Score dropped 12 points why?

Anonymous · ‎08-06-2017

My score dropped 12 points after paying down my secured citi bank card to utilization 20% why could that be ? I'm trying to build my credit but keep losing points

Ex-549 TU -540 Exp-538

Anonymous · ‎08-06-2017

Risk scoring does not happen in a vacuum, there always several moving parts whether there obvious to you or not.

What other accounts exist?
How many have balances?
How old this is account?
Did the inquiry to get this account, finally line up?
Did the debt ratio change, info get reflected for each CRA?
Lots of plates in the air, to ask the question you asked is like asking why a baby cries = could be a few things, more needed, doesn't mean you did anything wrong or should be changing anything, with more info something may glare or could be no big deal.

NRB525 · ‎08-08-2017

To add a question, what sort of negative or negatives do you have on your report, and what are the ages of those events? With negatives on your report, that changes the laws of gravity, makes it difficult to say exactly how certain actions may be scored in the short term.

High Bal Jan 2009 $116k on $146k limits 80% Util.
Oct 2014 $46k on $127k 36% util EQ 722 TU 727 EX 727
April 2018 $18k on $344k 5% util EQ 806 TU 810 EX 812
Jan 2019 $7.6k on $360k EQ 832 TU 839 EX 831
March 2021 $33k on $312k EQ 796 TU 798 EX 801
May 2021 Paid all Installments and Mortgages, one new Mortgage EQ 761 TY 774 EX 777
April 2022 EQ=811 TU=807 EX=805 - TU VS 3.0 765

Anonymous · ‎08-09-2017

I can assure you that paying down your utilization did not cause the score drop. The only time one receives a score drop from paying down utilization is if it results in reporting all zero balances across all revolvers. If this is not the case with your situation, the utilization drop did not cause the score drop and you must look into your reports to identify other factors that changed.

Anonymous · ‎08-11-2017

I'm in the same boat as @erichdw. All of a sudeen my TU dropped, it states because all my balances changed. This happened today (8-9), but on 8-3 everything went up. I have had no new inquiries and i have been everything before it's due date the last 6 months. I feel like this is because I disputed some lates on my Credit Report through Lexington Law, and cancelled within the first 30 days and I read that they dispute good and bad things. I went directly to the CRAs websites and I see nothing! No new utilization, no new accounts (Experian & Equfax frozen), TU dropped 11 points today...Equifax dropped 11 also.... I thought I was doing really good paying everything before my statement closes and not re-using any cards... now I just don't know.