@Anonymous wrote:Another factor that I'm sure isn't included in FICO scoring with respect to mortgage refinances outside of installment loan utilization is the element of time. Someone who has a coventional 30 year mortgage paid down to 60-something percent could be some 10 years into that mortgage; They may have 20 years left of payments. When you refinance, while you obtain a better interest rate and lower monthly payment you also start back not only with a loan at 100% utilization, but also another 30 year loan. The risk associated with having to pay a loan for 50% longer (30 years verses 20 years) is going to be greater as it allows more time for something to go wrong that could prevent one from being able to continue making payments. While I'm 100% certain that FICO scoring doesn't account for this length of time element, it does make some sense and can sort of justify to some degree the score loss in going to a loan now at 100% utilization.
If you are refinancing an original 30 year into a new 30 year your payments will be reduced, sometimes non-trivially.
Risk is both time and payment size potentially... I could push my markers a lot farther on a 30 year $1000 monthly payment than the $1800 I'm on with a 15 year (which was likely a mistake but oh well) for example.
@Anonymous wrote:Well, I suppose both time and payment size aren't scoring factors now that you mention it.
Someone with a $500 SSL with a $1 payment and 2 years to go is scored equally [with respect to the installement loan portion of credit mix] to someone with a $1800 mortgage payment with a few years to go on that 30 year conventional mortgage.
Yeah 
Looks like Vantage may treat mortgages seperate but FICO 8 apparently does not.