My credit has been steadily improving (thanks to the info I found in these forums) in an attempt to get ready for a mortgage this summer. I pulled my credit reports yesterday and was perusing the inquiries. Everything with my hard inquiries looked in order. Then, I noticed Portfolio Recovery's name as I was reviewing the soft inquiries that only you can see, and this is what I came across in my EX report:
Account name PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOC
01/28/2017 01/07/2017 12/30/2016 12/21/2016 12/05/2016 12/04/2016 11/29/2016 03/19/2016 11/04/2015 10/22/2015 10/21/2015 09/22/2015 09/20/2015 09/08/2015 08/30/2015 08/23/2015 08/12/2015 08/11/2015 08/03/2015 05/17/2015 05/14/2015 05/12/2015 05/01/2015 03/18/2015 03/14/2015 02/27/2015 02/19/2015 02/15/2015 02/14/2015
Those are all of the times they've looked at my EX credit report. I got rid of them via an attorney a couple of years ago and their account fell off my credit report. I thought I was through with them once and for all. Apparently not. They also show up on my TU report in January with a soft pull. I feel like they are looking at my credit so often because they are waiting on the right moment to strike again (e.g., during my impending mortgage app). I should note that they are outside of the SOL for my state (GA), but I know how some of the CA's will still try to come at you during the mortgage process to get you to pay. I read on here that it's a good idea to do a mortgage app a little earlier than you actually plan on buying so that you can give yourself some time to take care of any CA that pops up out of the woodwork. I was planning on applying at the beginning of June for a mid- to late-July closing (my lease is up the first week in August). Now I'm thinking I may need to apply in mid-May just to see if they, or anyone else, pops up that I'll need to take care of.
Has anyone had any experience with this kind of scenario? Specifically, how far in advance of your intended date for buying or closing did you apply for your mortgage? I'm really just trying to do one app rather than a fake mortgage app now and a real one later becuase I don't want that hard inquiry (from the fake mortgage app) potentially bringing my score down. I've just managed to get my FICO8 EX and EQ scores up to 720 and 722 respectively. I just got a 7 point bump on my TU FICO8 today to bring it to 670. All of my FICO mortgage scores are between 700-712. I'm so close to where I need to be that I don't want to jeapordize my hard won increases.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Current - FICO 3/2019: EX(753); EQ(763); TU(749)
Beginning - FICO 7/2014: EX(630); EQ(608); TU(581)
Credit: Wells Fargo Home Projects Charge Card ($7,800); Wells Fargo Home Rebate Visa ($4,000); Capital One Quicksilver ($10,000); Capital One Venture ($6,000); Discover it ($7,900); Macy's ($20,000); BrandsMart ($4,000); Banana Republic ($1,200); Lowes ($12,000); Amex Everyday ($30,000); Macy's Amex ($15,000); Amex Platinum (NPSL); Citi Diamond Preferred ($9,000); Chase Freedom ($9,000); Wells Fargo Outdoor Solutions ($10,000); SunTrust HELOC ($25,000)
