Thanks for the update @Peterparkyr.. I have to say, I'm pretty surprised you received such a clear and concise answer from Equifax...I'm shocked they even understood that the date updated field is problematic.
Sorry this didn't go your way. As for having the account removed - I don't know. You could go the goodwill route but I have no idea how Fortiva responds to goodwills... have you searched the forum for "Fortiva goodwill" posts from others?
The other option is to file a CFPB complaint... but the complaint would have to be based on their failure to update in 2019 - and you'd have to show proof that you paid at that time and they did not update as required. The problem is that they have updated properly now so there really is no ground for deletion at this point - even though the update costed you points. You'd be pinning your hopes on Fortivas willingness to acknowledge past error and remove. The time for a CFPB complaint would have been after your first dispute when you realized the balance was incorrect - you may have had a better shot of them meeting your demand for removal.
A thing to keep in mind - any attempt at removal could also be treated as a direct dispute resulting in a remarks update to the credit bureaus... this could happen whether it's a goodwill request or a complaint.
So my logical and responsible advice is to leave it alone. The points lost will return with time... in a few months, the date updated to no longer be so recent. And you can still achieve mid-700 scores with a paid chargeoff.
But my heart says otherwise - i mean, i ignored all advice and spent 3 years fighting to have a paid charge off removed and was successful in the end (2 years before the 7 year mark).... but that's me and the circumstances were different (I did have grounds for dispute - though, if I'm being honest, they were very, very weak grounds and i think the creditor was just plain sick of me).
I dont know... let's see what others suggest.
I'd say leave it. Reason being: further disputes/GW attempts would result in further updates and you'll just keep resetting the date updated field, suppressing your scores each time. Unless you can find multiple *recent* (as in, the last couple of years) success threads of people getting Fortiva to delete.
