I am a bit perplexed as EX is usually my second most stable score, next to EQ, which is rock solid and TU is always my Magic Mountain rollercoaster ride score. Last month because of MAY-(pandemic finances over FICO, 0% interest intro anyway), I left one balance at $969.00 and lost (-7) EX, (-4) TU and (-4) EQ and in mid June, I lost another (-8) TU due to the NAVY CLI hitting my report at the end of May.
AccordingFor mid June for EX and EQ, I gained (+2) repectively for the NAVY CLI hitting the report. Now for almost end of June, I was only penalized (-2) on EX for the new BB&T BT card hitting my report, (or so I thought) and (-1) EQ and shockingly, (+1) TU for the new account, and the CLI increase.
Fast forward to this week, almost end the of June and when I paid the $969.00 off, my EX plummeted (-34) points it says, for the balance DECREASING $969.00 ??? I know that utilization has no memory and that it is temporary, but I thought it would be better to pay it off and I got penalized instead it seems. Hopefully they will all stabilize as I do really intend to stay in the garden this time.
Has anyone else experienced extreme decreases in scores when you pay DOWN a balance instead of the balance increasing?
As above, are you all zero, AZEO, AZE2, etc?
What is reported individual and aggregate utilization % before and after?
@Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the all zero penalty. Never let all of your cards report zero, keep one with a small balance. Throw Netflix on there or something and set it to autopay.
Thanks @Anonymous , I will go look. I prefer AZEO as it is easier for me to manage but I think I actually accidentally got hit mid month with a multiple reporting balances penalty, before statement credits, so, $8.00, $30.00 and the large $969.00 balance decrease, which I just pulled up. @AllZero, standby, I will pull together the data from your questions and respond. It looks like although I paid the balances or received a creditor overpayment, the reporting dates might have been missed by hours ie. one day, yikes.
@Anonymous wrote:
@CreditobsessedinFL wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the all zero penalty. Never let all of your cards report zero, keep one with a small balance. Throw Netflix on there or something and set it to autopay.
Thanks @Anonymous , I will go look. I prefer AZEO as it is easier for me to manage but I think I actually accidentally got hit mid month with a multiple reporting balances penalty, before statement credits, so, $8.00, $30.00 and the large $969.00 balance decrease, which I just pulled up. @AllZero, standby, I will pull together the data from your questions and respond. It looks like although I paid the balances or received a creditor overpayment, the reporting dates might have been missed by hours ie. one day, yikes.
And this right here is one of the many reasons I think AZEO is a waste if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days. It's a lot of work and if everything doesn't line up right, all zero penalty.
And if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days why would you worry about an all zero penalty anyway? 
Credit scores are like weight loss or the stock market, look at long term trends not short term results: if your trend is up and to the right you're doing fine. Admittedly when talking curve shapes, FICO scores are almost always L when something really bad happens, so just focus on not getting any lates or similar when talking long term credit health.
FWIW I agree don't stress about your scores bouncing around, if nothing serious is on the report (30D late or worse) it'll be fine, and arguably even in my case with a 60D late clearing 760 on FICO 8 and 770 on FICO 4 on TU, not necessarily a death sentence there either.
@Revelate wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@CreditobsessedinFL wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the all zero penalty. Never let all of your cards report zero, keep one with a small balance. Throw Netflix on there or something and set it to autopay.
Thanks @Anonymous , I will go look. I prefer AZEO as it is easier for me to manage but I think I actually accidentally got hit mid month with a multiple reporting balances penalty, before statement credits, so, $8.00, $30.00 and the large $969.00 balance decrease, which I just pulled up. @AllZero, standby, I will pull together the data from your questions and respond. It looks like although I paid the balances or received a creditor overpayment, the reporting dates might have been missed by hours ie. one day, yikes.
And this right here is one of the many reasons I think AZEO is a waste if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days. It's a lot of work and if everything doesn't line up right, all zero penalty.
And if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days why would you worry about an all zero penalty anyway?
Credit scores are like weight loss or the stock market, look at long term trends not short term results: if your trend is up and to the right you're doing fine. Admittedly when talking curve shapes, FICO scores are almost always L when something really bad happens, so just focus on not getting any lates or similar when talking long term credit health.
FWIW I agree don't stress about your scores bouncing around, if nothing serious is on the report (30D late or worse) it'll be fine, and arguably even in my case with a 60D late clearing 760 on FICO 8 and 770 on FICO 4 on TU, not necessarily a death sentence there either.
Thank you so much @Revelate ; as a Newbie I am trying to be hyper-vigilant, so I was devastated and couldn't figure out why the sharp drop in EX only, but you are right, I will focus instead on making on time payments and gardening, instead of micromanaging each point fluctuation.
@CreditobsessedinFL wrote:
@Revelate wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@CreditobsessedinFL wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the all zero penalty. Never let all of your cards report zero, keep one with a small balance. Throw Netflix on there or something and set it to autopay.
Thanks @Anonymous , I will go look. I prefer AZEO as it is easier for me to manage but I think I actually accidentally got hit mid month with a multiple reporting balances penalty, before statement credits, so, $8.00, $30.00 and the large $969.00 balance decrease, which I just pulled up. @AllZero, standby, I will pull together the data from your questions and respond. It looks like although I paid the balances or received a creditor overpayment, the reporting dates might have been missed by hours ie. one day, yikes.
And this right here is one of the many reasons I think AZEO is a waste if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days. It's a lot of work and if everything doesn't line up right, all zero penalty.
And if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days why would you worry about an all zero penalty anyway?
Credit scores are like weight loss or the stock market, look at long term trends not short term results: if your trend is up and to the right you're doing fine. Admittedly when talking curve shapes, FICO scores are almost always L when something really bad happens, so just focus on not getting any lates or similar when talking long term credit health.
FWIW I agree don't stress about your scores bouncing around, if nothing serious is on the report (30D late or worse) it'll be fine, and arguably even in my case with a 60D late clearing 760 on FICO 8 and 770 on FICO 4 on TU, not necessarily a death sentence there either.
Thank you so much @Revelate ; as a Newbie I am trying to be hyper-vigilant, so I was devastated and couldn't figure out why the sharp drop in EX only, but you are right, I will focus instead on making on time payments and gardening, instead of micromanaging each point fluctuation.
I just posted a similar drop. Utilization went from 2% to 0. And experian (my lowest score of the 3) dropped 20 pts. WTH. I've been AZEO but I PIF this month on this card and planned to keep a balance on another card that reports at end of the month. Total mental mistake. 🤦🏽♂️
| AU 
@nyuphoto wrote:
@CreditobsessedinFL wrote:
@Revelate wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@CreditobsessedinFL wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the all zero penalty. Never let all of your cards report zero, keep one with a small balance. Throw Netflix on there or something and set it to autopay.
Thanks @Anonymous , I will go look. I prefer AZEO as it is easier for me to manage but I think I actually accidentally got hit mid month with a multiple reporting balances penalty, before statement credits, so, $8.00, $30.00 and the large $969.00 balance decrease, which I just pulled up. @AllZero, standby, I will pull together the data from your questions and respond. It looks like although I paid the balances or received a creditor overpayment, the reporting dates might have been missed by hours ie. one day, yikes.
And this right here is one of the many reasons I think AZEO is a waste if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days. It's a lot of work and if everything doesn't line up right, all zero penalty.
And if you're not going for a mortgage in the next 60-90 days why would you worry about an all zero penalty anyway?
Credit scores are like weight loss or the stock market, look at long term trends not short term results: if your trend is up and to the right you're doing fine. Admittedly when talking curve shapes, FICO scores are almost always L when something really bad happens, so just focus on not getting any lates or similar when talking long term credit health.
FWIW I agree don't stress about your scores bouncing around, if nothing serious is on the report (30D late or worse) it'll be fine, and arguably even in my case with a 60D late clearing 760 on FICO 8 and 770 on FICO 4 on TU, not necessarily a death sentence there either.
Thank you so much @Revelate ; as a Newbie I am trying to be hyper-vigilant, so I was devastated and couldn't figure out why the sharp drop in EX only, but you are right, I will focus instead on making on time payments and gardening, instead of micromanaging each point fluctuation.
I just posted a similar drop. Utilization went from 2% to 0. And experian (my lowest score of the 3) dropped 20 pts. WTH. I've been AZEO but I PIF this month on this card and planned to keep a balance on another card that reports at end of the month. Total mental mistake. 🤦🏽♂️
🤦🏽♀️, I am scouring my EX report, JUST to make sure it isn't something else as that dropped me from "very good", to "good", as 34 pts. seems extreme as EX is usually my least volatile score, compared to TU at least. I left $30.00 reporting but it still counted that as 0, on EX for some reason.
Trying to breathe and let it go, as long as it wasn't a sleeper negative issue that popped up, as @Revelate said, but I feel like a new parent with these scores and I am trying so hard to be watchful albeit somewhat overprotective, I guess. Not applying for anything soon, so hopefully it will rebound and stabilize, over time.
I'm in the same exact boat. I about fell out of my chair when I saw the drop. I've been nurturing my scores for the last 7 months and this was my first step backwards since obsessing over FICO scores. I hope we bounce back sooner than later..