Hi, and welcome to the forums.
Yes, I know this from personal experience. If the credit card company continues to report your CL, then the balance you have with the card, even closed, will affect your utilization. This thread explains the effects of closing cards, and it doesn't matter if they were closed by you or the credit grantor:
http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Closi
As you pay those accounts down, you should expect to see an increase in scores. Best wishes.
Starting Scores for 2013: EQ 723, TU 735, EX Credit Sesame 751
Current Scores: EQ 733, TU 724 (05/01/2013), EX Credit Sesame 725 (05/08/2013)
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