@SarahJo wrote:Apparently I had my notifications turned off so I apologize for not replying...it's been a billion years since I've been on any sort of forum. I have fed student loans, current and being paid. I will have the auto loan paid this mid-year and that was my main reason for looking into other small loans, i love my car and maintain it so it runs like a champ ;-) all cards report zero except for one that I report a small balance on and pay. My house is paid off as well. My scores are affected by a gloriously grueling divorce, worth every point however! I closed everything and worked with cash (aside from the student loans) for years. And yes, I was planning on paying the majority and keeping the smaller installments, though I've been trying to do more research on the percentage to pay off...i know I've seen it here on the forums but haven't devoted enough time to looking.
The sweet spot for aggregate installment loan utilization percentage is 1% to 9%.
Beautiful, thank you so kindly!
@Anonymous wrote:
SouthJamica you will find a score hit (you already figured something). For once I got myself out of sync and zeroed everything except installment and mortgage. Score went down then on top of it my mortgage transferred and dropped off the credit bureaus. WOW! Went from 848 TU08 (300 to 850) May 2016 to 800 June 2016. Was I ever ticked off!!! My goof. The mortgage came back on and I made sure I had one account with a small balance but now my score is only up to 829. Goal is 850 just to do it once. Do I need any credit .... no so it is all about seeing 850 once. Note, I walked the dark path and it took ten years to see light so I know the feeling.
Yeah in EX I lost 13 points, but when an $8.69 balance reported I got back 16 points 
OK here's the bottom line:
1. When all credit card balances went down to zero, TU dropped 9 points & EX dropped 13 points.
2. When a balance showed up, TU added back 9 points & EX added back 16 points.