next step suggestions needed

[soxcited]

Hi all, I would like to ask for your suggestions on how to improve my score. My current score is not bad but I am having difficulty increasing it. I started with a 540 score and i followed the great directions from this site to increase it to 690 and it feels great but it seems I can't pass the 700 mark. No inquires or lates in the last 12 mo. Below are the details:

CC#1 (as AU - 13% utilization - $7500 limit)

CC#2( own -  0% utilization - $100 limit)

CC#3( own -  15% utilization - $1000 limit)

CC#4( as AU -  6% utilization - $1500 limit)

CC#5( as AU -  15% utilization - $2500 limit)

Even when I had 2-3% utilization on each card, the score did not change.

What do you think I should do next? Apply for more CCs, store credits? Remove AUs? Thanks in advance. 

[BGinVA]

Its my understanding that there is a FICO factor to the number of cards reporting a balance.  From all of my reading here I would suggest rather than applying for more credit your best bet would be to work on paying off the balances on all but one card and let that one card report a balance of less than 9% of its total limit (not comined limit). 

I'm editing my response because I just noticed that you are an authorized user on 3 of the cards and don't really have any control over the balance or when its paid.  Personally I would average all of my aaoa including the aau cards and if you can get off of one or more of the aau accounts without it drastically changing your aaoa, I'd get removed from them. 

[RobertEG]

I would suspect that % util of revolving is not the key factor keeping your score below 700, as your utils are not bad at all.

More significant in weighting is your payment history.  What prior delinquencies and derogs are being reported?  While being clean for a year is good, implied is that you have prior derogs from more than a year ago.  Depending on the severity of the derog(s), it could still be having substantial impact, and keeping you in a "dirty" scoring bucket.