 TITLE: How Long Does a Late Mortgage Payment Affect Your Credit? CONTENT: How a late payment affects your credit depends on several factors, including the type of credit score involved and your overall credit history. Here are some typical outcomes of a late payment:\n*   A late payment could remain on your credit reports for as long as seven years and hurt your credit score the whole time.\n*   A late payment will cause a more severe decline in your credit score if you have an excellent credit score versus a poor one.\n*   Missing several payments in a row will damage your credit more than missing only one payment. And notably, missing several mortgage payments could result in foreclosure, which is one of the most damaging negative marks on your credit.\n*   Late payments on several accounts can do more harm than a late payment on just one account.\nOver time, the effect of a late payment on your credit fades. If you responsibly make on-time payments on all your debt obligations going forward, you could see your credit scores bounce back to where they were before you missed a mortgage payment. END