Had the same thing happen when I was applying for my mortgage—lender actually asked about a store card I closed like three years ago.
It felt so random. I get wanting a long history, but at some point, those old cards are just clutter. I kept stressing over every little detail, but in the end, it barely mattered. If you’re not maxing out your cards or missing payments, it’s wild how little those tiny things move the needle.“sometimes they’ll ask why you closed something, as if it’s a sign you’re suddenly risky”
Yeah, lenders can get weirdly fixated on stuff that feels ancient. I’ve seen folks get grilled over a $200 card they closed years ago, and it barely budged their score. It’s wild what they focus on sometimes. As long as you’re not racking up debt or missing payments, you’re usually fine. The process just makes everyone paranoid about every little thing... but most of it’s noise.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’d push back a bit on the idea that most of it’s just noise. Lenders do have their quirks, but there’s usually a method to the madness—even if it’s not obvious to us. That $200 card you mentioned, for example, might seem trivial, but closing old accounts can actually shorten your credit history and bump up your utilization ratio, which can ding your score more than people expect. Have you ever looked at how a small change in your credit mix or history can shift your rate offer? Sometimes it’s just a few bucks a month, but over 30 years, that adds up.
I’ve seen clients get surprised by stuff like an old medical bill or a forgotten store card. It’s not always about racking up debt or missing payments—sometimes it’s just about how the algorithms weigh your profile. Makes me wonder if we underestimate how much the “little stuff” can matter, especially when you’re right on the edge of a rate tier. Anyone else ever get blindsided by something minor during underwriting?
That “little stuff” can sneak up on you for sure. I remember thinking my old $300 store card was pointless, so I closed it before applying for a mortgage. Next thing I know, my score dropped just enough to nudge me into a higher rate bracket. Like you said,
It’s wild how something that small can cost you thousands over the life of a loan. Learned that lesson the hard way...“it’s not always about racking up debt or missing payments—sometimes it’s just about how the algorithms weigh your profile.”
Honestly, I get why you’d feel burned by that—credit scoring can be a total black box. But I actually went the other way when I refinanced last year. I closed a couple of old cards (one had a $0 balance for years) and my score barely budged. Maybe it’s just luck, or maybe my other accounts balanced it out? I do think there’s some hype over “never close a card” floating around. If you’ve got a solid history and low utilization, sometimes trimming unused accounts can make managing your credit simpler in the long run.
That said, timing is everything. Right before a mortgage app, yeah, probably best not to touch anything. But outside of that window, closing out old cards hasn’t always been the disaster folks make it sound like… at least in my experience. Credit really is weirdly personal—what tanks one person’s score barely moves the needle for someone else.
