Must You Pay Off A Charge-Off To Remove It From Your Credit?

By Teresa P Rogers

When a charge-off appears on your credit report, the primary creditor has more or less written off the loan as a loss, consequently it is not unanticipated that many people do not precisely comprehend what to do with a charge-off once they see it on their credit report. Should they attempt to repay their contract or not?

A lender will try to collect for a specified period of time and if they are powerless to do so within that time period rather than leaving it open on their books they will mark it off as a loss. Many times they will submit it to a collection agency either before or after the charge-off and this often leads to duplicate reporting on an account as the initial lender and the collection agency both account to the credit bureaus even though there in fact is just one account.

Any kind of bad credit listings including charge-offs will stay on your credit for 7 years, that is 7 years from the time of last action on the account. Thus, if you pay off a charge-off, it consequentially brings all of the poor credit forward and the 7-year time period starts again. It is therefore, critical to think about the implications of paying off an old debt such as a charge-off. It may be more detrimental to bring forward the negative credit, especially if you have been working towards and succeeding at building new and good credit.

No matter what before you ever pay off any old debt, be it a charge-off or anything else, make sure that you get an agreement in writing from the initial lender and any collection companies that states clearly that once the debt is paid off they will remove it from your credit report. This is called a "Pay for Delete" and it is the only efficient way to settle an old debt.

You have the right to dispute any bad credit on your credit report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act or the FCRA. That includes charge-offs, collection accounts, repossessions, tax liens and even foreclosures and bankruptcies. The credit bureaus have a specific period of time after receipt of a letter of dispute to either attest to the truthfulness of their bad reporting or delete it entirely from your report.

Once you start sending in your dispute letters to repair your credit, it is imperative that you keep meticulous records. Make sure and keep a copy of every letter that you send and also every communication that you get in return. The credit bureaus will have 30 to 45 days to validate the poor listings and then an added 5 days to answer back to you. It is your responsibility to follow up with them and make sure that everything is finished in a timely manner. You must also realize that it may take more than one letter to get results so you will need to make sure that you are unrelenting.

You can accomplish your credit repair on your own or you can take on a professional to help you. It can be very time-consuming and you often must be persistent and keep trying and following through. One of the principal benefits to utilizing a expert is that they can save you a great deal of time and energy, not to mention that they also have the experience and expertise to complete the repairs. It is not obligatory to utilize professional support but you may determine that your own time is more important, to focus on your own work and life, especially if you would like to finalize your credit repair in an opportune manner.

It is completely feasible to get any type of bad credit listings removed from your credit report, including charge-offs, collection accounts and even bankruptcies and foreclosures. There are some simple and specific steps to take to get started. At the same time you will also need to begin rebuilding good credit as you go so that it can overcome the derogatory credit of the past. - 29866

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here