What DATA items help your FICO score the most? Dates, Balance, Status???

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know what data points on reports impact your score the most?

Since you all have opened my eyes to how to do this I am finding soooo many inaccuracies, duplicates, wrong status's, wrong dates, wrong balances on my reports. It is overwhelming.

What are the most important data points to fix?

No wonder my score hasn't moved as fast as I thought it would. It must be all this old, wrong, duplicate junk hangin' round on my reports I just want it gone!!!

I appreciate any and all help anyone can provide!!!

[Anonymous]

Check out the FICO education center and the Credit 101 thread-

http://www.myfico.com/CreditEducation/WhatsInYourScore.aspx

RTC101T

[Anonymous]

#1 Keep revolving debt as low as possible. This can lower your score by over 100 points.

#2 Anything that shows as negative. Anything! The most recent one hurts the most. Just 1 is enough to do serious damage.

#3 Collections don't go away because they are paid, must be removed.

#4 Inquiries less than 1 year old. Have as few as possible.

Thats a start.

[RobertEG]

Pizza has palored it all.  I would only add....since you apparently see crap in your report, clean up you CR for any inaccuracies!  Particularly if any involve prior late payments.  Payment history is the single most important category in FICO, and any inaccurancies there should be PRIMARY focus!  Period!!!!!!  All the rest is just playing the fico 101 daily game.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all so much! So, given your advice I am going to work on the late pays first and make the GW letters a priority! I am really hoping I can get Chase to either do a DELETE or a GW adjustment. If they can do this I am confident it could have a HUGE impact on our score given what you have told me. I am also hoping Well Fargo can do a GW on the adjustments. WE had a couple good acounts w/them and only 1 bad so am hoping they will consider it?

The other issue I have is the duplicate accts w/Providian and Unifund. I have GW letters off to them and am hoping at minimum to get Unifund deleted thru a PFD. Wtg on status.

The bad thing is now all 3 of the duplicate accounts have showed up as "NEW ACCOUNTS for the Equifax report on the TU TC product? Not sure if it is an issue w/TC or Equifax. They should not be reporting as New! They were closed in 2003! uggghhh!

Anyway, thanks for your help. I am learning sooooo much on these boards and am really hoping my efforts will eventually start to have an impact on my scores.