What is needed to remove a charge off from your credit report if you pay the disputed amount?
-HWM
Dear HWM,
Charged Off Accounts Not Removed Once Paid
Paying off a charged off account does not remove it immediately from your credit report. Instead, the creditor will update the account payment status to reflect "paid charge-off."
Remember, your credit report is a credit history. The status will be updated to reflect that it is paid, but the account will remain on the report for seven years from the original delinquency date, or initial missed payment that led up to the account being charged off.
Although the account will still be considered negative, it will affect your credit worthiness less and less as time goes on.
Improving Your Credit
The best thing you can do to rebuild your credit history is to make sure all your other accounts are paid on time, every time. Once the account reaches the end of the seven year period, it will be removed from the report automatically, leaving the other positive account information.
Thanks for asking,
The "Ask Experian" team
