Is it possible to request a closed account to stay on CR longer than 10 years?

[Thomas_Thumb]

I suspect authority for deletion comes from the creditor (or card issuer). The account when initially established may have a field for coding by the creditor. If left blank, then default is account authorized for automatic deletion by CRAs after "closed account statue of limitations time reached".

However, I hypothisize the lender (card issuer) can code the account for manual deletion only - meaning the card issuer must communicate approval to delete (blocks auto deletion). So coding takes place when the account is 1st established/reported and remains in effect indefinately - unless changed by the card issuer. The card issuer (or subsequent creditor - if the account is sold) would have the ability to recode the account at any time while it remains open or even after closure. However, after closure it is usually forgotten.

In my view the CRAs act as repositories for data, the lenders provide instruction to the CRAs relative to their respective accounts.This is my reasoning for some accounts staying on file past 10 years - they have been tagged with "manual deletion by creditor/lender required".

Since the system is automated, CRAs won't usually contact lenders regarding ancient accounts - except when prompted by a customer (usually done only if the account has some negative history). In such cases, the account does not fade away without external prompting.

[Anonymous]

That could all be true.  It's the best single theory I have heard for why (a) most closed accounts fall off within 1-2 months of Year 10 and yet (b) there are some accounts that stay on for a long time.

If so I think the delete code fields may actually be rich enough to include a date in it.  I.e. "delete this by Date X", where X is possibly much later than ten years but not not indefinitely.  I say that because the last time I pulled a true Experian credit report (it was either directly from Experian or from ACR) it identified my old store card as "slated to be removed in August 2016."  Which would have been about 20 years.

It could also be that if a closed account is also your OLDEST account (which mine is) then one or more CRAs may have a policy to not delete it until substantially later than 10 years -- e.g. to give you 20 years, since deleting it will shorten your total profile age.

Finally I wonder whether some of this is an artifact of accounts that are very very old rather than creditors deliberately instructing a CRA not to delete.  As in "back in olden times, before certain database improvements, accounts were not set up to auto-delete" -- and thus we have these stray accounts hanging on because they are relics of a bygone era.   It would be interesting to try to start a thread where we ask the following questions:

Do you have a closed account still on your report that has a DATE CLOSED that was well in the past, more than 11 years ago?

If so...

What is the "Date Opened"  (Date and Year?)

What is the  "Date Closed"  (Date and Year?)

How old would that make the account now?

Does the "Status" or "Condition" field correctly read as CLOSED? 

      If not, is it blank?  Incorrect in some other way?

Is it a revolving or installment account?

    Store card?

    Brand of card or another info you care to share?

Is this account also your oldest account?

(All of the above questions refer to the account as it appears on your actual credit report.  I.e. the Date Opened as it reads on the report -- etc.)