 TITLE: Do Library Fines Affect Your Credit Score? CONTENT: What Types of Public Records Do Affect Your Credit?\n---------------------------------------------------\nLibrary fees are probably not the only public information you'd rather not see pop up on your credit report. What about traffic and parking tickets or civil judgments? Take heart that none of these appear in your credit history. Other items that are not included in your credit report: Your income, bank accounts and their balances, investments and indications that credit applications have been denied.\nBankruptcies are now the only type of public record you might find in your credit report. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy appears as negative information on your credit report for up to 10 years; a Chapter 13 bankruptcy for seven. Bankruptcies affect your credit in a few different ways. Because a bankruptcy reflects poorly on your ability to manage credit, your credit score can drop severely after a bankruptcy filing. A bankruptcy on your credit report may also discourage lenders from offering you credit or may prevent you from getting good rates and terms on loans. END