Name change dropped score?

[Anonymous]

Today, my Equifax dropped 15 points and it worried me because I'm buying a car in about a month. It went from 702 to 687. The "myfico app" gave me these 3 alerts:
1. The balance on one of your accounts has decreased $254.
2. A account that has been inactive for more than 9 months has become active.
3. The name listed on your credit report has been changed to Isaac _____ 2.

Now I'm a JR so that's no issued cause I am the 2nd. So what's the problem? By each one, it had a -15 for how many points it went down. Is this a error? Did it mean +15?
My Experian is a 718, and my Transuion is 731. My credit union says they used Equifax, that's why I'm worried. Thanks for the help!

[Anonymous]

See my signature link on why your score dropped at a credit alert.  Read the post.

And welcome to the forums!

[Anonymous]

It's impossible for a name change to drop your credit score.

The alerts you received may have absolutely nothing to do with why your score changed.  This is a very common misconception around the forum, but makes sense when you understand how alerts work.

[Kree]

As a thought the name change might have removed positive accounts that were erroneously associated with you.  The removal of accounts doesn't trigger an alert by itself I think.