The Seemingly Esoteric Meaning of "Paid Up and Closed".

Most, if not all financial institutions have a gnarly way of injuring their clientele and getting away with it because said clientele feels small when compared to the mighty money-printers. I used to bank solely with Standard Bank, but stopped doing so about 6 years ago when they sicked a debt collection agency on me while I was going through a difficult time. I understand, it's just business, albeit bad business, but one can't help the times one is born into. I paid off and closed all of of my accounts with Standard Bank. For a year I've been living debt free , having in fact paid all of my debts off. I really thought that was a good thing, until I tried to apply for finance again.

Turns out I can't even open a retail account. I looked into it and discovered that this was because Standard Bank had failed to close my revolving credit account, an account that obviously was linked to my current account with them. Therefore both accounts have remained open for a little over a year and have hurt my credit rating sorely. It being the case that I no longer bank with Standard, I had no way of knowing this until applying for financial aid.

I reported the problem about three weeks ago and it still doesn't seem to have been resolved. Standard Bank does have paid-up letters for all of those old accounts and so do I. So I ask:

1. How long does it take to close a defunct account? And... 2. Is there any way in which Standard Bank can repair the damage they've done to my credit score?

I have been very patient, given the circumstances. There is only so much one can take and there are only so many avenues one can take to vent one's frustration when it comes to these financial giants.