If you've racked up a lot of debt, missed payments, or made late payments, there's no way to erase this information from your credit record. Any late payment can stay on your credit rating for up to seven years, even if you've completely paid off the creditor. What you can do is take stock of your money matters and start working to pay off your debts. If you start keeping meticulous financial records and paying off all your debts on time now, your credit rating should be golden in a few years.

Source:http://www.credit-factor.com