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Score up and down by 70 points

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skoop
New Contributor

Score up and down by 70 points

I have been lurking for a while and can't find an answer to my question.  My score dropped  70 points, then a day later went up by 70 points, then dropped again by the same amount a few days later.
 
The only thing that changed was that I had about maxed out one of my cc, (vacation) but had only added $200.00 to it, so I don't see why that would cause that much of a difference.
 
Anybody have a clue why that might happen?  Should I pull a EX report to see what is there?  I don't want to pay for a report if it won't answer my question.
 
 
Message 1 of 6
5 REPLIES 5
haulingthescoreup
Moderator Emerita

Re: Score up and down by 70 points

Whenever I see a score go up and down quickly by the exact number of points, I get VERY nervous about the possibility of a split file, where there gets to be so much data in your file that it "splits", with some of your history in one place, and the rest in another.

If you know your score, but not what's on your report, it sounds like you might have Scorewatch, which is EQ (Equifax), rather than EX (Experian.) If it was Equifax, that would make sense, as EQ is a bit unstable and more prone to splitting. I guess Experian can split too, but I just haven't heard of it before.

If you have printed or otherwise saved any of your old reports, it would probably be worth paying for a new report. (If this is EQ, and you do have Scorewatch, your report is cheaper.) Carefully compare the old report to the new one, and see what's different, line by line, number by number. Something has created this score change, and scores are derived from the info on your reports. Click the printable view --it's easier to see what's there.

Another possibility is that an old account has fallen off your report, maybe sooner than it should, and you have lost good history. But 70 points --that's an awful lot; more like several accounts. EQ has also had problems with losing old accounts prematurely. So again, do a very careful comparison, including of your closed accounts.

Message Edited by haulingthescoreup on 02-11-2008 03:34 PM
* Credit is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. * Who's the boss --you or your credit?
FICO's: EQ 781 - TU 793 - EX 779 (from PSECU) - Done credit hunting; having fun with credit gardening. - EQ 590 on 5/14/2007
Message 2 of 6
skoop
New Contributor

Re: Score up and down by 70 points

Well, I was at the theater this afternoon, and when I got out and turned my phone back on, there was an alert that my score had gone up again by 78 points. 
 
This is wild.  I am going to pull a report and look at it, and try to find out what the heck is going on.
 
Thanks for the quick reponse, haulingthescoreup.  There has to be something weird going on.
Message 3 of 6
haulingthescoreup
Moderator Emerita

Re: Score up and down by 70 points

If you got an alert, then it's definitely Equifax.

Once you compare reports, if you do see that they don't match, you have to actually work with Equifax. This isn't anything that myFICO would be able to fit.
* Credit is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. * Who's the boss --you or your credit?
FICO's: EQ 781 - TU 793 - EX 779 (from PSECU) - Done credit hunting; having fun with credit gardening. - EQ 590 on 5/14/2007
Message 4 of 6
skoop
New Contributor

Re: Score up and down by 70 points

So, I did some more searching today, and found out that my file is indeed split at Equifax and they are not reporting all of the information.  Is is split between two names, mine and one of which is mispelled.
 
I searched this board, found a telephone number for CSC which is the local partner of Equifax, and called them.  The lady I spoke with said the files were split and she was going to combine them,and the agency would send me a letter when this is complete. 
 
Should I trust this to happen or go another route, and put it in writing and send them a letter?
 
Thanks for this board.  It is helping me maintain my sanity, I think?  God, things can get messy in a heartbeat!
Message 5 of 6
haulingthescoreup
Moderator Emerita

Re: Score up and down by 70 points

Probably wouldn't hurt to send a follow-up letter, gushing thanks for her helpfulness, and saying that you will be anxiously following your reports, and just can't wait until it's all back to normal. Smiley Wink
* Credit is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. * Who's the boss --you or your credit?
FICO's: EQ 781 - TU 793 - EX 779 (from PSECU) - Done credit hunting; having fun with credit gardening. - EQ 590 on 5/14/2007
Message 6 of 6
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