 TITLE: How Long Does a Late Mortgage Payment Affect Your Credit? CONTENT: How to Recover From a Late Mortgage Payment\n-------------------------------------------\nIf you've made a late mortgage payment, don't let it get you down. There are a number of things you can do to get your credit back in shape:\n*   **Pay all of your bills on time, in addition to your mortgage.** Payment history makes up 35% of your FICO® Score☉ , so a long history of on-time payments help undo credit damage caused by a missed mortgage payment.\n*   **Stay on top of your credit utilization ratio.** This ratio compares the total amount of credit available to you with the amount of credit you're using. A lower ratio is better. Typically, it's best to ensure your utilization ratio stays under 30%, but the lower, the better. Credit utilization constitutes 30% of your FICO® Score.\n*   **Bring current any past-due accounts.** Late payments will continue to drag down your scores if they keep piling up. If you've already missed one payment, bring an account current before another late payment is added to your credit history.\n*   **Call for backup.** When you're running into trouble paying your mortgage or other bills, it might be worthwhile to visit with a certified credit counselor, work out a debt management plan to wipe out your debt or take out a debt consolidation loan. END