topic Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread in Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge!

July 2017 Check-In Thread

Kenny — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 02:07:04 GMT

I know you are all hard at work with your credit goals. Have you progressed as far as you hoped? Were there any unforseen expenses that cropped up and may have thrown you off schedule?

As a reminder, participation in these monthly checkins is optional, but encouraged. The goal is to help keep you on track, so feel free to post your progress updates here. This is a no-judge zone; feel free to say what's keeping you up at night or give yourself a kudo for having it all together.

Did you hit any potholes or speedbumps? Achieve some milestones, either small or mighty? Change your goals or add new ones?

Let us know how you're doing!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 15:34:37 GMT

Staying the course with my scores and laying in the summer garden soaking up some rays and enjoying the benefits of good credit. It was a long journey back from the big one in 2001. Feels good to be solid again!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 18:33:42 GMT

Roasting my brains in the Arizona summer - but since January all 3 scores are up from the 500's and are now in the 700's and my new home is under construction.

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

tricie17 — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 20:30:26 GMT

I am hard at work. A lot of progress and movement although Experian keeps moving upward and then downward. My hopes are to qualify for a real credit card and have my secured card go to regular card. I will be back in Sept 2017 prayerfully with greater news.

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 19:22:55 GMT

Garden - Since I stepped out of the garden to apply for the now discontinued BBR, I haven't returned. Once the home improvement projects are complete, I will return.
Increase CL on a few cards - I was approved for the Wells Fargo Home Improvement Visa. Still no CLI from Discover.
Combine Cap 1 accounts - Nothing new to report.
Reduce utilization - I'm still chipping away @ my largest balance with weekly payments: -$3K
Reduce frivolous spending - I had a set back this week, but I'm working towards eradicating this behavior.
Reduce inquiries - 4 inquiries fall off this month

I got another upgrade request on my BCE and another NextStep Loan offer. I won't be doing the upgrade because we don't have enough "supermarket" spend to justify the annual fee for us. We do most of our grocery shopping @ Walmart. The jury is still out on the NextStep Loan.

Stay positive & focused so we can meet our goals!!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 05:12:26 GMT

EQ ~~+4 684 to 688~~ Steady at 688 689 690 686 686

TU ~~+2 650 to 652~~ +4 652 to 656 ~~658~~ 662 654 656

EX ~~+26 653 to 679~~ -2 679 to 677 ~~683~~ 687 687 685

2017 Goals Review:

I created a very simple spreadsheet to replace the lost one, but it does not have nearly the detail/history my first one did. That's okay, I've bounced back!

1). To garden the cards I got last year post-BK, letting those tradelines age and grow. I am doing well here, haven't apped since NFCU back on 4/12. Haven't been tempted, the only cards I would like are out of reach right now. I just got an auto-CLI from Disco from $3300 to $4200. I will be able to request CLI's on my NFL card and the first one on my QS later this month. Hmmm, something clicked, and I decided not to drive my Honda until the wheels come off. Like Anusara, I stepped out of the garden. I got approved for a $30000 auto loan from NFCU at 2.69% for 72 months. Hope to pay it off well ahead of schedule, but I'd be lying if I said having a considerable car payment isn't hovering over me a little. But, I got what I am calling my bucket vehicle. It's a Trail Rated Jeep Grand Cherokee, and I love it! Got a pre-qual, finally, from Cap1 pretty much my choice of their cards. Got the Venture with a $15000 SL. In the garden again, and only plan to step out if NFCU does a HP when I request a CLI, probably in early August.

2). To continue to manage utilization and reported balances. Overall utilization still going down, even though I charged a jetBlue vacation on my jetBlue Plus! Paid it down within a week. Still paying down, but got big help from the Venture approval.

3). To watch my inquiries drop from EQ 6, TU 5, EX 8 down to EQ 3, TU4, EX 4 by June. ~~Currently EQ 4, TU 7, EX 6. On track to~~ Shouldbe EQ 3, TU 6, EX 5 ~~in June~~ now. I go off of my Experian report since myFICO only shows inquiries in the last 12 months. In three days I'll be able to confirm that it at least came off EX. Dropped off and then replaced with new ones. Added EQ for NFCU auto loan, the dreaded Cap1 triple for Venture, then EX because the dealer did a HP even though I had a loan already. Also, had two what the heck CC apps that were denied, FNBO Jeep MC and BofA both pulled EX.

4). To pay an extra $100/month on my highest balance and highest interest student loan, which is upside down due to interest accruing while in deferment (I know I should have paid it as I went, but the BK and events leading up to didn't allow for that). Only $470 to go to get my loan above water. I'm over half way there. Still hope to hold to the plan.

5). To continue saving about 10% of my gross income each month.Just re-upped my saving direct deposit from 9% of my monthly gross to 13%. That will drop to a lower percentage (but still well north of 10%) when I get my pay increase in July,....a good problem to have! And I want to make it even higher not too far down the road. Will continue.

6). To hopefully see my three FICO 8 scores hit 700's across the board. ~~Getting closer! See score update at top.~~ TU and EQ dropped points because I used my VS for a $60 purchase after not using it for 6 months. Seriously, not a joke, it happened. But at least my increased CL was reported, which is why I made a point to make a purchase in the first place. I think I will be closing it as soon as it reports a zero balance, though. I don't know now if I will make 700 by the 24 month post-BK mark. So far, my scores are holding even in the face of all this activity. Fingers crossed.

Wishing everyone, including myself, renewed strength for this journey!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 22:07:35 GMT

My mortgage scores have continued to inch up. Apparently I hit some milestone on equifax which bumped that one up 20 points and increased my mid score from 745 to 763. Outside of that continued to make progress saving money for a downpayment.

In addition, had some small jumps and crossed 800 on 2/3 FICO 8 scores. Outside of that, theres nothing to really report. Utilization has remained low at 2% and my last inquiry/account was in December.

I'm continuing to apply/interview for new positions in my current company and just had no luck so far. Gotten positive reviews on all the interviews but just haven't been the lucky person yet.

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 02:59:26 GMT

Well this grinds my gears. Paid off car and an average of 19pt drop followed. To be expected I know and eventually it'll rebound.

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

IQn2D — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 02:47:32 GMT

Sorry for the late Check in but I been doing some maintenance on my report. I'm still waiting on some disputes to come back. Manage to get my old Merrick Bank Hooters card removed. Everything looking good and on the rise.

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Revelate — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 03:38:05 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Well this grinds my gears. Paid off car and an average of 19pt drop followed. To be expected I know and eventually it'll rebound.

Guessing it was your last open installment loan? Shared Secure Loan trick will sort that if you wish.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Understanding-FICO-Scoring/Adding-an-installment-loan-the-Share-Secure-technique/m-p/4506756#U4506756

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Revelate — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 03:41:15 GMT

Well this month hasn't been the month that I hoped for... apparently no NCAP love for me so I'm going down alternative paths. Also let all my revolvers report zero, whoopsie, -23 points on EX FICO 8, awesome.

Worst case it's another month down without any financial or credit hiccup (besides the transitory one that'll be sorted in a week when the Costco card reports) so that's all fine, but getting antsy waiting. May go EE on EX, may go dispute on EQ after freezing LN especially when I know the court reference number is wrong, sigh. Ah well, here's looking to the future, nada in August but September should be good at least on EX.

Sept 2017:

Tax lien should come off EX and maybe EQ here.

Dec 2017:
Two inquiries off Experian - 1 left

Jan 2017:
One inquiry off Experian - 0 left

Feb 2018:

I hit AAOA of 4 years
1 inquiry off Equifax - 0 left, 0/0/0 for scorable inquiries, just a truly dumb 30D late on TU as my only blip, well that and short credit history and installment utilization haha, can't come up all aces even in the credit world I guess for a while longer.

Hope things are going well for everyone else!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

BungalowMo — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 14:22:13 GMT

I couldn't be happier! Checked my scores today!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 07:20:05 GMT

@BungalowMo wrote:
I couldn't be happier! Checked my scores today!

You've done an A W E S O M E job!! Congrats!!!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

BungalowMo — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:42:08 GMT

Anusara wrote:

You've done an A W E S O M E job!! Congrats!!!

Thanks!!!

I got a consolidation loan for some higher interest balances & that made all the difference in the world.

I originally thought the scores were high because the poan hadn't been reported yet, but when I checked...there they were, so this really made me so happy!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 00:24:58 GMT

@BungalowMo wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:
You've done an A W E S O M E job!! Congrats!!!
Thanks!!!

I got a consolidation loan for some higher interest balances & that made all the difference in the world.
I originally thought the scores were high because the poan hadn't been reported yet, but when I checked...there they were, so this really made me so happy!

You're welcome! You deserve it!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

DollyLama — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:25:16 GMT

Well most of the appliances have been charged and hit on statements. However they did not nose dive as much as I thought. Perhaps because I finally got down to only one card reporting a balance. The utilization went from 6% but less than 29%, FICO 8 scores EQ dropped 3, TU 1, and EX 11. Mortgage score, down 5 on EQ, +4 on TU, and unchanged on EX. I will be so glad to get it under 8.99 now. I did have to charge on a second one, the balance wont report till next month, hoping I can PIF and keep the AZEO.

We have been extended twice on hotel stay, and now here till Aug 22nd. Have been here since June 21st, ready to come home. First couple of weeks were ok, meeting new guests on extended stay have been nice and now stay in touch friends, but the rest is getting old real fast!

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:38:23 GMT

@DollyLama wrote:
Well most of the appliances have been charged and hit on statements. However they did not nose dive as much as I thought. Perhaps because I finally got down to only one card reporting a balance. The utilization went from 6% but less than 29%, FICO 8 scores EQ dropped 3, TU 1, and EX 11. Mortgage score, down 5 on EQ, +4 on TU, and unchanged on EX. I will be so glad to get it under 8.99 now. I did have to charge on a second one, the balance wont report till next month, hoping I can PIF and keep the AZEO.

We have been extended twice on hotel stay, and now here till Aug 22nd. Have been here since June 21st, ready to come home. First couple of weeks were ok, meeting new guests on extended stay have been nice and now stay in touch friends, but the rest is getting old real fast!

Hang in there. It's almost over. Personally, I prefer to make 1 payment a month. It makes life much simpler.

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 02:47:12 GMT

Things are progressing: scores are eeking upward by a few points every month with each debt being paid down.

1.) BofA is at 0 ($5800 limit)! It feels good to look at the balance due and see a big fat zero! I've been glancing at it the last few days just because I like the way it looks, lol.

2.) Citi is down to 5200 ($9300 limit). I think I might be able to pay this off by the end of August, actually. Which will feel so nice! After that, I attack Chase.

3.) Chase is at 6300 (closed, but reporting at $8500 limit). This one won't take me too long to pay down.

In other news, I applied for Amex Platinum and got approved. I know it doesn't effect overall utilization, but it will be a positive tradeline (as long as I do my part and pay on time, every time), and because I need travel cards, this one will work out nicely. My plan is to very soon not be paying for airline tickets.

I app'd for QS1 because I got prequal'd, and I'd like to transfer part of the Chase balance to it, if I get approved. I got the 7-10 day message, so I guess it could go either way from what I'm reading. I called today and it is still pending.

I get a raise of 10K per year on August 1st, so that will be going towards debt pay-off as well.

My car loan is getting to the point where paying the rest off will be reasonable in the next few months.

The telecom collections: it has been definitively determined that it belongs to another Ms. X, so I've filed another dispute with EX and TU (never reported to EQ) and told the CA that I was doing so, and that they will of course report the proper information to the CRA when they make contact with the CA (to which the CA said "yes, that is correct.") I will start filing complaints if these disputes come back verified.

I'm going to call the medical OC in the next couple of weeks to see if they will retract the collections and let me pay them directly. My privacy rights were certainly violated in this regard, as I never authorized the detailed medical information to be released to the CA, nor did I receive this particular bill.

Student loan and personal loans on autopay, so they continue to be paid on time.

Re: July 2017 Check-In Thread

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 03:27:20 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Things are progressing: scores are eeking upward by a few points every month with each debt being paid down.

1.) BofA is at 0 ($5800 limit)! It feels good to look at the balance due and see a big fat zero! I've been glancing at it the last few days just because I like the way it looks, lol.
2.) Citi is down to 5200 ($9300 limit). I think I might be able to pay this off by the end of August, actually. Which will feel so nice! After that, I attack Chase.
3.) Chase is at 6300 (closed, but reporting at $8500 limit). This one won't take me too long to pay down.

In other news, I applied for Amex Platinum and got approved. I know it doesn't effect overall utilization, but it will be a positive tradeline (as long as I do my part and pay on time, every time), and because I need travel cards, this one will work out nicely. My plan is to very soon not be paying for airline tickets.
I app'd for QS1 because I got prequal'd, and I'd like to transfer part of the Chase balance to it, if I get approved. I got the 7-10 day message, so I guess it could go either way from what I'm reading. I called today and it is still pending.

I get a raise of 10K per year on August 1st, so that will be going towards debt pay-off as well.

My car loan is getting to the point where paying the rest off will be reasonable in the next few months.

The telecom collections: it has been definitively determined that it belongs to another Ms. X, so I've filed another dispute with EX and TU (never reported to EQ) and told the CA that I was doing so, and that they will of course report the proper information to the CRA when they make contact with the CA (to which the CA said "yes, that is correct.") I will start filing complaints if these disputes come back verified.

I'm going to call the medical OC in the next couple of weeks to see if they will retract the collections and let me pay them directly. My privacy rights were certainly violated in this regard, as I never authorized the detailed medical information to be released to the CA, nor did I receive this particular bill.

Student loan and personal loans on autopay, so they continue to be paid on time.

Good job! Keep up the good work!!