How to remove "Authorized User" account?

[Robert7]

O.K. I need some help here. I'm trying to remove an "authorized user" account from my credit report. My wife (girlfriend at the time) got me an additional card in my name on her Sears Card account. I've read quite a bit lately on the issues surrounding "authorized users" and my rights, however I've yet to find the exact answer to my problem.

I recentley filed chapter 7 (not my wife), but on the advice of a lawyer did not include this account in my petition. I was told that this was not my debt and that I wasn't contractually obligated to the debt, and that including it could jeopardize my wife's credit. Today, I called Sears to have my name removed from the account and for them to properly report this to the credit bureaus. They removed my name from the account and stated that they would report this to the bureaus, but that the account would not be deleted from my credit reports. They said that the account would show all pertinent activity from the day the account opened until today, being the day I requested that my name be removed. Is this correct? My understanding is that I have the right to have this account completely removed from my credit reports. If so, how to I go about doing this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Robert7

[HHM]

My understanding is that I have the right to have this account completely removed from my credit reports.

Unfortunately you're not alone in this belief, it is one of the biggest misconceptions about credit reporting.

The fact that you had the account will be reported for some time after the account is closed, and if the account has any negative history associated with it, that account and the negative history can be reported for up to 7 years. The only thing that changes is the notations on the account. Remember, your credit report is your "credit history".

Also, if the account is in good standing, you don't want to close it so you can benefit from that positive history.

Finally, the other misconception is that closing old accounts improve your credit score, the opposite occurs more often because if you close an old account, you shorten you credit history, one of the major factors in credit risk scoring is the length of your credit history.

[Diane143]

This is how I got myself removed from Sears after my hubby charged it off. It can be done. I was an AU. Do not go to Sears to get it removed. Have your wife remove you as an authorized user? Wait a month and dispute "not my account" with the credit B. It is probably be removed.

However, you may not benefit from it being removed unless there is a very large balance on it.