Flagstar apocalypse

I have an Elan Max through Flagstar. I got a letter last week saying that they would be transferring their cardholders to FNBO and shifting us to a trash rewards structure. Planning to apply for another Elan Max in July. I tried to dig into what the implications of the transfer might be on my future approval odds. Sharing some answers I found and some questions I still have. A lot of these are probably obvious but hopefully it helps some folk. I feel pretty confident about questions 1-8 . I'd appreciate any input on questions 9-11 , I've only got a month to plan and I'm not sure where to start with those. UPDATE: I called the Elan recon line and got some answers from a rep (obviously sometimes you can't trust reps). See below. UPDATE: Added question 12. Q: Will my card continue to age as normal, or will the age drop? A: It will continue on as the same card, the age will continue to increment and will not drop. 2 separate CSRs said this. Q: Will this show up on my report as a new card? A: It will not show up as a new card. 2 CSRs said this. Q: Will my credit limit change? A: Yes, they will be re-underwriting everything. 3 CSRs said this. Q: Will they hard pull my credit? A: Probably not. 3 CSRs said this and they were all wishy-washy about it. I'm not convinced. Q: Is there anything I can do now to receive better treatment in the transition? A: No, but maybe you can P/C after the transition. You can also just close the card (LOL), and you can opt out of some data sharing after the card is converted. 1 CSR said this. Q: Since Elan is the issuer, are you sure that my card is transitioning like the rest of the Flagstar cards? A: Yes, it's definitely all moving. 2 CSRs said this, 1 from FNBO and one from Elan. Q: Since Elan is the issuer, are you sure that my card is transitioning like the rest of the Flagstar cards? A: Yes, it's definitely all moving. 2 CSRs said this, 1 from FNBO and one from Elan. Q: If I'm denied for Elan with one bank, could my odds be different with another bank? A: Based on my googling, no: Elan is the one underwriting these. Let me know if I'm wrong or there is a nuance. Q: Will Elan see me as risky now because I "closed" my Elan card? A: No. 1 CSR from the Elan recon line told me this. Q: Would my approval chances with Elan be better if I applied while my card is still with Elan? Maybe they will see me as "an existing customer"? All other things equal, of course. A: No. 1 CSR from the Elan recon line told me this. Q: If I improve my "relationship" with US Bank or the bank that will issue my Elan card, will that help my approval odds? A: Called the Elan recon line and asked whether Elan is solely responsible for the underwriting. Their answer was "yes, but" : They said that Elan is solely responsible for the underwriting, HOWEVER "if the banker submit the application" then "[Elan] can take your banking information into account, like your checking account, you've had $x with them for however many years, etc". I'm paraphrasing but they definitely mentioned checking account age and balance and the bank submitting the application. Interesting. Unless I learn more info to change my mind, I'll go ahead and dump some money into the bank that I want to issue my card. Q:If FNBO tries to pull my credit but my credit is frozen, what will happen? A: I won't get in trouble, they will contact me. Potentially they might close the card if I refuse to let them pull. CSRs don't really know whether it's a soft pull or a hard pull or nothing or what, the transition is pretty chaotic. 1 CSR from FNBO told me this.