Bank of America just cheated me out of 26 points.
Basically I have a $2K MasterCard and $5K AmEx with them, and I've been spot on for keeping the balances at 1%. For some reason, they posted my balanced on the first of the month instead of at the normal cycle time. Knocked my 739 down to 713 pretty fast!
$400 in "debt", and that justifies 26 points?
In perspective, based on the interest rates on the "What your credit score means to you page", this would cost me over $800 in extra interest on a $25,000 car loan. The shortest and cheapest loan I would consider, and the cost is already an extra $800 for a measly $400 in extra "debt".
I refer to it as "debt" because I never spend more than I have available in my checking/savings account. But does a number care?...No.
On the positive side, my request for a $3K CLI was immediately approved through online banking. As soon as it posts my score should go back up to about the same, as I'll be under the dreaded 10% line.
The moral:
Don't wait to ask for a (soft) CLI, even if you're managing to keep your balances at 1%. Bad stuff can still happen, and if you're like me it won't even be your fault.
