I've been looking into this issue and saw that comment 2 of the OSC to 1026.41(b) refers the reader to comment 1 of the OSC to 1026.7(b)(11)for an explanation of "courtesy period."
"7(b)(11) Due Date; Late Payment Costs
1. Informal periods affecting late payments. Although the terms of the account agreement
may provide that a card issuer may assess a late payment fee if a payment is not received by a certain date, the card issuer may have an informal policy or practice that delays the assessment of the late payment fee for payments received a brief period of time after the date upon which a card issuer has the contractual right to impose the fee. A card issuer must disclose the due date according to the legal obligation between the parties, and need not consider the end of an informal “courtesy period” as the due date under §1026.7(b)(11)."
This part of Reg. Z applies to periodic statements for open-end credit that are not secured by real estate.
I think the language in the CFPB's small entity guide is referring to what we normally call the "grace period." Mortgage payment due on the first of the month but late charge will be assessed if payment not received by the fifteenth of the month. The language I highlighted in red does not seem to say that.
The CFPB's sample statement had a billing cycle end date of 3/19/12 and the statement was dated 3/20/12 with a 4/1/12 payment due date.
http://www.bankersonline.com/regs/12-1026/h30a.pdfIf the late charge would have been assessed on 3/16/12 in the previous billing cycle, is this why the CFPB's sample statement is dated 3/20/12?