Scoring oddities

[CreditCurious]

It is interesting how much scores can swing depending on minor differences. For the most recent round of FICO scores, I get these:

EX -25 pts. Went from 796 down to 771. Of note, all revolving lines report zero (reported on 3/9, 4/2 and 3/23), and EQ does not receive reports for my mortgage.  

TU +12.  830 up to 842. Of note, 2 of 3 revolvers report zero, one reports $221 balance on 3/4 (with EX, same card was reported 4/2). For me, this is less than 1% utilization. This bureau does catch my mortgage. 

EQ  +11. 839 to 850. Of note, all 3 revolvers report zero, with dates different from the other bureaus. Technically negative utilization for this bureau, and this bureau does catch my mortgage.  I guess the 0 balance penalty with EQ is balanced by other factors, or maybe a negative balance on a card counts as use in some way?

I don't try to practice AZEO, nor do I try to keep utilization particularly low. As far as I am concerned it is what it is, although typically fairly low because of reasonably high limits and I tend to pay my cards every two weeks.  This is merely a convenience for me, I pay them when I get paid.

One hard inquiry, about 23 months old.  2 closed car loans, going to drop off in 1-3 years.  One 12 year old mortgage with low interest, I am not in a hurry to pay.

One of my cards is typically close to zero.  I do have a couple of recurring payments on it, but they are minor and I tend not to use the card much.  For the other two, one must have been paid off in full around the reporting date, the other has a negative balance because an airline refunded a ticket because they were oversold, or flights canceled, or similar nonsense. Now I have to rebook.  

So, 79 point score difference, ranging from a decent 771 to a perfect 850 (first time for me, whoop!), some scores going up, some going down, mostly because of slightly different reporting dates.  

I do have the luxury of having good credit, so i don't worry about the swings, but I do find it amusing that some went up, some went down, and I have such a big span between high and low.

[CreditBob]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53wNlq6sro

[Thomas_Thumb]

---

@CreditCurious wrote:

For the most recent round of FICO scores, I get these:

EX -25 pts. Went from 796 down to 771. Of note, all revolving lines report zero (reported on 3/9, 4/2 and 3/23), and EX does not receive reports for my mortgage.  

TU +12.  830 up to 842. Of note, 2 of 3 revolvers report zero, one reports $221 balance on 3/4 (with EX, same card was reported 4/2). For me, this is less than 1% utilization. This bureau does catch my mortgage. 

EQ  +11. 839 to 850. Of note, all 3 revolvers report zero, with dates different from the other bureaus. Technically negative utilization for this bureau, and this bureau does catch my mortgage.  

I don't try to practice AZEO, nor do I try to keep utilization particularly low. 

One hard inquiry, about 23 months old.  2 closed car loans, going to drop off in 1-3 years.  One 12 year old mortgage with low interest, I am not in a hurry to pay.

One of my cards is typically close to zero.  I do have a couple of recurring payments on it, but they are minor and I tend not to use the card much.  For the other two, one must have been paid off in full around the reporting date, the other has a negative balance because an airline refunded a ticket.

So, 79 point score difference, ranging from a decent 771 to a perfect 850 (first time for me, whoop!), some scores going up, some going down, mostly because of slightly different reporting dates.  

it amusing that some went up, some went down, and I have such a big span between high and low.

---

Well based on your file reporting differences your results are not surprising. An open loan, particularly a mortgage with lengthy ontime payment history, can be worth 25 - 35 points vs no open loan. The no recent revolving activity typically costs 15-25 points.

The only unusual score is the EQ rise to 850. I suspect the data pull from EQ somehow is being interpreted by Fico as showing revolving activity. 

[Varsity_Lu]

---

@CreditBob wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53wNlq6sro

---

Really great video.  Thanks for sharing.

[Patient957]

---

@Varsity_Lu wrote:

---

@CreditBob wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53wNlq6sro

---

Really great video.  Thanks for sharing.

---

All his videos are good.  Short and right to the point.

[Thomas_Thumb]

Saw this a while back. Good video and highlights the primary metrics well. However, a little inaccurate on what's required for Fico 850.

1. Fico 8 and Fico 9 have a "buffer" at 850. So, you do not need to "be perfect in all categories" to achieve 850.

2. You can be at 850 with many more than 3-4 accounts with balances. I had 6 cards and 1 loan with a balance. Others have had 850s with even more accounts with balances.

3. Twenty years credit history is a nice, round, milestone for 850. However, 850 has been reached 15-19 years credit age.

4. While a 1% utilization may be considered optimal, it is certainly not necessary for Fico 850s. Not seen any Fico data showing score changes in the 1%-5% AG UT range. Ultra low utilization is more importany with VantageScore. Usually under 9% AG UT is sufficient with Fico 8/9.

The video does a good job dispelling the falsehood that having a lot of CCs will hurt score. It's how the accounts are managed that matters.