Credit Score Question

[Anonymous]

My husband and I are trying to buy our first home.  We put in for pre-approval with NFCU but were denied due to being shy 19 points on our middle score.  In attempt to bring the scores up, we have paid off all but 2 credit cards.  I just checked my scores and it shows 4 of the cards reporting a $0 balance now; however, my score dropped A LOT and my husbands by only a few points!  The mortgage broker we've been speaking with (since the NFCU denial) seemed to think the payments we made would give us the bump we needed, even said he would do a rapid re-score for us.  The only change to my credit report has been the decrease in utilization and the credit inquiry for the pre-approval.  Can anyone help me understand the drastic drop in my score?  I understand the few points on my husband's could be from the inquiry but would he have had an increase with the drop in utilization?  

I have a call with the broker today so hopefully he can provide some insight but I thought I would check with the forum experts while I wait  

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

You may get more and better feedback if this thread is moved to the FICO Scoring room.  Would you like me to ask a moderator to do this?

Of the two remaining cards with balances, is it possible that either of them is a charge card (rather than a credit card) or that the card has a huge credit limit ($35k or higher)?

Ideally you want all your cards at zero, with the remaining card being a...

* True credit card (not a charge card)

* Card in your name (not an AU card)

* Card with a credit limit under 34.9k

* Card with a small positive balance (at least $5 but otherwise small)

What tools are you using to check your reports?  (You want something that can be used to get new reports frequently.)

What tools are you using to check your scores?