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Dear Experian, How do I go about getting old, closed-in-good-standing credit card accounts off my credit report?- GRB Dear GRB,While open accounts play the most important role in your credit scores, closed accounts are part of your credit history. As a result, closing an account does not cause the account to be deleted immediately. Accounts in good standing that have been closed will remain on your credit reports for up to 10 years from the closed date—and that can be a good thing for your credit scores. Closed, Positive Accounts Remain on Your Credit ReportExperian credit reports include closed accounts with no negative information for 10 years from the date they are reported closed. In fact, positive credit information remains on your credit report longer than most negative information, such as late payments. Late payments are removed from your credit history after seven years. Retaining the positive history longer helps you rebuild your credit history if you have had financial challenges. Even if you've never had a late payment or any other negative accounts, the length of your history is considered in scoring models. The longer you have demonstrated that you can manage credit, the more positive points for your scores. That's why you don't really want those positive accounts rushed off of your report. Experian will remove the closed accounts automatically at the end of the 10-year retention period. What Can I Do to Improve My Credit?If you are looking for ways to improve your credit scores, the first thing you should do is order a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting companies and get your free credit score from Experian. When you get your credit score from Experian, you will receive a list of the risk factors that are currently impacting your credit scores the most. For example, you may see a statement that your balances on revolving accounts are too high, which lets you know that paying down your credit card balances will help increase your scores. Everyone's credit history is unique, so paying attention to your individual risk factors is key to improving your scores. However, there are also some general things that anyone can do to help improve their credit scores:
Thanks for asking. Related Articles:The purpose of this question submission tool is to provide general education on credit reporting. The Ask Experian team cannot respond to each question individually. However, if your question is of interest to a wide audience of consumers, the Experian team may include it in a future post and may also share responses in its social media outreach. If you have a question, others likely have the same question, too. By sharing your questions and our answers, we can help others as well. Personal credit report disputes cannot be submitted through Ask Experian. To dispute information in your personal credit report, simply follow the instructions provided with it. Your personal credit report includes appropriate contact information including a website address, toll-free telephone number and mailing address. To submit a dispute online visit Experian's Dispute Center. If you have a current copy of your personal credit report, simply enter the report number where indicated, and follow the instructions provided. If you do not have a current personal report, Experian will provide a free copy when you submit the information requested. Additionally, you may obtain a free copy of your report once a week through December 31, 2022 at AnnualCreditReport. Can closed accounts be removed from my credit report?You can remove closed accounts from your credit report in three main ways: dispute any inaccuracies, write a formal “goodwill letter” requesting removal or simply wait for the closed accounts to be removed over time.
How long does it take for closed accounts to be removed from credit report?An account that was in good standing with a history of on-time payments when you closed it will stay on your credit report for up to 10 years. This generally helps your credit score. Accounts with adverse information may stay on your credit report for up to seven years.
Do closed accounts on your credit report hurt your score?While closing an account may seem like a good idea, it could negatively affect your credit score. You can limit the damage of a closed account by paying off the balance. This can help even if you have to do so over time. Any account in good standing is better than one which isn't.
How long does it take a closed account to be removed?If your account was closed in good standing, there is no law requiring it to be removed from your credit report in a certain time period. It could stay on your credit report indefinitely, but will likely be removed ten years after it was closed based on the credit bureau's guidelines for reporting closed accounts.
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