The higher you credit balance goes, the more damage it will do to your credit score. Pay All Your Bills On Time According to credit experts, an estimated 35% of your credit score is based on payment history. By consistently paying your bills on time, whether they are credit cards or utility bills, insurance premiums, parking tickets and even library fines, your credit score will be further enhanced. If a person did not have a satisfactory credit score before bankruptcy, he or she will definitely have a tough time rebuilding their credit score, and rehabilitating their financial base within a reasonable period of time. But if you are confident of repairing your financial image , and you're confident of rebounding from your financial troubles, bankruptcy should not be a ghost that will keep haunting you for years, as long as you take concrete steps to change your wasteful financial habits, and improve your loan repayment capabilities. Having to many accounts also does damage to your credit score, because your score is usually affected by the difference between the available credit and the credit that s being used. Shutting-off an old account only helps to make your credit report look young and fresh, but the damage has already been done before. Avoid Getting Extra Credit Cards If you can live with just one credit card, then by all means remain happy with only one card at your disposal. Avoid signing-up for the various credit card offerings you receive in the mail, as well as from the department store or mall clerks who want you to sign up for store discount cards. Mounting Utility Bills Paint a Bad Credit History While late payments on utility, cable TV and telephone bills are not often reported to credit agencies, a number of US states actually report these types of delinquencies to collections agencies. However, for those who pay their utility bills on time, this practice may actually do a lof of help in enhancing their credit rating. The information submitted by your creditors to these credit reporting bureaus include date of account opening, type of accounts, payment history for each account, late payments, unpaid child support, overdrawn checks, or any foreclosures, suits, wage attachments, liens and bankruptcies that are derived from federal and state agencies.