Unexpected score jump, please explain.

[750orbust]

TAXMASTERS (XXXXXXXXXXXXX4679)
Account opened: 2/2008
Description: Consumer disputes this account information
Paid charge off
Account closed by credit grantor
Previously reported Newly reported
Balance: $0
Past due: $0 $0
Status: Bad Debt; Placed for collection; Bad Debt; Placed for collection;
Last activity: 3/1/2008 3/1/2008
High credit: $799 $695
Description: Consumer disputes this account information
Paid charge off
Account closed by credit grantor
Amount in high credit is original charge-off amount Consumer disputes this account information
Paid charge off
Account closed by credit grantor

So I got a SW alert stating that my Fico score has gone up. It said it went up because of changes to the above account. I disputed this simply to try my luck at getting it deleted but apparently all they did was update the high balance amount to a lower number. Anyways my EQ score jumped from 653 to 680 because of this. I'm not complaining at all but I'm not ready to celebrate just yet because that seems like an awfully big jump for an update to a five year old bad account. Any ideas why this happened? I'm about to apply for a mortgage and plan on calling EQ to have them remove the dispute comments so will doing that bring my score back down? Thanks in advance.

[750orbust]

I forgot to mention that I also got a huge FAKO jump on my EX CR. It jumped from 621 to 670! I'm assuming that jump came from the same activity above since that account is on all three reports. I didn't dispute this account to anybody but EQ so apparently the creditor updated this to all three bureaus so could this mean that maybe this score increase is here to stay?

[tifacola]

I think that's only because you are disputing it.  

[guiness56]

What was the basis for the dispute?

It is more than likely the dispute that caused your score to go up.  When an OC account is in dispute certain aspects of the TL are removed from scoring.  This includes the CL, balance and payment history.  Since this TL is paid and has no balance then it is the payment history that was removed.

When the dispute is resolved it will go back to pre-dispute score or up or down if they change and/or update anything.

[750orbust]

I get what you're saying Guiness, but 26 points on EQ (myfico) and 49 points (experian fako) just for 5 YEAR OLD payment history being temporally removed? That seems like a lot of points for such old history being removed. If it was a year or two old I could understand but this account is FIVE years old! I'm sure you're right but that really blows my mind.

[guiness56]

Is it your only negative? 

[750orbust]

No it's not.

When I disputed this I also disputed a collection that I paid but they never updated to a zero balance but that shouldn't affect my fido score and my SW alert stated that the account I referenced was the reason for the score boost. I'm baffled.

[guiness56]

I only asked because rebucketing came to mind.   Even though you still have a collection you could have been rebucketed.  You can always call the CRA and ask them.

[750orbust]

I'm still kinda curious whether or not it was the temporary removal of the lates that caused the score jump. I initiated the dispute close to a month ago, seems kind of strange that right at the end of their mandatory thirty day time frame to investigate they finally update. I expected changes (good or bad) right at the beginning of the investigation, but in the last few days......? Anyone think its possible that instead of dealing with the investigation they just deleted the negative info so I'll quit disputing it?