They aren't removed from your credit history for seven years after a creditor or collection agency stops reporting your debt -- not seven years after you incurred the debt.

If you don't have recent copies of your credit reports, you should get them. They're available, for free, from AnnualCreditReport.com. Those reports show the status of accounts and the last time creditors reported bad debts. That's when the seven-year clock starts.

To speed the process along, consider credit counseling. Members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling can negotiate reduced payments so you can clean your slate and take control of rebuilding your credit.