@Anonymous wrote:I recently took the initiative to try and get my scores above 750 for a future car and home purchase.
Up until a day ago I was resting at FICO TU 740 EX 715 EQ 715, due to my two AMEX cards reporting $0 balance on this recent statement and a recent Credit Limit increase on my Discover Card; my FICO has dropped 15 points. I am utterly confused. Why did this happen? Isn't a credit increase and a $0 balance positive information for the CRA's?
Not if all the accounts report $0, is that the case here?
@Anonymous wrote:
So I should have a small balance reporting on all cards?
Keep a small balance on a single card; some people (depending on how many cards they have) can get away with having a couple of cards with small balances, but $0 across the board on all revolving tradelines is a straight negative in every version of the FICO algorithm.
@Anonymous wrote:
My current utilization is 10%. I have a balance reporting on only one card. But I will take this advice to maybe report a small balance on other cards.
Oh that's probably not it then (unless that card is an AU); I'd take a really close look at my reports and see if something else changed.
The triggers aren't 100% in that not every action / change on a report which effects your score will trigger an alert. I've never had a score decrease across the board on bureaus for paying off cards other than the well documented $0 on all cards. Was the -15 on all bureaus or just one?
@Anonymous wrote:
It was on EX and EQ.
Yeah, unless that card with a balance is an AU that you're on, look elsewhere. Do you use anything like Credit Karma to provides historical reports?
@Anonymous wrote:
The reporting balance is indeed an AU card.
Ah that's it for FICO 8; it's probably being discounted under the FICO 8 anti-abuse policy.
Let a small amount report on one of the other cards and you'll almost assuredly get everything back. Just if you ever go for a mortgage, have that AU at $0 
.