How Long Will A Negative Mark Stay On My Credit Report Part Two
In the last article in this series I described how long different marks remain on your credit report. I wrote that mistakes will be removed instantly, soft inquiries will have not have an effect, and hard inquiries can hang around on your credit report for two years. Late payments, on the other hand, have the capacity to do way more damage.
Despite the fact that some creditors may choose to show you mercy and remove past credit problems if you pay your account immediately, late payments can have an effect on your credit score for seven years. Luckily, these negative marks are common and do less damage to your score than the rest of the marks I will go on to discuss.
With a tax lien comes seven years of poor credit. When you don’t pay your income or property taxes when they were due, and the government comes in and claims ownership of your property, you’re dealing with a tax lien. Unlike creditors, no matter how fast you settle your tax lien, big brother is peeved that you made him go out of his way to take your property, and it will stay on your record for seven years.
Foreclosures are equally as foreboding and they will remain on your credit report for seven years. Foreclosures are viewed as one of the most damaging negative accounts that can be on your credit report. In fact, if you do have a foreclosure on your credit history, good luck buying another home unless you are planning to pay for it entirely in cash.
It is not the good old days anymore, so don’t default on those student loans either. Before the administration of President W., student loans usually were forgiven if they were declared when someone filed for bankruptcy. Now things have changed, so it’s crucial to pay your student loan debts. After 270 days of nonpayment, defaulting occurs, and before the loan defaults, you can bet your life that you will be the unlucky recipient of a whole slew of late payment fees.
The last, and most serious negative mark that can go on your credit report is bankruptcy. Bankruptcy will stay on your record for ten years, and instead of having a creditor pull your report, you may as well call them up and say “I am fiscally irresponsible and will be that way for the next ten years.” Declaring bankruptcy can hinder your ability to get a new car, any type of new credit or a new place to live. So watch your credit report, or you might end up living with that rude mother in law I wrote about in article one.
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on credit collection agencies.
