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Esteban5 wrote:
We can just treat this as a learning process. Yes, I've already made the requests to the 3 bureaus.IMO, I can't go down any further than the 40+ points I've been dinged by putting a haircut (less than $20) on one inactive Visa and a tank of fuel on another inactive Visa ($50). Both credit limits on these cards are over $15K each. Not sure how much the re-bucket has contributed, but we can all just treat this as an experiment - using my FICO score.The 10-12 accounts (the actual number depending on which bureau) I've requested to be removed are not the oldest accounts I have. One of the inactive Visas I used is 16 years old, the other is over 10 years old.The accounts I'm attempting to prune from my reports consist of the following (and most should have fallen off on their own already):Macy's - June 2001Macy's - December 2002GEMB/JCP - April 2001GEMB/ROBSG - November 2000HSBC - January 2001BofA - March 2002WACH - May 2001MB Fin. - November 2000BP/Citi - November 2001FUSA - July 2001WAMU/Fannie Mae - April 2001The accounts I still use (one Visa for business, one Visa for personal and AMEX) have reported balances, but are paid in full each month - and these accounts are 16-18 years old, so I really doubt the pruning of some younger, inactive accounts will have a negative impact....but we shall see. Two of the three bureaus are reporting my HELOC ($10K balance) as a revolving credit account - I've asked them to classify it as Real Estate, which should shed some different light on the scoring of that account.So, here's where I see the "Silver Lining"....1. The zero balances on the two Visas will be reported as $0 again in the next 4-8 weeks.2. The re-bucket should have worked it's magic in the same time frame3. Total number of accounts should be under the target number of 304. The HELOC should be re-classified as real estate as opposed to a standard revolving (cc account) on 2 of the 3 bureaus5. The HELOC will be paid off by year-endI'll update this information as time marches on to show what the effects are....As someone else mentioned (and have confirmed this with my mortgage broker), I still qualify for Tier 1 credit, so if we end up placing a contract on a home - we won't have any trouble......and to think a haircut and a tank of fuel is what started this avalanche...
Message Edited by Esteban5 on 04-15-2008 04:32 AM
Message Edited by Esteban5 on 04-15-2008 04:36 AM
Message Edited by Esteban5 on 04-15-2008 04:37 AM
@MattH wrote:
Here is another summary of the reason codes in FICO reports, dunno if this contains any new information or not but it seems like a good place to check and compare:
http://www.bayhouse.com/FairIsaac-FICO-risk-factors.shtml
@Anonymous wrote:Figure this one out!!Your FICO score has gone up to 800 on April 30, 2008.Reason: It says I used a dormant account.