I was reading this sticky thread and found this to be interesting because it explains why utilization was used against me as a reason for "less than favorable APR". Number one applies to me (and was the missing piece to my calculations)
@fused wrote:
- If a closed CC account with a balance continues to report the original credit limit, then both the balance and the CL of the closed account will be used in the utilization calculations.
- If a closed CC account is reporting a zero CL, even if there is a balance on the CC, the card will not be included in the calculations.
- If a closed CC account is reporting a non-zero CL but has a zero balance, the card will not be included in the calculations.
- If a closed account reports a CL that is equal to the balance (balance chasing), then this will be included in the calculations. This is the worst-case scenario with regard to utilization.