Neither a dispute nor a DV will require the debt collector to delete.
The only way to force deletion of the collection is to get the OC to terminate the collection authority of the debt collector prior to accepting payment of the debt.
Even in that case, deletion is not a requrement of the FCRA, but only an administrative policy of the CRAs.
An assigned debt collector does not own the debt, and is not reporting that they do. The balance they report is the amount they are authorized to attempt to collect on behalf of the owner. Thus, to assert that their reporting becomes inaccurate once you pay the OC based on their reporting of a debt that no longer is owed to them is not correct.
If the OC accepts payment, that does not obviate the fact the debt colector had collection authority any more than if you had paid the debt collector.
Sending a DV would be next to meaningless after the debt were paid, regardless of who it is paid to.
First, a DV must be sent within 30 days of dunning notice to be timely.
Second, even if timely, a DV imposes a cease collection bar until validation has been provided. It does not compelt a response or require deletion of their reporting based on lack of a response.
With their collection authority already terminated by payment of the debt, they have no concern over an cease collection bar, and thus it would have not practical effect.
If they chose to respond, they could simply state that they have obtained verification that the prior debt was valid, and that its current amount is $0.
