Chapter 7 & 13:How long will negative information remain on my credit report?

It depends on the type of negative information. Here's the basic breakdown of how long different types of negative information will remain on your credit report:

• Late payments: 7 years
• Bankruptcies: 7 years for completed Chapter 13 bankruptcies and 10 years for Chapter 7 bankruptcies.
• Foreclosures: 7 years
• Collections: Generally, about 7 years, depending on the age of the debt being collected.

Keep in mind:
For all of these negative items, the older they are the less impact they are going to have on your FICO^® score. For example, a collection that is 5 years old will hurt much less than a collection that is 5 months old.