Credit Score Increase

[Anonymous]

So a few weeks ago I had a VW dealership pull my credit so I could buy a car. After a few weeks passed I noticed my Experian score increased by 14 points! I never bought the car because I purchased a family members car they were selling. Why would a hard pull result in an increase of 14 pnts? I’m not complaining, but I don’t understand. Thx.

[Medic981]

A hard inquiry did not increase your FICO credit score. FICO scores are very dynamic and the thicker your file is the more factors go into calculating your score. You need to realize that the FICO score is a snapshot at that particular moment. Most hard inquiries cause a 3 to 7 point drop in a FICO score which is temporary and fade with time.

[Anonymous]

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@Medic981 wrote:

A hard inquiry did not increase your FICO credit score. FICO scores are very dynamic and the thicker your file is the more factors go into calculating your score. You need to realize that the FICO score is a snapshot at that particular moment. Most hard inquiries cause a 3 to 7 point drop in a FICO score which is temporary and fade with time.

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+1

[Anonymous]

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@AnonymousWhy would a hard pull result in an increase of 14 pnts?

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It wouldn't and it didn't.  Your score increased for a different reason.  A HP can only do two things to a score... lower it, or not change it at all.  Increase it is not possible.  If your score was impacted adversely, say, 5-6 points by the HP it means that the other reason for your score increase was actually to the tune of around 20 points since your net gain was 14 points. 

Basically, you'd want to look for something on your CR that could have resulted in around a 20 point gain.  This could be going from all revolvers with $0 balances reported to one reporting a small balance, an aggregate utilization paydown across a threshold, AoYA going from 11 months to 12 months, etc.