Update: Collection from June 2014 randomly removed?

[Anonymous]

Update: Well, so much for being excited. I was alerted today that TWO new collections from the same company that deleted the randomly removed collection, have been added to my credit report on TU. And NINE collections were added to my credit report on EQ. I don't get it. The DOFD is still listed as 2013 and 2014 on some of these new collections. They weren't on my EQ before. Why are they showing up suddenly now?? I don't think it's been sold to a new agency because the agency name is the same as the name on the randomly removed collection.

Original post: Credit Karma alerted me of a change to my Transunion credit report today. It says, "Between July 4th and July 6th, your COMNWLTH FIN collections account was removed from your credit report."

This news is great and I'm happy, but I'm also puzzled. I checked one of my reports from an earlier date when this collection was still listed. It says the date opened was June 10th 2014. It was a medical bill in the amount of $415. I've had no contact with this collection agency (meaning I haven't answered phone calls from any collection agencies, haven't responded to any collections in the mail, haven't disputed it on my report, etc). So I was under the assumption that it would remain on my report for 7 years, but it has only been 3 years. I've heard of the term early exclusion, but I don't really understand what it applies to and how it works. Is that what happened? Or maybe this was a random freak removal? 

[Anonymous]

Never look a gift horse in the mouth? Seriously, congrats! 

[rmduhon]

Through opened date is when the collection agency acquired it either by buying it or by being assigned to collect for it. It has no bearing on when the account reaches the credit reporting exclusion date. That is based on the Date of First Delinquency (DoFD). So it is possible that the account has passed the credit reporting time period and can no longer be reported. It is also possible that the account will show back up with a different CA if it is still within the credit reporting time period.

[Anonymous]

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@rmduhon wrote:
Through opened date is when the collection agency acquired it either by buying it or by being assigned to collect for it. It has no bearing on when the account reaches the credit reporting exclusion date. That is based on the Date of First Delinquency (DoFD). So it is possible that the account has passed the credit reporting time period and can no longer be reported. It is also possible that the account will show back up with a different CA if it is still within the credit reporting time period.

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How do I view the DOFD? Most credit reports I've noticed only list the date opened, not DOFD. I'm signed up with most of the free credit check sites (credit.com, mint.com, wallethub.com, Credit Karma) and I don't recall ever seeing the DOFD on my reports, only the date opened. Even the one I got from the CCT trial only listed the date opened. 

[RobertEG]

The usual reason for removal of an unpaid collection prior to expiration of its credit report exclusion period is that the debt collector has had their collection authority terminated, either by termination of assignment or sale of the debt.  It is common.

CRA policy instructs debt collectors to delete their reported collection if their collection authority is terminated with the debt remaining unpaid.

You may see a new debt collector report.  Reporting by another debt collector will still have the same credit report exclusion date of no later than 7 years plus 180 days from the DOFD.

Check annualcreditreport.com for the reported DOFD.

[rmduhon]

You'll have to get the report directly from the bureaus if it's still on one of them. Use annualcreditreport.com if you haven't already done so in the last 12 months. EQ has the DoFD, the other 2 gave an Estimated Date of Removal that is based on the DoFD. Monitoring sites don't provide it.

[Anonymous]

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@rmduhon wrote:
You'll have to get the report directly from the bureaus if it's still on one of them. Use annualcreditreport.com if you haven't already done so in the last 12 months. EQ has the DoFD, the other 2 gave an Estimated Date of Removal that is based on the DoFD. Monitoring sites don't provide it.

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I just pulled my report from annualcreditreport.com and I found another one which is listed as placed for collection in 2014, and the estimated removal is 8/2017. Only a month away! I'm so happy. I also found others which are listed as falling off far sooner than I thought (various dates in 2018 and 2019). 

[rmduhon]

You can ask for an Early Exclusion (EE) on the one that falls off next month. Just call the bureau and ask for a supervisor. The general rule of thumb for EE's is up to 6 months for TU, 2-3 months for EX, and 1 month for EQ. Sometimes you can get lucky and have things removed even earlier.

[Anonymous]

Found out that ERC is removing tons of accounts due to DOB and SSN authentication.

[Anonymous]

Well, so much for being excited. I was alerted today that TWO new collections from the same company that deleted the randomly removed collection, have been added to my credit report on TU. And NINE collections were added to my credit report on EQ. I don't get it. The DOFD is still listed as 2013 and 2014 on some of these new collections. They weren't on my EQ before. Why are they showing up suddenly now?? I don't think it's been sold to a new agency because the agency name is the same as the name on the randomly removed collection.