My credit score roller coaster...

[AZGuy23]

Decided to go through all my credit reports I've collected over the years and note down the progress of my credit scores. It's definitely improving though it's interesing how TransUnion, both times pulled on MyFico.com, tanked. I don't know if they changed the way they calculate their score but the weird thing is that on my report from 02/2011, it showed I had $2,900 in debt and my report form 03/2012 shows $22,300 in debt. I didn't incur any additional debt during that time so I'm not sure what that is about.

I actually have a set of scores from MyFico and then a set from mortgage lenders which allows me to compare apples to apples more or less.

MyFico.com
Equifax: 08/2010 636 - 02/2011 659 - 03/2012 664
TransUnion: 08/2010 ? - 02/2011 619 - 03/2012 530

Mortgage Lender
Equifax: 03/2006 529 - 04/2012 635 11/2012 672
Experian: 03/2006 519 - 04/2012 580 11/2012 642
TransUnion: 03/2006 566 - 04/2012 516 11/2012 557

Can't wait until March 2013...all my negative accounts (17 in total) will fall off aside from a medical bill in collections (for $500, due to fall off 07/2014) and a paid collections (due to fall off 05/2016). All the scores should shoot up past 700 I'm hoping.

[frogger]

The one medical bill in collections has the potential to be costing you 100 points......

[AZGuy23]

Wow, 100 points? Seriously?

Should I try and settle the medical collections in return for them deleting it off my credit report? How would I go about that?

[frogger]

Seriously.

[TBA]

If you have been rebuilding credit, i would not go paying collections. Good new replaces old bad - the score weighs your past 24-36 months most heavily. With those guys headed towards falling off soon, i would continue to build good new and i wouldnt worry about old bad -

UNLESS of course you are applying for credit and need to have those paid...

BUT BE FOREWARNED - paying a collection from 3+ years ago does not improve your score immediately. In fact, it usually hurts it, because it pulls the collection forward and shows a currently paid collection instead of something old. If you are working on something two or three years away, it may be worth it, but not if its going to fall off your report in two to three years.

Just my two cents.