@Booner72 wrote:
llecs: Could it be that three accounts had more weight than two?
I'm making the assumption that the law of diminishing returns comes into play into the FICO score, just like we see by adding new inquiries (e.g. adding your 15th likely won't have any impact), or adding a new CA (minimal, if any, impact if you have 20 others), or changing util (reducing from 90% overall to 80% overall likely won't have any impact on FICO, but going from 90% to 1% would have a ginormous impact).
If I saw a gain on the first 3, and losses on 4+, then we have to assume that a mix of credit is important. We've all seen success stories in here of large gains when their first CC was added. Grant it, it's a YMMV based on what else is reporting. So, if there is a gain, then mix is helped. If there are losses on subsequent CCs, then we have to assume that the mix had been satisfied. A loss also means that you get dinged due to new credit reporting (on everyone's CR..."New Credit" category and certainly told uncounted times in here). You can also lose due to a drop in AAoA. I didn't know enough back then about AAoA, but if there was more of a gain on #3 over #2, then you can rule out AAoA since AAoA cannot be improved due to adding credit (well, maybe Amex is the exception if backdated).
So, if there are pre-built in losses due to new credit, then the improvement on the mix outweighed the new credit ding, resulting in a net gain. If #1 and #2 saw gains, then mix improved and helped my FICO over the new credit ding resulting in a net gain on both. #3 was the store charge card. The gain on that CC, when it reported, was greater (only in the single digits) over the gain from #2. Since all 3 reported $0, util can be ruled out. AAoA can be ruled out since adding the Macys wouldn't help AAoA. I'm assuming that the new credit ding isn't less for one credit type over the other. Any you can rule out any other changes ot my CRs since I was pulling all 3 FICOs (when we could pull EX back then) every few days or so. YOu can also rule out inquiries since I already had 20-30 reporting on each report by that point.
The only source of error I can think of is that the law of diminishing returns is accounted into that new account ding. On average I have lost 20-25 pts per each new account reporting. Except for the beginning where I went on app sprees for 5-10 CCs at a time, and except when I added some earlier this year when my mortgage reported, I've been reserved and only app'd every 6-12 months to replace some of the cards I got back then.
