| Any entry can remain on your report for 7 years, unpaid or otherwise. If a collector has the debt, they can keep making entries and they too will stay for 7 years. Not fair, but they can do it.
The Statute of Limitations for suing to collect a debt is THREE years in MD for credit cards. Once the SOL has expired they cannot sue you to collect. However, they may try, and all you have to do if that happens is go to court and cite the expiration of the SOL as your defense.. it will be dismissed. The SOL clock starts when an account first goes unpaid, so having proof of the last time you paid is beneficial.
Old debt, if inactive, will fall off your credit report in 7 years. That doesn't mean collection action isn't possible, people get calls 10 years and more later from collectors !
Held against an estate ? Are you referring to the estate of a deceased person ? Any creditor has a certain amount of time in which to file a claim against the deceased's estate. If they miss the window, they're out of luck. If there are liens, they will be taken out of the estate.
Judgements last forever.. basically. In MD, the SOL for judgements is 12 years, and they can be renewed over and over, so you never get rid of them unless you file for bankrtupcy, then the debt is dismissed and the judgment can be vacated. | 
06-11-2002, 05:30 PM
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