How long does a collection stay on a persons credit report after it is sold?

I agree with crazyjester

If you never paid on the account then the reporting period has passed and it should already have been removed from your credit reports.

Send a debt validation request to the collector by certified mail return receipt. When you get the signed green card back send a dispute to the CRA's and claim it is obsolete and must be removed.

If the collector verifies it and it remains, both the collector and the CRA's are in violation.

You might click on my profile and click on the last link I have listed to a free credit discussion board. Do some reading in the Newbie Forum and in the Credit Forum. You will be able to find free sample letter templates for your validation request.

Disputing a debt does not restart a clock. Doesn't matter if an old debt that's minus 7+years now shows an "updated" date. Clock still starts from last date of payment, which will be indicated on your credit report. So ignore the "udpdated date." As for collecting past 7+years when your debt legally falls off the credit report, that is a violation of the federal collection act. Bottom feeder collection agencies will buy these for pennies on a hundred bucks. If they harass you or repost on your credit report, contact a consumer protection lawyer (it's free) and they will sue the snot out of the bottom feeders. You usually end up with a hundred bucks, too. Trust me, there's a lot of collection agencies that do illegal things all of the time until you sue them and put an end to it.

In theory the account can be sold to different agencies over the course of years and depending on your state laws the Statue Of Limitations varies from 3-10 years.

It goes by date of last charge, so date of deliquency. So anything deliquent in 2000 would normally fall off in 07, I would read up on the FCRA Fair Credit Reporting Act to see if this should fall off. Usually you can dispute the item with the Credit Bureaus and the agencies will then have to verify that information is either accurate or inaccurate, and if they lie they can face stiff penalties resulting in steep fines or law suits. I would do research online on templates for disputing items on your credit report, or doing this directly at the Credit Bureaus

www.transunion.com

www.experian.com

www.equifax.com

Follow the site for disputing something on your credit report and make sure to put it is adversely affecting you obtaining credit or monies.

Per the Fair Credit Reporting Act, negative marks may only be reported 7 years from the date of delinquency. Nothing can legally reset the 7 year reporting period. Doing so is a violation of the law and you can sue them and win.

Edit - Don't listen to the real estate guy. Paying it has ZERO effect on how long they can list it.

If the account is from 2001, it is quite possible that the Statute of Limitations on the account has expired. What state do you live in? If the SOL has expired, then no one can legally collect the debt.

Your suppose to pay your ''collection debt'' off. So if you didn't attempt to do that, you have no ''next course of action''. Your in the wrong, and you need to pay what you agreed to, or you shouldn't have had the surgery. I'm suprised they haven't taken a judgement out against you. Don't be suprised if you get one.

here's an idea. PAY IT!!!!!!!!!!!