 TITLE: What You Need to Know About the New FICO<sup>®<\/sup> 10 Scores CONTENT: Delinquencies Will Hurt Scores More Under FICO® 10\n--------------------------------------------------\nDelinquencies on your credit reports occur when you miss payments on your credit obligations. Lenders generally report these late payments to the credit bureaus once you have gone at least 30 days past the due date. Late payments on your credit reports can lead to lower credit scores for many years, regardless of the scoring model or generation of credit score.\nWith the FICO® Score 10 Suite, the impact of late payments is more pronounced than with prior FICO® Score versions. This means consumers who miss payments are likely to experience a more severe drop in their credit scores under FICO® 10 than under previous FICO® scoring models.\nThe best way to avoid the impact of late payments is to make all your payments on time—no exceptions. Setting up autopay to send even just minimum payments ahead of the due date will go a long way toward keeping your scores in good shape (and you can always add a larger payment during the month as well). Staying current on your obligations is a great way to build and maintain solid credit scores, regardless of the scoring model. END