Question about paid as settled

Is it a settled account before or after the charge off. Settling is still not paid as agreed.

I went to collections and I settled on an amount to pay that was less than the full amount

Every lender has different underwriting criteria -- some lenders go purely by score and don't even look at the actual tradelines.

A paid collection (albeit "settled") does give you a better score than an unpaid collection, but the fact that the account went to collections in the first place is derogatory and hurts your score dramatically.

As an underwriter, I'm usually willing to overlook paid collections. Some people run into problems in their life (loss of job, medical problems, etc) which cause them to go delinquent. When I see paid collections, it tells me that the person at least took responsibility and eventually made good on their obligations.

"Settling" is not the same as "paying". The purpose of the entry on your report is a warning to other creditors that you do not pay as agreed.

By the way: you are the debtor. The party that gives you credit is the creditor.

PS for the purposes of my last post, I am a creditor, not a debtor, and I make underwriting decisions as to whom my company will give loans to.