Derogatory public record or collection filed

FICO code numbers

Code numbers can differ by bureau and score version. The wording of the statement is what to match.

What puts this reason on your score

Third-party collections and bankruptcy filings both count. FICO Score 8 disregards collections with an original amount under $100, and the bureaus no longer report paid medical collections or medical collections under $500.

Paid collections still count against classic mortgage FICO and FICO 8. FICO Score 9 and the FICO 10 suite disregard collections reported as paid in full. That's why the same paid collection can trigger this code on a mortgage score and not on a newer one.

What to check on your credit report

• List every collection with its original creditor, original amount, balance and date of first delinquency.
• Check for the same debt reported by two collectors.
• Confirm that paid medical collections and medical collections under $500 aren't showing.

What you can do about it

• Dispute collections that aren't yours, are duplicates, or show the wrong amount or dates.
• If you don't recognize a debt, request validation from the collector.
• Weigh paying an accurate collection against the score you care about. A newer score version may improve once it's paid, while a classic mortgage score may not.

The free letter builder can help with this step.

How soon a change can show

Collections can stay seven years from the original delinquency, and bankruptcies up to ten. A correction shows once the bureau updates the item.

If you are applying for a mortgage

Ask the lender before you pay or dispute collections mid-application. Under Fannie Mae's rules, disputing an accurate account can push a loan out of automated approval, so dispute only real errors.

Guides that go deeper

• How collections affect your score in FICO 8, 9, 10, and VantageScoreThe same collection can count fully, count less, or not count at all depending on the score version. A model-by-model look at paid, settled, and medical debt.
• Debt validation: your right to make a collector prove the debtFederal law gives you 30 days after a collector's validation notice to dispute in writing and force it to pause. How the clock works and what to send.
• Medical debt on credit reports: the rules in force in 2026The federal medical debt ban was struck down in 2025. What still protects you in 2026: bureau policies, newer scores, state laws and hospital aid rules.
• What your credit score reason codes are telling youReason codes list what held your score back the most, in order. What the common ones mean, which you can act on, and which to leave alone.