Public Records and Your Credit Report. Public records with negative information can reside on your credit report for a whopping seven to ten years, depending on the type of record.Bankruptcy is the only public record that appears on your credit report. Call (312) 626-3585. Inaccurate information can show up on credit reports. FOIA requests must be submitted in writing. The FOIA request should include a clear description of the public record requested. Find public records in Illinois. Public records data, just like it sounds, is made up of information in the public record. There are actual ways to get public record removed from credit report.