Do collection accounts age off your credit report after 7 years?
So I have debt from store lines of credit to a bank credit card. I haven't paid on them since at LATEST December 2007. Chase, citi financial (store line of credit) and Sears line of credit all have it showing closed but I am getting reporting from some debt collector companies.
I live in Arizona and just ordered my actual credit report today. I viewed the information online through a credit score tracking website. I read a lot of comments and researched online somethings. My questions are can any of them take me to court still because from what I read some debts are 3 years and some are 6 here in Arizona, I am not sure what they fall under, also at 7 years they have to stop reporting to my credit so I am told. Does this mean that it will show the old reports but they cant continue to report and since the original lenders have the accounts closed can the debt collector who purchased the debt also show up as a closed account or do they just disappear forever?
Any information to better understand when or if this will ever not be an issue for me would be helpful, as these debts were ran up by my ex and are thousands of dollars I cant and haven't been able to afford to even attempt to fix.
Do collection accounts get removed from my credit reports after 7 years?
—Jennifer
Short answer
Yes, but the clock is not the one most people count from. Negative items stay on your credit report for up to 7 years measured from the first missed payment to the original lender, and every entry tied to that same debt should age off on that same date.
Key points on this page
- Original lenders and creditors show payment default for up to 7 years from when you stopped paying.
- The 7 years starts at the first missed payment to your lender, not at the date a collection agency or debt buyer picked up the account.
- All negative trade lines related to the same collection account should age off at that same 7 year mark.
- Only one entry for a bill should show an unpaid balance. If a debt buyer reports a balance owed, check that the original lender no longer shows one.
- A collection account reporting a newer date of last activity prolongs the credit damage, so compare that date against the original lender’s.
- If the debt is still inside the statute of limitations to sue, a dispute can wake a collector who was not bothering you. Weigh that before sending one.
Original lenders and creditors show payment default on your credit reports for up to 7 years from when you stopped paying on the account.
When you first miss payments to a creditor or lender, you will see late pays show up in 30 day blocks of time on your credit report. If the accounts remain unpaid long enough, those 30 day incremental late pays turn into a charge off reporting on your credit. With credit cards, charge offs normally occur within 180 days of consecutively missed payments (they can happen sooner than 180 days).
The 7 years the negative item stays on your credit report starts from the first missed payment to your lender.
When your accounts get this far behind, it is standard to have the account placed with outside collection agencies, and often repeatedly. Many creditors have a practice of selling off debts that remain unpaid long enough to debt buyers. They are legally transferring the rights to the debt to someone else, as is often laid out in your original contract with them.
Collection Agencies and Debt Buyers Showing Up on Your Credit Report
When an additional entry from a collection agency shows up on your credit report it is important to look for some key items:
- Is the new entry showing a balance due? A debt buyer who reports a collection account to the credit bureaus with a balance owed should be matched with the original lenders negative credit reporting to be certain that the original lender no longer shows a balance is owed to them. You should not have more than one credit entry showing an unpaid and due amount on your report for the same bill.
- Does the collection account show a date of last activity on your report that is different than the date your original lender is showing? Collection accounts that are reporting separate from, but related to an existing negative item on your report, should not show a newer date. If a newer date is used by a collection agency reporting, it prolongs the credit damage and will take longer for you to improve your credit.
All negative trade lines related to the same collection account should age off of your credit report at the same 7 year mark you use to calculate your first missed payment to your original lender. The exception used to be when people got sued for collection and ended up with a judgment over one or more of the debts – which would show in the public records section of your credit report for 7 years from the date judgment was entered in the court.
Most judgments obtained in state courts were taken off our credit reports with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion as of July 2017
What to Do If You Need to Dispute a Collection Account on Your Report
I will have an upcoming article about disputing incorrect information on your credit report, but for now, it is important to consider the following:
If your debt is within the SOL (statute of limitations), to legitimately sue you for collection, you should carefully consider whether or not to send a dispute about a collection account on your credit report, even if it is showing incorrect information. When there is still room on the clock to sue you, sending a dispute may wake the collector to the fact that you are:
- Still an unpaid account.
- Care enough to start cleaning up your credit report (usually for some credit goals, which means you are more collectible).
If your debts are beyond the SOL to sue you legitimately, you should have less concern about waking a sleepy debt collector who may not have been bothering you, with disputes about getting your credit reports corrected.
Legislation was passed in 2011 that changed the SOL from 3 to 6 years in Arizona. Given the information you shared about 2007 being the earliest date of last payment, your debts may/may not be off of the current debt owner’s radar. You would need to be certain about the date each of account was last paid. Any of them you know were paid last in 2006 would be clear of the SOL.
Reviewing your credit reports for accuracy when you know you have old collection items is important. Staying on top of when and how to get your credit reports corrected will help you plan for future access to credit at fair prices.
If you have a particular issue or question you can post in the comments below for feedback.
About Michael BoveeMichael started CRN in 2004 with a mission to provide people in need with detailed debt and credit help and education. Michael has participated as an expert panelist in federal consumer protection rule making, collaborated on state law changes governing debt consolidation, has worked as an expert witness in court matters related to the debt relief industry. He is available to speak with you about your financial struggle and helps people resolve their debt problems daily.
I live in GA. I racked up some medical debt while I was a single mother. My husband and I were married in 2011, these bills were before that. My husband recently pulled his credit report and one collection agency placed two different medical account for me on his credit. They say that yea they can do it although I can’t find any information saying they can. My husband kind of called their bluff somewhat and called them back and told that it was ileagle and they wouldn’t say anything after that and ended the conversation. My question is, is he responsible for debt previous to our marriage (none of this debt was after marriage). And if it is not how should I procede?
It should not be appearing on his credit reports. I would suggest he file a credit reporting complaint with the CFPB here. I would also encourage you guys to contact a consumer law attorney that specializes in collection violations. You may find there is more you can do, and at little to no cost. Post the name of a nearby city and I can email you some experienced attorneys you can consult with.
What is the name of the collection company?
We lived in TX and rented a house after we lost ours due to a bankruptcy (my husband had lost his job).
Anyway, the realtor, come to find out was the owner of the house we rented…she had us pay first/last months’ rent and one month deposit…found out later, that in TX, landlords cannot charge you last months’ rent as deposit…
Anyway, when we gave notice, she told us that we had to pay the last months’ rent…we said that she had already charged that when she rented the place to us, even though we were moving, she evicted us and took us to court for “damages”, we were ruled against for almost $6000 (made up charges) and found that she had written down AFTER we signed the lease, that the last month was part of the security deposit.
The judge, we could tell, didn’t believe her and her story, but, said he had to rule in her favor as it was written in the contract, we had signed the contract…she filled in the blanks after we signed it (that was BEFORE we lost trust in people…she screwed us royally).
I just looked at our credit report and saw that the court judgement against us was 9/2007~does that fall off after 7 years or can the woman re-file for us to pay…I wouldn’t put it past her…
Please advise…
Thanks.
Barb
If the judgment drops from your credit reports at 7 years, it will still likely impair your ability to get a home loan if unresolved, as it will be still part of the public record.
Your judgment in Texas is enforceable for 10 years, and can be renewed. Renewal is painfully easy. I think this is what you are concerned about with her refiling… so yes, and you should expect it.
I disputed them already but am not sure if they can be removed since it’s hasn’t been but 6yrs.
Just bought a house, have a brand new car, I’m set just hoping to bring up my score anyway…
From what you shared, you have a year or so to go before the paid collection and repo fall off.
Is there any balance still owed on the repossession?
I just recently pulled my Equifax & Experian reports. I have a paid off acct from 2008 and a repo also from 2008. Do they not legally need to remove till 7yrs from then?
I recently received a repayment plan from an old debt from a collection agency. I checked the box and started to make payments on it. That was a couple of weeks ago. Now, I realize after the fact that I may have re-aged this debt because I looked at my credit report yesterday and it is not on there anymore. Is this what I have done? Should I continue with the payment plan and hope that it does not appear on my credit report again? When will I see it reappear on my report if I have inadvertently re-aged it? How do I stop it from being sold again if I repay it? And finally, is it up to the collection agency to start the clock on this debt again once I have started repayment, or does that happen automatically?
Who is the debt collector you are paying?
When was it you first started missing payments to the original creditor? When was it you last made a payment on this debt to anyone?
By checking off the payment box you did, are you agreeing to pay the debt in full over time, or a lower settlement amount split up into monthly payments? How many months is the payment plan you opted into?
I think it is Jefferson something. It looks like they acquired it from RJM.
Missed payments over 7 years ago.
Last made a payment 2 weeks ago to the Jefferson company.
Lower settlement in a lesser amount was what I checked.
9 month payment plan with monthly payments.
Is it to late to stop the re-aging of this debt? Damn. Wish I had known before I sent payment. It was the last one of my debts that had reached its statute and was off of my credit report. I received the second payment request today for the plan.
Does the company re-age it? Or is that automatic once you commit to payments?
It has not appeared on my report since that first payment, but that was only 2 weeks ago. When could I expect it to reappear? Can they sell it to another 3rd party even if I pay it off?
I live in Alaska, but the debt was from another state. Oregon I believe. Thanks for your help.
Your payment does not reage the original credit reporting timelines. But it likely does reset the SOL for them to legitimately sue you.
I do not expect them to sell any portion of your debt off to another debt collector as long as you keep your end of the bargain by making all of those 9 payments on time (make them early if possible). If something like that were to happen, post an update about it here.
Thanks Michael.
Will it show up on my credit report again? If so, it will be there another 7 years even after I pay it off?
Based on what you shared so far, it shouldn’t. Post an update if it does.
I’ve got a good one for you! I was denied a loan today at Chase. When I got the reason I was told that I had a 3500$ charge off and that they will NOT do the loan.
When I replied that I have no such thing on file, they told me that indeed I did and I had a CO of a Chase credit card. Again I said NO WAY! Then they told me it was 14 YEARS AGO!!!!!! Only when I went back on my OLD files did I indeed recall losing my job many moons ago and could not pay the debt and it got charged off.
While the FCRA does provide for a clear wipe after 7 years….THERE is NO law preventing CHASE or other financial institutions from keeping records INFINITELY.
Furthermore as it was explained to me, if CHASE purchases another bank, they add any DEROGATORY info from THAT INSTITUTION!!!
Theoretically speaking, given all the mergers in the banking industry, you could be prevented from taking out a loan from DOZENS of banks making it near impossible to ever get a loan.
Does any one else think that this somehow is just NOT RIGHT????
AMEX has maintained a black list of folks who default on their credit products for ever.
Not sure about the derog’s Chase might add from, say Bank One or WAMU.
Time to vote with your feet perhaps?
I just think it is utterly wrong. Everyone and every business makes risks, and mistakes during the course of your life. I did back 14 years ago, and so do businesses….Chase with the London Whale…lots of people taking haircuts, AM EX too with lots of bad deals in the past where investors suffered.
Our entire system is built THANKFULLY to allow for risks and to punish then redeem. If you default you are going to be PUNISHED dearly via higher rates, denied access to credit etc.
Blacklisting just seems a step too far. This is the first time that I heard of this. Yes your right, vote with your feet, but I see it becoming more and more difficult in this environment especially after the financial meltdown where MILLIONS of people lost their jobs through no fault of their own and had no choice but to take credit hits.
A suit was filed against me by Berman & Rabin PA. It was on a Bank of America credit card that went to collection in 08. It is being collected by FIA. I have been making $320. a month on a hardship program in December of last year the check for the payment wasn”t covered by the bank. I tried calling them to set the payments up again and never could reach them. My question is if I don’t go for the court appearance what will happen? Is this debt covered by the statue of limations? I live in Kansas. The amount of the debt is $2500.
If you do not show, they will get a default judgment. That could lead to wage garnishment, and bank account and property liens.
You likely have an SOL (statute of limitations) that starts with your last payment, which was December of 2013. The SOL is of little help to you.
Can you pull together money to settle this with FIA in a single lump sum?
First thank you . I.m on social security and I really can’t come up with the 2500. Do you think I should call and try to set up payment arrangements before I go to court?
You can call and set those up. Read through this post and many of the comments first: https://consumerrecoverynetwork.com/question/can-you-negotiate-and-settle-a-credit-card-debt-if-you-are-being-sued/
If social security is your only source of income, you may also want to read over this post too: https://consumerrecoverynetwork.com/question/social-security-pension-state-exemption-debt-collector-garnishment/ – If I have not yet covered the protections from creditors in your state in the comment section of this article, post the name of your state there and I will respond with what your state protects from judgment creditors (this is in case any payment option is too much of a stretch for you to commit to).
I have several items on my credit report from 5ish years ago. I am working on getting my credit cleaned up and I have a question. I have some old debts that I was hoping would be dropping off within the next year but the debts have been purchased by another agency. Does the 7.5 year clock reset when they purchase them or does it remain the same? My parents are getting harassing and pushy people calling all day long looking for me and I haven’t lived there in over a decade. I need to get them to stop.
I have considered bankruptcy, but after talking with an agency, I make to much money. What would be the best way to tackle clearing my credit report, I am feeling totally overwhelmed and feel like I am sinking.
The 7.5 year credit reporting time limit (for negative items to remain on your reports) begins with the first missed payment to the original creditor. You would have to bring the account current to reset that clock. Your account changing hands from one debt collector to the next, or one debt buyer selling to another, does not change how long the negative stuff related to the account can still show on your credit. And when the original creditors reporting falls off from age, all the other stuff, like debt collectors and debt buyers reporting about the same account, should drop at the same time. The exception to this is if you were sued and a judgment entered for a debt already on your credit report. The judgment has its own new shelf life on your credit report.
Your parents should not be receiving multiple or harassing phone calls. You can put a stop to this. What is the name of a nearby larger city? I can connect you with some resources, and they may be available at no cost.
If bankruptcy is not an option, lets look at other ways to resolve your debts. Post a reply with who you owe currently and the approximate balance on each debt. I can help you consider the dollars and cents of different solutions from there.
My Husband owes an apartment complex money from the year 2008. Will it always be on his credit report? Or will it fall off? I am trying to fix it and we are almost done. I need to know which is the best way to go. Wait to see if it falls off or just try and set up a payment plan, in whhich I don’t know if they even do that. But he owes right over 2,000$. Any help would be great!
That would make the collection 6 years old, and ready to fall off his credit reports as early as next year.
What are your family credit and financing goals in the next 12 to 18 months (home, car, new apartment)?
What state do you live in?
If you have private student loans (with a very high balance) that are charged off as bad debt and your 7.5 years are about a year away, would it be better to start paying them or wait for it to fall off? At the 7.5 year mark with they completely disappear?
Who were the loans with?
What state are you in?
Sallie Mae.
I live in California but my loans were secured when I lived legally in Florida and attended school in Mass. I am looking to buy a home and have a large amount of federal loan debt that recently got out of default and are currently in good standing. I am concerned that by contacting Sallie Mae I will be hurting myself because my debt owed will be very large.
What are the total balances for the private student loans showing on your credit reports now?
Are you working with a loan officer or a mortgage broker already?
I have two totaling 37k. I started the process but am on hold due to those loans being in default as directed by the mortgage broker.
If your payments are small enough so that your current income and expenses still fit within the qualified mortgage standards and recommended debt to income ratios, you should be fine. If not, wait out the credit reporting time lines. Ask your mortgage broker about how often they see old (8 or more years since last paid) student debt shows up in factuals and tri-merge reports underwriters use.
Hello Michael,
I live in Michigan, I had purchased a vehicle in Nov 2007, it was repossessed in Oct 2011, it shows that I have balance of $4065. I would like to know if I should try and pay this bill off, or wait to for it to drop off my credit report. Also, when would this drop from my credit report?
I’m just trying to make since of the whole restore your credit without going deeper into dept.
Thanks for any information that will help me in my situation.
You can be sued for collection on a debt like yours, the deficiency balance from the repossession in Michigan, for 6 years. Your collection risk is high until 2017. That same collection and repossession can remain on your credit report until some time in late 2018 to early 2019.
If it were me, and know the value of older collection debts, I would not look to pay the whole amount. I would look to settle the debt for as much a savings as I could negotiate. I do see settlements on deficiency from repo balances go lower than 50% often enough. And sometimes even under 30%.
How prepared are you to negotiate a pay the settlement you put together as of now?
From Illinois and my student loans are all Private. I have been unemployed for a long while and have defaulted on all loans. Will these loans fall off my credit report? The loans are from 2008?
Were you sued for any of the private student loans?
I have a collections account from October 2010 for a lease that was broken.I’m wondering if I wait it out ( the information is correct, I just cannot afford to pay a debt my ex ran up) will it basically fall off my report? I live in Tennessee. I haven’t been able to rent any kind of apartment because of this smudge even though I have 100% on time payments on my car loan as recent indicators of my good credit behavior. I’m already 4 years deep nearly and I currently rent from private homeowners. I’m just curious, they have not contacted me in any way since 2010and I’ve never made a so.gle payment or agreement. What is the likelihood they will sue me before those 3 yrs are finished?
I was thinking they possibly aren’t worried about it so much because I didn’t “spend money I didn’t have” I just got charged fees for an one month inconvenience.
The collection is only related to late fees or something similar?
How much is the amount in collections?
Is the debt still being collected by the creditor, or is there a debt collector now showing on your credit reports too?
Hi Michael,
I have been reading your posts and you have been a great help with others. Would you be able to assist me with my credit question? In June 2009 I voluntary gave my my vehicle for repossession. The name of the creditor was Americredit, which is now GM Financial. The total amount of the loan was around $20,000. The car was sold, which left a remaining balance of around $12,000. I had one late payment in March 2009 which was 30 days past due. In May of 2012, I decided to pay off my old debts. This auto loan being one of them. I called and made a one time payment of $50.00 and told them I would send in as much as I could to get the balance to zero. Later that day, I was told not to pay anymore on it because I didn’t have all the money up front and they can reage my account on my credit reports, so I decided not to pay anything else. Fast Foward…Now I am looking to purchase a home and was advised to pay off the balance. If I pay the balance, I will not have any money for a down payment for my home. Will this age off my credit by March 2016 or May 2019? I am trying to figure out if I should just suck it up and pay it or wait til it ages off my report. Any advice you give would be very helpful!
Thanks
From what you shared, the repossession can stay on your credit report for as long as late 2016. That 50 dollars you paid would not reage your account for credit reporting purposes.
If you want to purchase a home before the account falls off your credit, you will probably have to suck it up and pay. But probably not the full amount.
Who is it that is collecting now?
Have you had a loan application put through yet?
Hi Michael,
Thank you for your quick response! GM financial still holds my account. I did submit a loan application and was told that my middle score was 600 and I need a 640 in order to be approved for a mortgage. The loan officer said I have to pay/settle the balance or wait until it ages off my credit report. Do you think I should just save and wait for it to age off to ensure I have a better credit score?
If it were me making that same decision, it may depend on how strong my income is, and whether the amount I would have to pay to settle, let’s assume half, is something I could replace relatively quickly.
My thoughts would also move toward what home prices in the area I want to buy are doing, and if they are on an upward trend, even a little, the math starts to favor settling for as little as possible in order to get the credit report updated.
I was sent papers from a collection agency saying they are taking me to small claims for checks that were non sufficient and from a car dealer that I know nothing about…it says the charges occurred in 2005 and this is the first I am hearing of any of these against my credit…and non of them are any that I accrued myself…what should I do??????
When you say “against your credit”, do you mean you see these collections on your credit reports? Were you ever a victim of identity theft? Please pull copies of your credit reports, post what you see, and lets go from there.
I went through a foreclosure in May 2013, and the creditor issued a 1099-C. Which I reported on my income taxes for 2014. The creditor lists the trade line on my credit reports as a charge off with a $95,000 balance. Shouldn’t the balance be $0? This seems like I’m getting dinged twice. I had to pay taxes on the 1099-C to the IRS, and still owe the original creditor $95,000. How is this right?
Please consider filing a credit reporting complaint with the CFPB here: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/.
Please post an update with how your progress along the way. This is a very important topic for others as well.
Hi, during a divorce in 2010 I wanted to sell the marital home which was in both names, however, my ex wanted to keep it and the dang Judge agreed with him and gave him “full custody” so to speak. She said there were enough homes at that time being sold for under value and because he showed he could afford it, against my wishes, he was ordered “sole” custody of the home. I was not allowed there at all and there was to be a appointee to check in the home each year. Well within the 1st year I went to buy a new home, I had no idea what was happening there, and I did buy a new home, but at the same week I closed on my current home i found out he had moved out and walked away. I had absolutely no idea. I hired an attorney and real estate agent to try to do the right thing and short sale, however, by the time his lawyer got back to us it was too late in a sherriff sale. Now I just lost my job and need to pull equity from my new home or refinance to be able to stay and there is a $35,000 collection on my credit report. this is not allowing me to move forward. Yes my name was on the last mortgage, but only because a judge ordered it to be, and I am wondering if there is anything I can do to get this removed from my credit report? I had no idea my ex had even moved out and I feel I had tried to do the right thing from divorce to sale and by other peoples choices, (judge) and his lawyer I am getting screwed. I feel this is discrimination. I pay my bills.
Can I get collections account removed from my credit report on my ex’s foreclosure
You are stuck in a hard place here. Many options you can explore are going to take time and money, and you are short on both.
Sue your ex for the money = time and money.
Settle the 35k balance = money.
Dispute with the credit reporting agencies = time spent on a hail-Mary that would likely trigger less savings were you to settle.
What are you inclined to do?
How much time do you have?
I have a student loan (Alaska State Loan) that I defaulted on back in 2007. I was able to make payment arrangements through the collection agency and have been paying monthly on time every time. I just checked my annual free credit reports from all 3 bureaus and none of them have that debt on there! I was married last year and I did not update my name with the collector as I just didn’t want to talk to them. Could that be the reason it is not there or do you think it is because it has been long enough to be removed? If it has been long enough while I know I still owe this debt, can they sue me? I currently live in North Dakota but the original debt was when I was an Alaska Resident. Thanks for your help.
I do not think the name change from the marriage had anything to do with it falling off your credit reports. It is more likely due to the 7 year time frame passing.
The majority of student loan debts simply do not go away. You may not get sued, but your tax return (if loan was federally guaranteed) could be intercepted, and even social security be affected, many years down the road.
Are the payments to the collection company still manageable? Can you afford to pay even more?
can debt collector come after me, after it has been delected of my credit report. can they still ganish my check or take money from my bank account because i still receive call from them. eventhough the account as been delected after 7years.
Legitimate debts do not go away after they fall off your credit reports. They are still able to be collected upon through phone calls and collection letters. This type of debt is often referred to as zombie debt, as it cannot hurt your credit, and the limits to legitimately be sued by a collection company has passed in nearly all states… if the 7 year credit reporting time has lapsed.
An exception is if you have been sued. Collections risks like garnishment and bank account levy can persist for 20 years or more in some states. Once a judgment, or the collection account that later became a judgment, falls off your credit reports, it does not limit the extra ordinary collection methods the debt collector has to get money from you.
What state are you in? Are you dealing with a judgment debt? Did a debt collector call and threaten you with legal collections on an old debt?
I have a couple of problems with my credit report. I have an old item from Verizon for 300 that is on my report. I have paid this in full and asked them to remove. They did not. This has been some time ago. Would I stand a better chance asking again? Also, I have a collection from a credit card that originated in 2005. It was turned over to Portfolio Recovery in 2011. The date on my report from Portfolio states 2011, not 2005 from the original debtor. Is this correct. If the default was 2005, does the 7 year rule apply and it should be removed? I there than that I own a home and have a car loan. I have one credit card with a very low limit. Several years ago I closed everything out (which was a mistake on my credit report) How do I get my credit report number to bump up a date how long will it take? Thanks
Negative credit reporting can stay for 7 years. You can ask again, but they do not have to remove the paid negative. Was it Verizon you paid directly, or did you work that all out with a debt collector?
Portfolio Recovery should not be reporting that collection account if it went delinquent more than 7.5 years ago. Can you recall the date you last made a payment on the account? Who was the original creditor, and do they show on your credit reports still?
Are there other collections on your credit report?
How long have you had your mortgage? Any lat pays on that? How about your auto loan?
I can better offer feedback about credit improvement after I have those answers?
I paid Verizon directly. It has been a while since I asked them to remove from my credit report.
HSBC Bank in Nevada is the original creditor for Portfolio Recovery. HSBC is also on my credit report with an open date of 11/2005 but they show $0 past due amount because the credit was sold to Portfolio. I have not made a payment since at least 2012.
I have had my mortgage for about 5 years. I have had my car loan for 2. I have been late on my house but not the car.
I don’t have any other collections or open court records on my credit report.
I do have several inquiries that hurt my score. Some of them I know what they are but some I have neverh heard of. Who can inquire about my credit?
Thanks for any help you can lend.
You could try a good will letter to Verizon requesting the deletion, but success is a long shot.
I read your first comment to say that the account PRA is showing on your credit reports was last paid in 2005. I could read this follow up comment to say that the HSBC account went into default in 2012.
The credit reporting limit of 7 years is for negative reporting. The clock does not tick based on the account open date. Can you clarify the date of last payment to HSBC?
There is a difference between hard and soft inquiries. Soft inquiries will more often be made by current creditors, or potential creditors who want to solicit people for new credit offers. Debt collectors can show as soft credit pulls too.
Hard inquiries are typically the result of you applying for credit. Are there hard inquiries that you do not recognize?