 TITLE: How Is Your Credit Score Determined? CONTENT: Payment History\n---------------\nYour payment history, as it appears in your credit report, is typically the most important category in determining your credit scores. Within this category, the scoring models consider:\n*   **On-time payments**: A history of paying your bills on time is good for your credit scores.\n*   **Late payments**: Payments made over 30 days late will typically be reported by your lender and hurt your credit scores. How far behind you are on a bill payment, the number of accounts that show late payments and whether you've brought the accounts current are all factors.\n*   **Public records**: Filing bankruptcy can significantly hurt your credit scores.\nThe Fair Credit Reporting Act dictates how long negative information can stay on your credit report. Most negative marks, including late payments, last for up to seven years. Bringing past-due accounts current could help your scores, but negative marks may continue to have an impact for as long as they remain on your credit reports. END