How long do negative items stay on a credit report?
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that most negative credit items remain on your credit bureau file for no more than seven years, except for bankruptcy, which can be reported for up to ten years and in rare cases even longer. Inquiries may remain on a credit report for up to two years. It is important to note that these 2, 7 and 10 year terms are the time limits for reporting negative credit. Your creditors or the credit bureaus can choose to have the negative credit information deleted whenever there is a reason to do so.
