Satisfaction/Release of Judgment - leave it to court computer or send letters to the CRA's?

by Josh
(Chicago, IL, USA)

I recently obtained satisfaction/releases for two separate judgments. Both judgments (and release orders) were entered in the same county court. Should I send copies of each satisfaction/release to Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union or should I wait and see if the judgments are removed by virtue of the credit reporting agencies picking the releases up off of the court computer or a public records database?

As a brief, follow-up, if I do send letters should I ask that the judgments be deleted entirely? Do the reporting agencies have the option of leaving the judgments on my credit report and simply stating that the judgment has been paid or released?

Reply from DebtCollectionAnswers.com:

This is a great question. Unpaid judgments may be reported for seven years, or for the applicable statute of limitations, whichever is longer. Once paid, judgments may be reported for seven years from the date of entry by the court.

You did not mention how old these judgments are. If they are more than seven years old, then the once the credit reporting agencies have proof that you have paid them, they should come off your credit reports completely.

If they are not seven years old, then your credit reports should be updated to reflect the fact that they have been paid once you provide the information showing that they have been paid. At that point, the balances should be listed as zero and you will see a notation that they are paid. However, you may not see an immediate boost your credit scores. That’s because the judgment will still be considered a negative item.

You can certainly wait to see whether the credit reporting agencies update your reports automatically. However, if you have proof that they are paid, we would recommend you go ahead and supply that to the credit bureaus. That way you can ensure that your credit reports will be updated as soon as possible.

We hope this helps! Congratulations on putting these judgments behind you.