If a collection has not yet reported, you can offer the debt collector a pay for not reporting offer.
While best to get any such agreement in writing, they will often not want to place such agreements in writing, so make record of the oral agreement.
After paying, they have little to gain by then reporting, and facing a potential breach of contract suit is a deterrent to breaking their agreement.
As for the mortgage lendor becoming aware of the unpaid debt be seeing a collection should it report, most mortgage app processes request a disclosure of any unpaid, delinquent debt as part of the initial application process, so they usually will be aware via that disclosure. I presume no such disclosure was previously requested?
