A while back someone here said something about calling Amex, after which they reduced that dreadful full month between the end of statement cycle and reporting to the CRAs. I didn't quiet catch the details to which the poster was referring, but today I called Amex myself.
That month is correct, and it's done in order to weed out complications from transactions from charges posted throughout the statement cycle. There is one pleasant exception though. If your statement has been paid in full by the 30th of the calendar month, Amex will report to the CRAs on that day.
Not only is this good news for me because the card in question is the one that DW and I use for having just one card report, but the call also reflects the high level of service that you get from Amex. The customer service person was knowledgeable, friendly and clear.
On the other hand, I just realized that DW's Costco Amex statement mid-July was at $0, and we have yet to see Amex report that.
I think I'll try to PIF our shared Amex on the day following the end of the cycle later this month to see how that goes.
Always one more glimpse of hope ahead. 
