Removing paid off debt
I just recently paid off my first collections debt. *insert face in palm of hand*
The law firm that the collection went to I believe said that they don't report to credit bureaus and that I would need to contact them myself. I tried googling this information, but it seems kind of foggy. Can anyone give me clear direction on getting this removed from my credit report so that it can be cleared again?
Thank you,
B
-
Official comment
Hi B,
Congratulations on paying off your debt! Typically, information doesn't disappear from your credit report once an account is paid off or closed out. These accounts will continue to impact your score as long as they stay on your report (which could be up to 10 years). The good news is that they will impact your score less and less over time - newer credit activity is weighted more heavily than older information.
If the accounts on your report are accurate, there's really no way to have them removed aside from waiting for them to drop off after a certain amount of time. This resource provide a bit more detail.
Thank you for reaching out to the NerdWallet Community and best of luck!
Comment actions -
Any time I have paid off a collection account, I have asked for that to be part of the deal. "I can pay in full today, but I need it removed from my credit report" sometimes the collection company can do this. sometimes the original creditor has to do it. Sometimes nobody will do it, and it will stay on your report for 7 years from the date of first default.
My advice is to look at your credit report, see who is reporting the default, if it's the original creditor, or the collection agency. then contact them and AS POLITELY AS POSSIBLE ask them if they can remove your negative info from your credit report. It is worth a shot. go for it! try 3 or 4 times if you have to.
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
2 comments