Mortgage hoops really are their own circus sometimes...
That’s the truth. I’ve had underwriters ask about a card I literally hadn’t touched in years—felt like being quizzed on ancient history. I get why folks close old accounts, but I’m always torn since it can ding your score. Do you think it’s better to keep those “zombie” cards open for the credit age, or is the risk of forgetting about them just not worth it?
I’ve had underwriters ask about a card I literally hadn’t touched in years—felt like being quizzed on ancient history.
Yeah, they’ll dig up every skeleton in your financial closet. I’ve had them question a $200 limit store card from college—like, really? But here’s the thing: closing old cards can hurt your average account age, which matters for your score, especially if you’re juggling multiple properties or loans. On the other hand, I’ve seen people forget about those “zombie” cards and get hit with fraud or annual fees they didn’t notice.
Personally, I keep mine open but set reminders to check them every couple months. If it’s a card with no annual fee, I’ll just put a small charge on it once in a while and pay it off. But if there’s any risk of missing payments or you’re not organized, closing it might be safer—even if your score takes a tiny hit. At the end of the day, the underwriters will find something to nitpick either way... just part of the circus.
That’s a great point about the risk of old cards—those “zombie” accounts really can come back to haunt you if you’re not careful. I’ve seen folks get tripped up by forgotten annual fees or even weird fraud charges that went unnoticed for months. One thing I wonder: has anyone tried freezing their unused cards (like, literally putting them on ice or using a digital freeze) instead of closing them? Curious if that’s helped anyone keep track without hurting their credit age.
Freezing cards digitally has actually worked for a few of my clients who wanted to keep their credit age intact but avoid accidental charges. The physical “in the freezer” trick is more old-school, but I guess it works if you’re worried about impulse spending. Personally, I lean toward digital freezes since you can unfreeze quickly if you need to show available credit during a mortgage pre-approval. Has anyone run into issues with lenders questioning frozen cards during the mortgage process? That’s one thing I’m always cautious about...
Title: When mortgage rates feel like a rollercoaster ride
Has anyone run into issues with lenders questioning frozen cards during the mortgage process? That’s one thing I’m always cautious about...
- I’ve actually had a lender ask why a card was showing as “inactive” on my report, but once I explained it was just digitally frozen (not closed), they didn’t seem to care. Maybe depends on the underwriter?
- Digital freeze is way more convenient than the old freezer trick. Tried the physical freeze once—forgot about the card for months and ended up with a replacement because it expired in there. Oops.
- One thing I’ve noticed: some credit monitoring apps show frozen cards as “restricted,” which can look weird if you’re not expecting it. Never had that cause an issue with a mortgage, though.
- Curious if anyone’s ever had a lender push back harder or ask for documentation about why the card was frozen? Seems like most just want to see it’s still open and in good standing.
Do you think lenders are getting more used to seeing digital freezes now, or is it still kind of hit-or-miss?
