Why Did My Credit Score Suddenly Drop?

If you have a credit card you probably have some sort of monthly credit score monitoring on your online account dashboard. The number probably doesn’t change too much but sometimes it does - a lot. How do you figure out why the number changed?

Check Your Balances

First thing first is to check to see if any of your balances has sharply increased. This could be because you’ve recently made a large purchase or spent more than normal but it could also point to a fraudulent card opened up in your name or someone using one of your cards without you knowing it.

The reason a bigger balance has an impact on your credit score is because it throws off your credit utilization ratio. The ratio is how much you owe versus how much you are allowed. If you suddenly owe more your utilization ratio increases thus decreasing your score.

Check Your Cards

One way to suddenly drop your credit score is to cancel a credit card or have one canceled by the creditor. The reason this affects your score is in the same way a bigger amount of debt does. If you are allowed $30,000 and owe $10,000 and one of your cards with $5,000 of available credit is suddenly closed your credit utilization ratio increases sharply. Before freaking out that you are a victim of fraud be sure to check this out!

Check Your Payments

A big factor in determining your credit score if your payment history. On-time payments are crucial in maintaining a good credit score. You may have missed a payment without even knowing it causing harm to your score. Also, if you rely on auto-pay, you make have had an issue with the connection and missed a payment that way. Going through your payments is a good idea if you haven’t been able to diagnose the problem.

Check Your Credit Report

If you haven’t been able to diagnose the problem yet then get a copy of your credit score. On your report you can review your credit cards, loans and any other kind of debt taken out in your name. This is a good way to find out if your identity has been stolen or compromised. Checking your credit report is a good habit to get into regardless so you have more of an idea of what exactly makes up your credit score.

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