Your credit score is likely to be hurt when negative information shows up on your credit report. There is a varying degree of impact from late payments, collection accounts, charge-offs and bankruptcies.

Negative information on your credit report tends to stick around for awhile, and could make it harder to qualify for new financing (such as loans and credit cards). The good news is: they don’t stay on your report forever.

It can be difficult to understand how credit scores work. One puzzling factor is that specific items on your credit report (credit score factors) are not worth a preset number of points.

For example, you won’t automatically lose 20 points, or any set number of points for a 30-day late payment that is newly showing up on your report. You could just be earning fewer points, which would result in a lower score the next time your credit score is calculated.

The credit scoring models like FICO and VantageScore consider all of your credit report information at once. Someone with a clean credit report who receives a new collection account might have a larger decrease in their score than someone who already has blemishes on their credit. However, the person with the cleaner credit report would still have a higher score overall.

Two other factors have a role in how negative information impacts your credit score: age and severity. As for age, a more recent late payment is likely going to damage your score more than a late payment that is several years old.  As for severity, a 90-day late payment tends to be more damaging than one that is 30 days late.

Negative information does the most damage to your credit score when it first appears on your credit report. The derogatory information will hurt your score as long as it is reporting, but becomes less pronounced over time, especially if you have avoided adding more derogatory items.

Any item that is reporting on your credit report is likely to affect your credit score for good or bad. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that regulates the three major credit bureaus, as well as others. The maximum shelf life of derogatory information is seven to ten years. There are some exceptions to this rule.

Examples:

7 Years

• Late Payments

• Collection Accounts

• Medical Collections

• Charge- Offs

• Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

10 Years

• Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

• Accounts closed in good standing

2 Years

• Credit inquiries

Indefinite

• Defaulted federal student loans

Incorrect & Outdated Information

There isn’t much you can do about an accurate but negative item on your credit report. You can however, talk to the creditor about a goodwill removal (which is not always granted). Most negative items will keep showing on your credit report as long as the law allows.

If you have an item on your credit report that is inaccurate or it has been reporting for longer than the FCRA permits, there are a few actions you can take.

• Dispute: You have the right to dispute any incorrect or outdated information on your credit report. You can send disputes online or by mail, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends using certified mail for dispute letters. This method allows you to verify that your letter was received and that a real person is reviewing your dispute. Online disputes are computerized.

• Complain: Along with disputing the incorrect information on your credit report, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

• Legal Action: If disputes and complaints aren’t fixing your issues, you might consider talking to an attorney specialized in the FCRA. An attorney can help you discover if your rights have been violated. They will advise you on steps you may not have taken and will initiate legal action when necessary.

Negative information on your credit report has the potential to damage your credit score and make it harder to qualify for financing and applying for any type of credit. It is best to avoid issues like late payments charge-offs, and collection accounts. If you do happen to make a mistake or have an error in your credit report, all hope isn’t lost. You can still bounce back and improve your credit for the future.