... large given the size of the population, perhaps the more impressivenumbers relate to the growth in the proportion of the population using credit. For the past 35 years,federal policy in the U.S. ... encouraged the credit industry to make credit and other financial services available to a broader segment of the U.S. population. The result of these public policieshas been a dramatic increase in credit ... put, the fewer late payments, the better the score. Further, Fair Isaac indicates that if there are latepayments, those that are most recent are more indicative of future default than those thatoccurred...