My wife and I are very close to applying for a mortgage but I'm wondering if anyone could provide tips on how I can improve my middle FICO score, which is currently 654 (TU). I've cleaned up the TU report as mcuh as I can. Two of the three credit cards have a zero balance, while the third has a $32 balance on a $1300 credit limit. My student loans are current. Unfortunately, my score has been hurt by late payments to a Target/TD credit card and a Capital One credit card in mid-2012. I sent goodwill letters to both, but they both stated they could not change accurate reporting.I thought I could get Capital One to delete some late payments since I was making payments during the time period, but was not paying the balance in full. I eventually caught up but no until I had eight late payments on my credit report. What can I do?
