Do you have a question about consumer credit? You may find an immediate answer by using the search engine. If you can't find what you're looking for, please fill out the form, being as specific as possible.
Please note: The Ask Experian team cannot respond to each question individually. However, if your question is of interest to a wide audience of consumers, the Experian team will include it in a future column.
Our policies
The information contained in this column if for educational purposes only and is not legal advice.
You should consult your own attorney or seek specific advice from a legal professional regarding
your particular situation.
Please understand that Experian policies change over time. Column responses reflect Experian policy at the time of writing. While maintained for your information, archived responses may not reflect current Experian policy.
Credit Advice
Topics addressed on April 14, 2010:
When are closed accounts deleted?
Dear Experian,
Will the closed account ever be removed from my credit report?
- OWE
Dear OWE,
Yes! One of the good things about your credit report is that negative information and closed accounts are deleted so that you can rebuild a damaged credit history.
A closed account with late payments in its history will be deleted seven years from the original delinquency date of the account. The original delinquency date is the date the account first became late without being brought current.
A closed account with no negative information in its history will be deleted 10 years from the date it is closed. It remains in your credit report longer than an account with negative information. Even though the account is closed, the positive payment history will continue to help your scores for as long as it remains. It won’t help as much an open account with current payments, but it is still a positive.
Thanks for asking.
- The "Ask Experian" team