Trying to understand what happened on TU and hoping someone here has seen this pattern.
Working on rebuilding my credit. Paid down my secured card from ~93% utilization to about 5% (balance went from $466 to $24 on a $500 limit) on April 19. Statement cut April 24.
When TU updated, my VantageScore dropped 111 points (544 → 433).
What's confusing me: every other metric is identical between the two reports.
- Negative marks: 4 → 4 (no new derogatories)
- Total credit limit: $11,500 → $11,500 (no accounts closed)
- Credit history length: unchanged
- Hard inquiries: 5 → 5
- Credit usage: 4% → 0% (the only change, and it's positive)
I'd expect some score volatility from the report cycle, but a 111-point drop with no negative changes seems mechanically off. The only thing I can think of is some kind of "all-zero revolving" penalty since the secured card is my only currently-open revolving tradeline (rest is closed positive or charge-offs).
Has anyone seen this? Is this a known VantageScore quirk on thin files? Should I expect it to correct on the next refresh, or is something else going on I'm not seeing?
Not making any moves until I understand what happened. Appreciate any insight.