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Ok, so over the last 6 months I have disputed everything disputable with all 3 CRAs for myself and my wife, with varying degrees of success. Most of the results are in, and the outstanding ones will not make a huge difference whichever way they go. So now we wait.
My hilarious new gas card will totally solve my utilization and keep it very low (less than 6%) and with a little care with payment date I can keep it down to 1-2%. This is good. I will take some hits for new credit, especially EQ and EX – this is bad. Scorewatch will tell me when that hits the CRAs, and when that happens and all the disputes are in I can pull all six CRs and see exactly where we are, and I predict (without the bloomin simulator) that we will be averaging low to mid 700s.
Then comes the requirement for patience and fiscal responsibility. The cards will age, the enquiries will drop off (including bloomin Cingular) and there will be a slight trend upwards. In January I will pay my annual fee for my airline rewards card, then phone them up and ask for a reduced APR and an enquiryless CL increase (even lower utilization). Come March, the nasty that is left on EX but not the others will FINALLY go away, so EX should catch up with the other two and we should be in the mid 700s. Then by the fall we will both have a perfect 7 year credit records on a twenty year history with some 10 year old credit lines and a pretty balanced debt portfolio, and my simulatorless prediction is around then my favorite CRA (TU) will give us out first 800s, although the way it has been behaving recently it might well be earlier. By 2009, barring any disasters, we should have at least 4 scores in the 800s. And I also predict I will still be complaining about EX.
Have you noticed how CRAs take on personalities depending on how they view your credit?
Good things come to those who wait (and act responsibly).
EX hates me. My oldest open line or revolving credit does not report to them (I am trying to get it added as a non reporting line) and there is a derogatory that they, and only they, will not remove. As it drops off in March of next year, I have decided against pursuing the matter. So they are way below the others. EQ has a bunch of Inqs on it that were not for credit, and they will drop off in December. So that is my middle.
MXtra wrote:
guess I'm lucky all three scores are within 10 points for me. I still haven't reached 700, but it should happen on all three within the next month or two.
MidnightVoice wrote:EX hates me. My oldest open line or revolving credit does not report to them (I am trying to get it added as a non reporting line) and there is a derogatory that they, and only they, will not remove. As it drops off in March of next year, I have decided against pursuing the matter. So they are way below the others. EQ has a bunch of Inqs on it that were not for credit, and they will drop off in December. So that is my middle.
MXtra wrote:
guess I'm lucky all three scores are within 10 points for me. I still haven't reached 700, but it should happen on all three within the next month or two.