Calling All Credit Card Holders!
Creditors have been calling all their cardholders to inform them that their credit cards are either being closed or their credit limits are being lowered. This has broad reaching implications on your 'available credit' and thus your FICO score. Why Worry? The fact is, your almighty FICO credit score is comprised of many factors, not the least of which is how 'fat' your balance is against your available credit limit. So in the case of having your limit lowered, usually to your existing balance (i.e., what is owed now) means the system sees that card as maxed out. If you previously had 50% or more available and unused, the system saw you as managing your credit within reason. 30% or less is the ideal limit for optimal credit scoring. 100% of your balance being used indicates higher risk therefore your FICO Score will be lowered. Since the system analyzes your behavior every month for such things as late payments or limits being reached, the effect of losing your a...