FEDERAL LAW · PRIMARY SOURCE
How Long Negative Items Stay on Your Report
Fair Credit Reporting Act · 15 U.S.C. § 1681c
Most negative items (late payments, charge-offs, repossessions, collections) must be removed after 7 years. Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays for 10 years. The clock starts from the date of first delinquency, not the charge-off date.
Primary Statute
Fair Credit Reporting Act
15 U.S.C. § 1681c
Section 605 prohibits reporting most adverse information after 7 years from the date of first delinquency. Chapter 7 bankruptcies may be reported for 10 years from the filing date. Chapter 13 bankruptcies are reportable for 7 years. The period runs from original delinquency, not when the account was charged off.
https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/fair-credit-reporting-act