Credit Score

Hi Terry,

I wrote to you over a year ago in reference to my inability to get a credit card after some financial problems. At the time I was an American Express cardholder for over 30 years and had a Chase card, and a Capital One card. I lost them all but paid back the balance in full to both AMEX and Capital One. You were a big help, and since then I at least got the Capital One card back with a very low credit line. Also, two months ago I got a Jeep loan, and have been working with my Credit Union to improve things. At one point a few months ago my score was at 605, and I was getting happy. However, just today on my Credit Wise report that Capital One gave me my score went down 46 points! i have not missed a payment on anything in 9 months, and the only two things I can think of are a. That I am close to my credit line on the card, and b. a credit report was pulled by a property company whose apartment I am trying to rent.
That’s all for now Terry, as I know that you are busy, and I really need your advice on all of this. I thought I would be further along by this time, and it is somewhat embarrassing for me.
I look forward to hearing form you.

Best regards,

 

Terry Says:  Keep at it, paying regularly — and perhaps not carry a balance for a few months.  That will do wonders to improve your score.  If they see you are only making minimum monthly payments, the bureaus get worried!  This is not an easy process, but worth continuing.  And next time, in a few months, check your score at Discover, since they now offer a free score to anyone.  Keep in mind that there are different kinds of credit scores, and they may vary depending on who is doing the calculating.