Paid judgments NOT on credit report

[livgrace]

I hope to get a mortgage shortly. I did a public records search on myself, and discovered a few old judgments that say They are still open. These judgments do not appear on any of my credit reports. I am 99% positive that these judgments have been satisfied by way of garnishment. How do I go about proving this So it does not affect my ability to obtain a mortgage?

[guiness56]

Go to the payroll office of the company you worked for at the time.  They should have records.

Who did this money go to?  Depending on your state laws, they were required to report the satisfaction to the courts in a specified amount of time.  Usually 30 days.

[livgrace]

I emailed my old employer - no response yet. These judgments are from 2000 and the law firm this credit union used has no record of the judgments and the credit union no longer exists. If my old employer doesn't have records I have no idea what to do. It's just a mess.

[livgrace]

Bump

[guiness56]

Until you can prove they are paid there is nothing you can do.

What about the attorney for the plaintiff? 

[apriestl]

That must mean they are no longer on CR because they are 7 plus years old.  However, public record allows 10 years to collect in most states.  Have you tried finding an old W2 or paystub that shows garnished amounts?  Otherwise, write a letter to the court asking to move for satisfaction on the basis that you paid through garnishment, but the plaintiff didn't do their job to report the satsifaction.  Wait and see what happens.

[rckstrscott]

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@livgrace wrote:
I hope to get a mortgage shortly. I did a public records search on myself, and discovered a few old judgments that say They are still open. These judgments do not appear on any of my credit reports. I am 99% positive that these judgments have been satisfied by way of garnishment. How do I go about proving this So it does not affect my ability to obtain a mortgage?

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These public record searches used online are notoriously incomplete, especially with information relating to judgements and what not. Often they will buy their information from old sources, that may have had the original judgement listed but not the subsequent satisfcation.

I would 100 percent see what is listed at the clerks office before even think about a next step. They may already be satisfied in the public record.

I did the same thing, and I had an old judgement come up as well.

Were these judgements a lot of money? 

If I were you, and this is how I handled it, when I filled out the application for mortgage, I informed my loan officer of the possibility. He noted it, and then if it came up with underwriting, it would have to be paid prior to close. That simple. Since they are so old, they will not impact credit score, and your lender will likely (at worst case scenerio) allow you to pay at closing.

In the best case, it won't even come up. Mine didn't.

-scott