I'll try to explain as best I can.
I had a Time Warner debt go to a collections agency in 2007. It was for about $600. I paid it, not thinking (i should have had them promise to remove it - oh well).
The collections agency is CMI (CREDIT MANAGEMENT LP).
Long story short, speaking with B of A the other day about an increase on my credit line, the guy asked me what was up with the "open" collections account from CMI.
My USAA credit monitor (via experian, but pulls all 3 bureaus), shows this account as CLOSED.