Equifax not calculating AMEX AU account into score. Why?

[Anonymous]

Hello all,

Last month I had my girlfriend add me to her AMEX Blue card she has had since 1999 a 10,000 limit. Well, my score went up 20+ points today and I was excited, thinking it was the AMEX, well it was just that I paid off my car that did it. I was under the impression FICO still incorporated AU accounts into your credit score? In fact, I was an AU user of a Capital One card about four months ago and that was impacting my score, so why is this not? Thanks!

P.S. Please see the attatched images from my credit report to see what I am talking about. 

Brandon

http://www.coercion.de/shortHistory.JPG

http://www.coercion.de/amex.JPG 

[Anonymous]

P.S. It is reporting that my credit history is 10 years old, but it's also say I have a short history. The capital one card I was on was only 5 years old, and it showed up as me having "established a credit history". I have since had that account removed for personal reasons. This 10 year old account is still leaving me at a "short history", and I only have two other credit cards, both about a year old. So, 10+1+1=12 which, 12 / 3 = 4. So my average age of accounts should be 4, which it's reporting only 2.

[cobaltnv]

You mentioned that you had a car loan, but it does not appear that you counted that in your AAoA calculation. Keep in mind that all open and closed accounts that appear on your credit report are counted.

[Anonymous]

I understand what you're saying. However, when I had the capital one car, with only five years of history, i got the little green bar on the right side of the scale (when looking at your reports analysis from myfico) and didnt not get that message about having a short credit history. In fact, it told me I had an established credit history and that is what was helping my score back then. Why would this be any different? All the same circumstances applied then and still do now(i.e car loan). I did notice, however, that it is calculating in my utilization. It is counting that.

[creditwherecreditisdue]

1) Did it successfully pick up the AU account as the oldest account?

2) Carefully recalculate your AAoA using all open and closed TL's.

Don't worry about the reason (codes). They may have changed if your AU account aged you into a different scoring bucket. That is why you added an AU account, isn't it?

[haulingthescoreup]

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coerciondotde wrote:
P.S. It is reporting that my credit history is 10 years old, but it's also say I have a short history. The capital one card I was on was only 5 years old, and it showed up as me having "established a credit history". I have since had that account removed for personal reasons. This 10 year old account is still leaving me at a "short history", and I only have two other credit cards, both about a year old. So, 10+1+1=12 which, 12 / 3 = 4. So my average age of accounts should be 4, which it's reporting only 2.

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It looks to me as if it is being calculated. Wouldn't it be the 10y 3m history? And you do have to add all your accounts, revolving and installment, open and closed, that are on the report to calculate the AAoA.

I don't know if that will make the math work out to reach 2 years AAoA, but you can easily get the "short history" message with old history overall. The formula looks at both the oldest account and the AAoA, and if one is low, you get a ding. For instance, I have a longest history of 20y 2m, but an AAoA of 4y-something, so I get the ding.


eta: a great way to get the ding is in your situation: the combo of long overall and short AAoA. When the Cap 1 was the oldest, it wasn't that much older than your AAoA. Now that your oldest account is older than five years, you're in an older history score bucket, and the low AAoA doesn't look so good.

Message Edited by haulingthescoreup on 09-14-2009 03:40 PM

[Anonymous]

That actually makes perfect sense now haulingthescoreup. I realize someone else mentioned me being in a different bracket above, but the examples you cited were very helpful

So I thought it made a difference on your AAoA whether open or closed (i.e. all this talk on here about someone wanting to close a credit card to gain a few extra points)?  My reason for asking is if I should close mine. I don't use them and you can NEVER pay to a zero balance with their fees either. In the scheme of things, would it help? Then AMEX would be my only revolving account open, at 10 years age. 

[Grape]

LOL...if it makes any difference, I too am an AU on an Amex that has a history of 21 years (parents added me...am only 28 now)...and my oldest CL reporting is noted as 21 years, my AAoA is 7 years, and i STILL get the same "You have a short account history" noted as a negative on myFico report...don't get that one (do have 2 accts that will hit the 1 year mark in the next 2 weeks, so we will see if that makes a diff)

[creditwherecreditisdue]

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@Grape wrote:
LOL...if it makes any difference, I too am an AU on an Amex that has a history of 21 years (parents added me...am only 28 now)...and my oldest CL reporting is noted as 21 years, my AAoA is 7 years, and i STILL get the same "You have a short account history" noted as a negative on myFico report...don't get that one (do have 2 accts that will hit the 1 year mark in the next 2 weeks, so we will see if that makes a diff)

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If you are in pretty good shape the reasons presented don't have to be particularly bad or meaningful. Reasons have to be produced when you run the FICO reports (if your score is under 800). Reasons are also relative to the scoring bucket you are in. There is nothing wrong with a AAoA > 7 and a 21 year credit history. Assuming you have no negatives you are in a higher scoring bucket. Congratulations!

[Grape]

Unfortunately, I am in a neg bucket. I have a paid CO that is 5 years and 9 months old...and after asking a few times on these boards as to what to do about it (it is an old utility bill and my only neg), decided the best thing to do is to just let it age off. Unfortunately, I know this is THRASHING my score right now (683 EQ Fico, 702 TU Fico), but there really isn't much I can do. 

In any event, i certainly don't give much weight to the "short account history" note, as you mentioned.

Message Edited by Grape on 09-15-2009 02:40 PM