refinancing these days requires that your account be current, and that there be no late (30-day) payments within the last 12 months, for the most part. therefore, if you've been 30 days late recently, your chances of obtaining a new loan to refinance are lessened. when you refinance, if there are overdue late charges, etc., as you mentioned, they would need to be paid at the time of the refinance. you may certainly pay those prior to the new loan, but as long as you qualify for the loan in general, they can be paid at the time of the refinancing transaction.