Making a Decision

For many people, it's no big secret that declaring personal bankruptcy is not necessarily good news, that it definitely is not easy and that it comes with consequences. So as well as considering whether you have alternatives to declaring bankruptcy before you decide to do so, you also need to familiarize yourself with the potential harmful consequences and make sure you know how you will deal with them.

First of all, your financial reputation will be tarnished. Your credit record will carry information ascertaining to your declaring bankruptcy for around ten years. This is going to make it very, very difficult to obtain any kind of finance and in situations you find you are able to get credit, you will find yourself on the receiving end of very high interest rates. You can rebuild good credit, however.

You may also find that your family members and close friends have little sympathy. Many people, particularly those of an older generation, a generation before hire purchase and when everyone only bought what they had the cash for, struggle to understand credit, excessive finance and thus bankruptcy. You may also feel embarrassed about declaring personal bankruptcy and feel that relationships are strained with those who feel let down by this.

You should also bear in mind that declaring personal bankruptcy is a matter for public record. Everyone can find out this happened to you. Of course, it's probably only a real issue if you live in a small town where everyone seems to know everyone else's business thanks to issues like this being posted in the local newspaper. It's highly unlikely that such a public announcement of your bankruptcy would take place if you live in a large city.

Finally, this may affect job applications negatively. While there is law in place that stipulates discrimination to be illegal, certain jobs do require you to pass a credit check.