If you have late payments on your credit report, you know how heavy they feel. I was there too.
I remember applying for a mortgage and being told my late payments made me too much of a risk. It was embarrassing, and I felt hopeless. I thought those late payments were locked in for seven years and there was nothing I could do.
Then I discovered the truth. Late payments are only permanent if they are reported in full compliance with the law. Most of the time, they are not. That means they can be permanently deleted, even if the payments were actually late.
Once my out-of-compliance late payments were removed, my score jumped, my mortgage application was approved, and I was finally able to move into the home I had been working toward.
I have seen the same thing happen for others too — people stuck with late payments for years who suddenly qualified for credit cards, car loans, or business funding once those marks were gone.
You are not stuck. Late payments do not have to define your financial future.