I entered into a contract w/ a Debt Settlement Co. back in 2004. They told me to stop paying on all credit accounts until they negotiated a settlement. Consequently, all credit accounts began reporting delinquencies to the credit bureaus in 2004. Since then, most of these accounts were sold to other companies or collection agencies. Most have been settled/paid. When does the 7 year period that an account can remain on a credit report begin - From the date the account first became delinquent with the original creditor or from the date any subsequent company/collection agency reported the account. Does paying off the account change the start date yet again?
