A charge-off is always linked to a specific account, and is an adverse item under that account.
Thus, it is unclear as to how a reported charge-off can be confused as to the account under which it was taken and reported.
Can you clarify exactly how the charge-off is reported?
Once a charge-off is reported, it remains as an adverse item under the account, regardless of whether paid or unpaid, and continues to affect scoring.
Exclusion is required from your credit report, and thus scoring, no later than 7 years plus 180 days from the date of first delinquency on the account with the original creditor, regardless of whether paid or unpaid.
Getting it removed earlier requires voluntary reporting of its deletion by the creditor. You can make an offer to pay contingent upon their agreement to delete the reported charge-off.
Grant of a pay for deletion (PFD) is totally voluntary on the part of the creditor, and the CRAs instruct creditors not to delete reporting based on payment of the debt, so they are usually hard to obtain.
