AAoA Tiers?

[boardworks]

Are there any known tiers for AAoA in the FICO scoring model?  I have an AU account that has a high balance, but removing it will lower my AAoA from 6 years down to 5 years.  Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Not sure if there are tiers, but someone mentioned in another thread that UTL is about twice as important as AAoA in calculating your score.  Perhaps work towards paying down that balance and increasing your UTL without hurting your AAoA?

[boardworks]

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@ptrutkowski wrote:

Not sure if there are tiers, but someone mentioned in another thread that UTL is about twice as important as AAoA in calculating your score.  Perhaps work towards paying down that balance and increasing your UTL without hurting your AAoA?

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Thanks for the info!  Unforunately, I'm an AU on that account (it's my dad's) and can't pay down that balance.  My other revolving accounts are at zero.  I am thinking that I'll ask to be removed then added back if it's a negative impact.  Thanks again!

[MarineVietVet]

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@ptrutkowski wrote:

Not sure if there are tiers, but someone mentioned in another thread that UTL is about twice as important as AAoA in calculating your score.  Perhaps work towards paying down that balance and increasing your UTL without hurting your AAoA?

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Do you remember where you read this? I'd like to see that myself.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

[haulingthescoreup]

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@boardworks wrote:

Are there any known tiers for AAoA in the FICO scoring model?  I have an AU account that has a high balance, but removing it will lower my AAoA from 6 years down to 5 years.  Thanks!

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This is really, really non-official/ reasoned out and pasted together by many members who have looked at many other members' posts and reports/ aka, a theory:

under 2 years

2y - 4y11m

5y - 7y11m

8y - something something, maybe 13 years

then maybe 18 years? or 19?

I have definitely seen flipflops when my AAoA went back and forth between 4 and 5 years.

If you're just going from 6 years to 5, I wouldn't think that there would be a change.

btw, these are for both AAoA and longest history.

As for that other bit about whatever-it-was counting twice as much as age, I dunno. Sounds like someone looking at the FICO pie chart diagram, which IMO varies widely depending on what score bucket you're in.

[boardworks]

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@haulingthescoreup wrote:

under 2 years

2y - 4y11m

5y - 7y11m

8y - something something, maybe 13 years

then maybe 18 years? or 19?

I have definitely seen flipflops when my AAoA went back and forth between 4 and 5 years.

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Thanks so much!  This is exactly what I was looking for -- even if only a "theory"  My oldest account is 25 years with the AU account and will fall to 13 years if I remove it (but still be at 5 years AAoA).  I am almost ready to pull that trigger!

[Anonymous]

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@MarineVietVet wrote:

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@ptrutkowski wrote:

Not sure if there are tiers, but someone mentioned in another thread that UTL is about twice as important as AAoA in calculating your score.  Perhaps work towards paying down that balance and increasing your UTL without hurting your AAoA?

---

Do you remember where you read this? I'd like to see that myself.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

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http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Understanding-FICO-Scoring/To-remove-AU-accout-or-not-to-remove/td-p...

Post 4

[MarineVietVet]

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ptrutkowski wrote:

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Understanding-FICO-Scoring/To-remove-AU-accout-or-not-to-remove/td-p...

Post 4

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Thanks for the link.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

[RobertEG]

Utilization of credit accounts for approx. 30% of total score, and length of credit is weighted at approx 15%, so that is about double.

What "tiers, " "scoring buckets," or whatever you call them, actually comprise, in my opinion, is a categorization of what algorithm FICO will use to actually score your CR.

Different tiers are actually different scoring algorithms, and they are not all tiered one under another.  There are major and minor categorizations. there are, as I see it, branches and twigs on the tiering tree.

For example, "clean" or "dirty" credit files, based on the absence or presence of major derogs, "thick" or "thin" credit files, based on the presence of multiple lines of credit, and utilization of credit, are all , most likely, major primary tiers due their higher weighting in the overall FICO formula.  Once put into one tier, their are sub-tiers thereunder based on the more minor categories of scoring, such as mix of credit, credit inquiries, and age of accouts.

Since the proprietary trade secret nature of the FICO scoring algorithm keeps the issue of what criteria are used even for the first, major tiering, the sub-tiering within any major tier is almost fruitless to speculate upon.    Moving to a new tier or bucket means you are being scored under a new algorithm that weights things differently.

I have no doubt that there are tiers of AAoA scoring, but doubt seriously if they are high up on a major branch of the tiering tree.

[boardworks]

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@RobertEG wrote:

I have no doubt that there are tiers of AAoA scoring, but doubt seriously if they are high up on a major branch of the tiering tree.

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Thanks for all of the info and your perspective.  I just opened a new Amex Blue that would be the culprit to take me down from 6 years to 5 years; however, I had a previous Amex card in 2006 for work, and if I can get them to back-date my new account I'll be at 5.91 years vs. 6.6 years -- thus, it may not make a difference either way in a couple of months.  Thanks again!