 TITLE: How to Deal With Debt Collectors CONTENT: Check Your Credit Report\n------------------------\nIf a creditor has recently charged off one of your debts, it's entirely possible that the collection agency hasn't reported it to the credit reporting agencies yet. Check your credit reports now. If it's not there, you may be able to satisfy the debt before it ever shows up on your reports.\nContact the collector and arrange for swift payment. This will really be advantageous if the debt was for something not normally recorded on credit reports, such as doctor or hospital bills. If it was for a credit card or loan, however, the late payments that preceded it going into collections will be listed on your reports until they age away, which takes seven years. END