[Teflonic]

Here's a little secret a lawyer friend told me about outstanding debts. Just wait until you have all the money to pay back then call the original criditor and have them send you in writing an agreement to delete the account from your credit record once you pay up. Any dealing with a collection agency will only worsen your credit.

[Brytani]

That's true, plus if you make a payment on an outstanding debt, you basically restart the clock allowing them to keep reporting the bad debt for 7 more years.

Our problems haven't been our debts, except for medical crap that nobody ever gets right. Our problems usually end up being someone with the same name as my husband ending up on our report or collection agencies calling us looking for the other person.

I swear I'm going to make him change his name.....

[NCLaw441]

A creditor is not allowed to delete an accurate credit listing, even if it is subsequently paid. It can be shown as paid, but it should not be deleted, unless it should never have been posted.