Accounts with Balances: 2 ➟ 4 (of 4) = EX2 -17pts

[Birdman7]

I just had Chase report a $2 balance.

[CassieCard]

I just checked Experian and my Amex BCE finally updated there (closed on the 8th, took 6 days this time). This is the only change as my 3 other cards already closed and updated for January.

-$272 from my previous report, which brings aggregate util from 5% to 4% (4.91 to 4.06, actual),

$1,571 to $1,299.

These are the score changes from Experian:

	8	AU8	BC8	2	AU2	BC2	3
EX	+4	+4	+4	+5	+5	+5	0

I have no reason statements on any score that relate to 'amount owed' or 'proportion of balances', so I can't tell exactly what triggered the positive change. A 5% or a $1500 threshold?

I think these score changes are due to the 5% to 4% aggregate change, because I have seen it before on EX/EQ/TU with aggregate balance under $1000. See my post about that here: EX has a 4% aggregate utilization threshold (0,4]

( I called it a 4% threshold there before we found out from FICO's Principal Scientist that util % is not always rounded up (ceiling). I use the percentage after standard rounding now, or 5% in that case. )

Aggregate 5% to 4%, $1,571 to $1,299 (of $32,000 TCL).

[CassieCard]

Oh this is perfect! Just now got the myFICO balance/score change alert for EQ 8.

This is the same 5% to 4% change as with EX in my previous post: $1,571 to $1,299 ($32,000 TCL).

[SouthJamaica]

---

@CassieCard wrote:

I just checked Experian and my Amex BCE finally updated there (closed on the 8th, took 6 days this time). This is the only change as my 3 other cards already closed and updated for January.

-$272 from my previous report, which brings aggregate util from 5% to 4% (4.91 to 4.06, actual),

$1,571 to $1,299.

These are the score changes from Experian:

	8	AU8	BC8	2	AU2	BC2	3
EX	+4	+4	+4	+5	+5	+5	0

I have no reason statements on any score that relate to 'amount owed' or 'proportion of balances', so I can't tell exactly what triggered the positive change. A 5% or a $1500 threshold?

I think these score changes are due to the 5% to 4% aggregate change, because I have seen it before on EX/EQ/TU with aggregate balance under $1000. See my post about that here: EX has a 4% aggregate utilization threshold (0,4]

( I called it a 4% threshold there before we found out from FICO's Principal Scientist that util % is not always rounded up (ceiling). I use the percentage after standard rounding now, or 5% in that case. )

Aggregate 5% to 4%, $1,571 to $1,299 (of $32,000 TCL).

---

So your experience tends to support what I have been saying, or at least is consistent with my experience, which is that in aggregate revolving utilization there have been no "thresholds"; every full integer gain or loss seems to affect my score.

[CassieCard]

---

@SouthJamaica wrote:

---

---

So your experience tends to support what I have been saying, or at least is consistent with my experience, which is that in aggregate revolving utilization there have been no "thresholds"; every full integer gain or loss seems to affect my score.

---

Tom Quinn from FICO is always hesitant to talk about "thresholds" in every interview, as if it's more complicated than that.

On my current scorecard, and the one I was on at under 3yrs AoOA, it looks exactly like a threshold at 5%, because I have no further score changes in the (0,4] or (5,9] intervals.

For example, if I go to 3% (3.125 actual) at $1000 aggregate balance, there is no score change.

But if I drop to $866, also 3% (2.71 actual), I will pick up some points on the older 5-4-2 models. And probably the 8's too on this new scorecard, but this is my first report at 3yrs 1mo.

[SouthJamaica]

---

@CassieCard wrote:

---

@SouthJamaica wrote:

---

---

So your experience tends to support what I have been saying, or at least is consistent with my experience, which is that in aggregate revolving utilization there have been no "thresholds"; every full integer gain or loss seems to affect my score.

---

Tom Quinn from FICO is always hesitant to talk about "thresholds" in every interview, as if it's more complicated than that.

On my current scorecard, and the one I was on at under 3yrs AoOA, it looks exactly like a threshold at 5%, because I have no further score changes in the (0,4] or (5,9] intervals.

For example, if I go to 3% (3.125 actual) at $1000 aggregate balance, there is no score change.

But if I drop to $866, also 3% (2.71 actual), I will pick up some points on the older 5-4-2 models. And probably the 8's too on this new scorecard, but this is my first report at 3yrs 1mo.

---

Well he's reluctant to talk about the thresholds because he has secret protected information that he doesn't want to give away. Me I love to talk about them, but only when I'm confident they exist

In my first couple of years in this forum I used to hear about all these thresholds and then pass them along to others as though they were gospel.  Ever since I got the daily updates from experian.com, though, I've come to realize that some of the thresholds I used to so glibly talk about are imaginary.

Now I can count on one hand the thresholds I'm sure about, and in aggregate revolving utilization the only one I know of is the all zero one.  You definitely will take a disproportionate beating if all revolvers report zero.

[Birdman7]

@SouthJamaica I’m pretty sure you’re hitting balance thresholds too and that’s why you’re seeing intervening score changes. Jmho.

[CassieCard]

---

@Birdman7 wrote:
I’m pretty sure you’re hitting balance thresholds too and that’s why you’re seeing intervening score changes. Jmho.

---

@Birdman7: I just got another alert....it's for TU8 this time. Same +4 as with EX/EQ 8. This is dropping back to $1,299 from $1,571.

The first 3 statements are the same, but there was a change in number 4:

• At 5% ($1,571):  Proportion of balances to credit limits on bank/national revolving or other revolving accounts is too high.
• At 4% ($1,299):  Too many accounts with balances.

You can see them all in the alert snapshots below.

At 5% aggegrate on TU 8.

---

At 4% aggregate.

[CassieCard]

---

@SouthJamaica wrote:

---

In my first couple of years in this forum I used to hear about all these thresholds and then pass them along to others as though they were gospel.  Ever since I got the daily updates from experian.com, though, I've come to realize that some of the thresholds I used to so glibly talk about are imaginary.

---

@SouthJamaica: Have you ever observed score changes at each integer util% under 10% (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9), with less than $2,000 in aggregate balance reporting? Is there a rough estimate of min/max reported aggregate balance that you can give for most of your observations?

I'm wondering if I only see score changes at 5% (and the $1000 line on older scores) because of scorecard/credit-history-length alone. Maybe it's our differences in total number of accounts and/or total balance reporting.

The maximum reported aggregate balance I have had is around $1,861. I always pay down anything that's higher than 9% before statement close, then pay to zero right after.

[Remedios]

I used to see change when going from 4% to 5% back in the AZEO days. 

It was only 2 points, but my file is much thicker than Cassie's. 

I do not see that change any longer.