What's your ACL (Average Credit Limit)?

[Varsity_Lu]

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@made-mistakes wrote:

Are you conducting a study or collecting data for a specific..?

I thought this forum is aimed to educate and help people repair their credit not to collect personal DATA!

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MF is not exclusively for repair.  There are lots of topics anywhere from personal finances, credit, scoring, rebuilding, loans, etc.   And this forum would be the most unscientific way to collect data anyway. 

[Patient957]

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@made-mistakes wrote:

Are you conducting a study or collecting data for a specific..?

I thought this forum is aimed to educate and help people repair their credit not to collect personal DATA!

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We share personal data points about our credit and finaces here all the time.  Now some might say it's risky and could be exploited, and they wouldn't necessarily be wrong.  We hide behind screen names in hopes that provides anonymity.  Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.  But nonetheless, it's part of the culture here and it is what it is.

[dfwxjer]

6 cards with an ACL of $52,500 (technically 7 with my npsl Amex Platinum)(

Low CL of $35k on my Chase Amazon and high CL of $70k on my BCP. I finally removed myself from my wife's Apple card because it's been stuck at $9k for years and there's no intention of moving spend to it to obtain CL I don't need. 

[Thomas_Thumb]

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@SRT4kid93 wrote:

@BrutalBodyShots 

just want to take the time to welcome brutal body shots. 

he is coming to us from Reddit and he brings a wide wealth of knowledge. He's a great addition to this forum. 

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I believe the correct term would be welcome back. BBS was on the forums here last decade.

[BrutalBodyShots]

@MarkintheHV that's a seriously high ACL!

@ElvisCaprice how is ACL "easy to skew?" As I stated in the original post, TCL is easy to skew simply by opening more and more cards. ACL is a different story though, so I'd like to know how you feel it's easy to skew. Back in the tenth post of this thread there was a reference point from @Thomas_Thumb on how ACL is considered for CBIS. You say there's no factual evidence to that claim, but TT isn't the type of poster that throws data out there that hasn't been verified. I've seen plenty of other people on this sub reference ACL in conjunction with CBIS as well back in the last half of the previous decade. Your point about it's likely small impact is understandable, but to just write it off I don't think is a good approach.

And yes, this thread was just for fun and to create engagement on a subject that doesn't tend to come up often. It appears that the majority saw it that way / as intended.

@made-mistakes no, I'm not conducting any sort of study. I'm just making conversation. And you're in the "Credit Cards" section of the forum, which is not aimed at credit repair. Maybe you're thinking of the "Rebuilding Your Credit" section? The definition of Credit Cards says: "The credit cards board is your place to discuss many different credit card-related topics ranging from credit card basics to reward structures and everything in between. If you're interested in talking about credit card applications, check out the credit card application board!"

[Thomas_Thumb]

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@ElvisCaprice wrote:

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@BrutalBodyShots wrote:

ACL (Average Credit Limit) = TCL (Total Credit Limits) / number of cards.

I've always found ACL to be a more interesting metric than TCL since TCL can be increased two ways... opening more cards or increasing limits on existing cards. Curious to see what sort of ACLs people on this forum have.

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    Nobody asks you for ACL or TCL (I suppose they could calculate it from your credit report), they just want to know your annual income and mortgage debt or rental expense.

     As far as this claim to CBIS, there is no factual evidence that it does play a factor, ACL, and even if it did, it's just one little minor piece within a whole bunch of other information.

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Of course ACL can and is computed by CBIS scoring algorithms using data on your credit reports. Why would someone ask for it? 

CBIS providers TransUnion and LexisNexis specifically state they use ACL as a scoring factor in their respective algorithms. LN pulls data from Equifax and TU cbis obviously uses their own credit report data. LN has historically provided a comprehensive reason code list of factors that influence score on a web site. The list includes numerical interval values for scoring factors. ACL is among the factors being scored.

As CBIS models are updated factors based on absolute $ may get revised upward to account for inflation. So, the $10,500 for top bracket may have changed.

The CBIS algorithms were developed based on historical data that evaluated various factors relative to likelihood of filing claims and subsequent payouts. ANOVA and other statistical tools confirmed ACL as significant. 

As a result, the factors used for CBIS algorithms differ substantially from credit scote algorithms. CBIS is designed to assess risk to filing an insurance claim. Credit scores are designed to assess risk for a 90 day late.

FWIW - VS4 has a scoring factor based on aggregate available revolving credit in $ independent of utilization. It is a minor factor factor.

[Aim_High]

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@BrutalBodyShots wrote:

Hey there @Aim_High! Long time no talk. I wanted to thank you for the help/guidance you gave me back in 2021 regarding BoA cards, limits, Preferred Rewards, etc. Since we spoke I've scooped up a pair of BoA cards that I tend to favor in my lineup and am working toward growing the limits of.

Your $41,454 ACL is super impressive and one of the highest I've seen. I too find great value in "quality over quantity" when it comes to number of cards and limits. My ACL is a bit below yours at $41,166. My TCL is $361,500 and I've got 9 cards. I've always maintained a rule to never go above a single-digit number of cards, so if I ever want to open another I must close one first I'm more or less capped out as far as limits go across most of my 9 cards outside of perhaps a little growth potential with BoA still. I don't see my ACL moving up much higher, and I don't see myself opening any other cards any time in the next few years (I've only opened 1 card in the last 5 years for context).

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Thanks @BrutalBodyShots and it's good to see you active again on My FICO! I'm glad I was able to help you out with that BofA plan.  Just passing it along as others on the forums helped to guide me in the process. 

Thanks very much for the ACL compliment.  You're doing pretty good yourself and almost caught up to me!  I like that clean 9-card-or-less lineup.  I've considered doing that and as I alluded may simplify down the road also.  Great job of gardening with only one new card in five years!   

Thanks again for the topic!  It's been a good discussion.

[Aim_High]

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@MarkintheHV wrote:

For me, it would be a total of $280k over 6 cards.  That averages out to a little over $46.6k per card.

In My Wallet: Morgan Stanley AmEx BCP 70k | NFCU Flagship Visa 80k
Sock Drawer: AmEx Delta Reserve Biz 22k | Citi AA World MC 22k | Citi CCR MC 44k | Atmos Summit Visa Infinite 42K

  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

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@dfwxjer wrote:

6 cards with an ACL of $52,500 (technically 7 with my npsl Amex Platinum)

Low CL of $35k on my Chase Amazon and high CL of $70k on my BCP. I finally removed myself from my wife's Apple card because it's been stuck at $9k for years and there's no intention of moving spend to it to obtain CL I don't need. 

Amex - Platinum, BCP
BofA - Unlimited Cash Rewards Sig
Chase - CSR, Amazon Prime
Citi - Custom Cash, Costco Visa

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Impressive stats, @MarkintheHV  and @dfwxjer. 

Two very simple, high TCL collections. 

[Aim_High]

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@Varsity_Lu wrote:

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@ElvisCaprice wrote:    A minor metric that says or means very little,  can't read much by it, both ACL & TCL, far too easy to skew.  Be better off with annual income or net worth if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty.   Nobody asks you for ACL or TCL (I suppose they could calculate it from your credit report), they just want to know your annual income and mortgage debt or rental expense.     As far as this claim to CBIS, there is no factual evidence that it does play a factor, ACL, and even if it did, it's just one little minor piece within a whole bunch of other information.But, please continue with the fun!!

Someone needs a hug! :-)

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Lol   Yes.

Our friend @ElvisCaprice has advocated for some very contrary tactics that differ from most of the forum, including closing what he deems excess credit lines.  To each their own!  With few exceptions like the CBIS impact or how it may affect new starting limits, it's true that "ACL" isn't really a major credit metric.  It's just one of the "fun" ones that some of us like to watch, along with increasing credit limits.  Elvis gets more thrills from rewards tactics, and he seems very good at that! 

[Aim_High]

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@Thomas_Thumb wrote:

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@SRT4kid93 wrote:

@BrutalBodyShots 

just want to take the time to welcome brutal body shots. 

he is coming to us from Reddit and he brings a wide wealth of knowledge. He's a great addition to this forum. 

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I believe the correct term would be welcome back. BBS was on the forums here last decade.

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Very true, @Thomas_Thumb!   @BrutalBodyShots  was an "old head" when I joined My FICO in 2019.  I imagine he was on here long before he joined reddit.  But yes, he's a great asset to our forums and I'm glad to see him back!