Debts not in your credit report.

by Nita
(Michigan)

Hi. I have been receiving phone calls from a collection agency about two bills that are from the same year around the same time- but I have no memory of them and they are not listed in my credit report. When I questioned the woman on the phone, she said that bill collectors aren't required to put these bills on your credit report, and informed me that the collection agency would be putting the bills on my credit report. I wanted to know how they could have bills that I owe that aren't on my credit report, and why haven't they been reported before now?

They are six years old, and this is the first time I've gotten any contact from them regarding this bill.

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Apr 19, 2010
 old debts not on credit report
by: Gerri

Nita,

Thanks for submitting your debt collection question on our Q&A page.

The debt collector is correct about the fact that it is not obligated to report the collection account to the credit bureaus. And perhaps the reason you haven't heard from someone before now is that the debt was in limbo until this collection agency purchased it.

Having said that, time may be on your side here. According to my sources, the statute of limitations for most consumer debts in Michigan appears to be six years. If in fact the statute of limitations has expired on this debt, you can simply send the collection agency a cease and desist letter asking them not to contact you again. You can state that the debt is too old, and that may be enough for them to lose interest in trying to collect from you.

I am not an attorney, however, and so I would encourage you to confirm that the statue of limitations for this debt has expired either by calling your state Attorney General's office or by contacting the consumer law attorney.

Good luck with this.

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