Twelve Percent Know Someone who has Filed for Bankruptcy in the Past Three Months

Extra Credit?
September 24, 2007
By Mark Dolliver

A cut in interest rates offers little comfort if you don't qualify for credit. And that's the leaky boat in which many consumers find themselves, according to the latest Experian/Gallup Personal Credit Index survey. Eighteen percent of respondents said someone close to them has been turned down for credit within the past three months. Among those with household income under $40,000, the figure climbs to 23 percent (vs. 14 percent in the $75,000-plus bracket). But household income is less of a dividing line than age, as you can gather from the chart here. The same poll asked people whether they know anyone who has filed for bankruptcy or gone into foreclosure in the past three months. Twelve percent said they do.