Paying off old debts is no longer bad for your credit scores

It used to be that if you had an old debt that was unpaid and then paid it, it would drastically drop your credit score. According to Liz Pulliam Weston this glitch has been corrected. If you settle a debt make sure that the creditor will change the status on your credit report from unpaid collection to a paid collection. Leaving it as an unpaid collection can wreak havoc on your credit score. Believe it or not a paid collection is looked at as a positive mark for your credit score. You don't need to try to get a paid as agreed, most creditors wont want to give you that anyway.

Debt Settlement Negotiation