@Anonymous wrote:
@SouthJamaica wrote:I disagree with most of the advice you are being given here. It is all great advice for FICO 8 scores, but your biggest concern is your mortgage scores, which are not as reactive to percentage changes in dollars utilization as they are to changes in the number of accounts with balances. Quickly picking up 2 zero balances with the $1500 -- dropping the percentage of cards with balances from 66 2/3% to 33 1/3% will give your mortgage scores a nice boost!
Not necessarily, SJ. I proved the opposite about a month ago if you recall when going from AZEO to all of my cards with balances and 2 out of 3 of my FICO 8 scores moved more than 2 out of 3 of my mortgage scores. Only my EX 5 score was impacted significantly. After some discussion with TT, it was determined that my lack of an inquiry in the last 12 months was likely the reason. My question then to the OP becomes whether or not he has an inquiry in the last 12 months... because if he doesn't, it's possible that his EX/TU mortgage scores aren't likely to be impacted much by number of accounts with balances.
In my profile, my EX FICO 2 keeps gaining & losing 11 points each time I oscillate past 40% of accounts with balances. FICO 8 has no reaction at all. If the OP uses his $1500 to knock off those 2 smaller balances, he will be going from 66 2/3% to 33 1/3%, which means passing 40% in the good way.
I believe @Revelate observed a similar FICO 2 threshold at 20%.
@Anonymous wrote:Right, but don't both of you have inquiries from the last 12 months? I don't, so comparing yours/Rev's data to mine would be apples to oranges. My question is whether or not the OP has an inquriry from the last 12 months, because if not his scores may react more like mine and if so, they could react more like yours.
Well I don't know if this theory about hard pulls is gospel just yet. I know it's from our revered @Thomas_Thumb but I don't know if he's got it locked down as a certainty.
I have a certain skepticism about it, because I can't see any logic in creating a connection between recent inquiries and number of accounts with balances.
@Remedios wrote:I think perhaps heavy duty shop talk should be reserved for a different thread unless OP got their questions answered.
The knowledge you guys have is truly great, but can be overwhelming for someone new.
Good point 
Thanks.
@Anonymous wrote:Yes, I do have an inquiry in the past 12 months.
OK, then even if the no-inquiry theory holds true, your best bet is reducing number of accounts with balances. I.e. zeroing out those 2 smaller ones.