If a consumer becomes delinquent, within how many days must the credit card lender report the delinquency to the credit bureau?

A credit card lender is required to report a consumer's delinquency to credit bureaus after the consumer has been 30 days late on their payment. However, the widely accepted practice in the industry is that the lenders typically wait until the account reaches 90 days past due before reporting it as a serious delinquency. This means that while the account may be labeled "delinquent" earlier, the formal reporting that negatively impacts the consumer's credit score occurs after this 90-day mark. This timeframe is crucial as it allows the consumer a reasonable period to catch up on their payments before a serious impact on their credit report is recorded. In this light, the 90-day reporting standard highlights the balance between providing consumers with a fair opportunity to address delinquencies while also maintaining accurate and timely credit information within the credit system.