When you keep receiving calls about an account in collections, you probably assume that the credit bureaus know about it and put it on your file. Sometimes the credit bureaus do not list a collections -- a great benefit to your credit score. Usually, this occurs because of a bureau slip up and you should take this as an unexpected gift.
Credit Reporting
The credit agencies are not perfect and miss some items. Collection agencies usually have a private database the bureaus can search rather than updating accounts individually. Not all credit agencies search or have access to every database, which is why one credit bureau may report a collections but the others do not. However, bureaus could always find out about in the future.
Lag in Updates
The databases of the national credit bureaus contain billions of pieces of data on millions of files, so updating accounts can take a month or longer. The bureaus may know about that collections not on your report, but need some time to update your file.
Benefit
If several years pass and the credit agencies do not list a collections account on your credit report, consider this good luck. A collections account can destroy a pristine credit rating, because unpaid debts are the most heinous crime in the lending industry. While you should not depend on inefficiency of the credit reporting bureaus to save your score, you do not need to report this omission.
Tip
Ascertain the original charge-off date on the collections account -- the date the original creditor claimed it noncollectable -- but do not in any way claim liability for the debt. The bureaus can only report a collections for seven years. If your debt is older than that, the statute of limitations has probably already passed too, which means the creditor cannot sue you. However, claiming responsibility for the debt renews the life on it and can appear on your report again.
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