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VantageScore reason code · Code 98

“There is a bankruptcy on your credit report” — Decoded.

That line on your denial letter isn’t an insult — it’s a standard reason code, and it’s telling you exactly which lever moved against you. Here’s what it actually says about your file, in plain English.

The short answer

“There is a bankruptcy on your credit report” means: A bankruptcy is reporting (Chapter 7 stays up to 10 years, Chapter 13 up to 7). It does not mean: 7–10 years of frozen credit — post-bankruptcy files can be rebuilt substantially, but the bankruptcy tradelines and included accounts are frequently misreported, which is reviewable. The 800 Club’s team turns this reason into a plan on a free strategy call.

Lever: Derogatory Marks Service Case — record-level work — professional review territory

What It Actually Means

A bankruptcy is reporting (Chapter 7 stays up to 10 years, Chapter 13 up to 7). Its weight fades over time, but the file needs a rebuild architecture around it.

What It Does NOT Mean

It does not mean 7–10 years of frozen credit — post-bankruptcy files can be rebuilt substantially, but the bankruptcy tradelines and included accounts are frequently misreported, which is reviewable. You always have the free right to dispute inaccurate items directly with the credit bureaus — no company, including ours, can do anything on your file that you can’t do yourself.

The Lever It Points At: Derogatory Marks

Collections, charge-offs, public records — the marks that make underwriters flinch. Every one of them is challengeable when it’s inaccurate, unverifiable, or unfairly reported. This is record-level work with a process, not a trick.

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The Same Reason, Other Wordings

Lenders and bureaus phrase this one differently letter to letter. If yours says any of these, this is the page:

  • Bankruptcy on your credit report”
  • A bankruptcy appears on your credit file”
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