Credit Score Rise Because of Dispute?

[bpohl93]

So, Midland agreed to delete two accounts that I had paid earlier in the year. I put the dispute in a couple days ago, and today I got a SW notification that the accounts status had changed to "in dispute", but I also noticed that my score had risen by about ten points. Is this normal? They are shown as follows:

Account opened: 5/2009
Description: Consumer disputes - reinvestigation in process
Paid collection

	Previously reported	Newly reported
Balance:	$0	$0
Past due:	$0	$0
Status:	At least 120 days or more than four payments past due	At least 120 days or more than four payments past due
Last activity:	10/1/2008	10/1/2008
Description:	Paid collection	Consumer disputes - reinvestigation in process Paid collection

Contact: MIDLAND CREDIT MANAGEMENT, 8875 Aero Dr Ste 200, San Diego, CA, 921232255

MIDLAND CREDIT MANAGEMENT  (XXXXXX7794)

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Account opened: 12/2010
Description: Consumer disputes - reinvestigation in process
Paid collection

	Previously reported	Newly reported
Balance:	$0	$0
Past due:	$0	$0
Status:	At least 120 days or more than four payments past due	At least 120 days or more than four payments past due
Last activity:	10/1/2008	10/1/2008
Description:	Paid collection	Consumer disputes - reinvestigation in process Paid collection

[llecs]

SW will alert you to credit changes and will often check the score at that moment too. When I first subscribed, I always thought that the credit alert result in the score change, or in your case, the dispute would have led to the 10 points. I learned that this wasn't true when I got an alert that I received 20 points because I added an inquiry. The gain was due to a dropped baddie that SW won't alert you to. In other words, the gain could be caused by almost anything. Now that's not to say that this couldn't be the cause.

In the case of disputes, FICO will ignore certain aspects of OC TLs only. CAs and PRs are not impacted per FICO scoring in a dispute. However, I've seen at least one confirmed example in here where a CA coded itself to mimic an OC (and even factored into util). Is MCM doing this? I dunno. Hard telling. If it were true then the CA is completely being ignored in that extreme example and I'd guess more of a 10 point gain if true. I'd look at the fallback of your util changes, added accounts, a disputed OC, etc.