Just thinking - wouldn't it be nice if there were people on this board who actually work FOR the credit bureaus, or have in the past - who could give us some real info about their mysterious ways? It seems like here it's all a collection of "I heard this" or "This happened to me but I'm not sure why" or "They have some formula ..." Which is all really helpful and interesting - but it's like whatever little information we can chip away from this big unknown thing. Whereas obviously SOME people know the specifics! Sure would be nice if they could share ...

Also, just had to say I really have appreciated this board since discovering it a week or so ago - I'm finally getting serious about paying down my debt and the info & suggestions here have been great.

Oh yeah - just got a copy of my credit report, and as far as the "inquiries", it said "The following inquiries will be reported to anyone asking for your credit report," and there were like 5. Then there were 3 or 4 pages of "These will not be reported." Don't know how they determine which are which (not by date!) but it seems like it shouldn't be an issue for potential creditors.