), and demand a correction within 30 days and that they are in violation of your permanent bankruptcy injunction since this kind of credit reporting is considered an attempt to collect a debt. A big, fat, "no go" on debt IIB. They have to report "IIB", $0 Balance, never late.

Based on my own experience, disputing through the agencies often is a dead end.

Our payment history was current on everything, including the cards-we never missed a payment until we filed. Since my husband was the primary on these accounts and I was just an allowed person (I guess you'd call me) maybe they're reported on his report?

That's quite possible.

[iswmle]

Capital One is suppose to have a very good secured card. It has high reviews. Higher interest is neither here nor there as long as the card is PIF