FCRA section 605: how long information can be reported

Section 605 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, at 15 U.S.C. 1681c, limits how long a bureau can report certain negative information. When the period ends, the information should no longer appear.

The main points

• Most negative information: seven years. This includes late payments, collections, charge-offs, and other adverse items.
• Bankruptcy: up to ten years. Counted from the date the court entered the order.
• When the clock starts for a collection or charge-off. The seven years begin 180 days after the delinquency that led to the collection began.
• Three exceptions. The limits do not apply to a credit transaction of $150,000 or more, life insurance underwriting of $150,000 or more, or employment at an annual salary of $75,000 or more.

What it does not say

The section does not list hard inquiries by name. The bureaus apply their own practice there. It does not give you a right to remove an item that is accurate and within its period.

What to do if an item is past its period

Dispute it under section 611 as obsolete, and point to the date of first delinquency. See how long negative items stay on your credit report.

Related

• Section 611: how disputes are investigated
• Section 623: duties of furnishers, which includes the duty to report the date of first delinquency

Sources

• Cornell LII: 15 U.S.C. 1681c (requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports)
• CFPB: credit reports and scores

Next steps

• How long negative items stay on your credit report

  FCRA section 605 limits: most negative items stay seven years, bankruptcy up to ten. What starts the clock, what the exceptions are, and what bureaus add.

• FCRA section 611: how disputes are investigated

  FCRA section 611 (15 U.S.C. 1681i) sets the dispute process: 30 days, furnisher notice, results, reinsertion, method of verification. Plain English.

• The Fair Credit Reporting Act, section by section

  The five FCRA sections that matter for disputes (605, 605B, 609, 611, 623) in plain English, with the U.S. Code citation and a link to the official text.