15% to 9% Utilization point increase

[Anonymous]

  So I am in the process of cleaning everything up for a mortgage my credit score is 644 on myfico right now I paid off all my credit cards and am waiting for one more to report when it reports my utilization will go from 15% to under 9% I’ve here 9 % is the sweet spot but how much will this really effect my score. Does any have an experience with this ..Also I am waiting for a medical  collection from  3 years ago to come off my report from a PFD it was for 380  .. Will this have any effect on my score?

[GregB]

There is a point, usually somewhere under 10%, where utilization makes a change in your score. Let's say your utilization changes from 20% to 9%. That might be enough to benefit but it might not.

If the collection is your only collection and you have no other major derogatories, then it being removed is likely to have a large effect. Going from derogatory scoreing buckets to non-derogatory is also likely to change how your utilization is scored.

Getting rid of negatives and lowing utilization will always help your scores in general but it is hard to be specific.