TransUnion & Equifax: Why did my score change?

Discussion in 'Credit Talk' started by CCinPA, Dec 18, 2015.

  1. CCinPA

    CCinPA Member

    Although this is not an earth-shattering issue... I did not think it was a difficult question to ask TransUnion & Equifax... "Why did my score change from 828 to 785"? Since my score hovered around 828â?¦ It seemed a valid request to why my score dropped 43 points?

    Both their responses were thatâ?¦ They didnâ??t know the reason(s)! Am I crazy to think they should provide this to me???
     
  2. jam237

    jam237 Well-Known Member

    The short answer is that they won't know.

    Unless you are paying for the score, they won't give you the reasons for your score being what it is; and that still doesn't tell you the logic for why it changed from one day to the next.

    Short answer, every time there is any change to any of the information on your credit report, your score can go up. If you have 31 accounts on your credit report, and each and every one of them reports on a different day of the month, through the month it is likely that you could have 31 entirely different credit scores throughout the same month.

    Question... With the holidays, have you utilized your credit cards more than normal? Guess what, utilization ratio can cause a dramatic swing in both directions... And yes, it can be a swing as wide as the size that you are talking about...

    The best way to figure out why your score is what it was on any two different occasions is to look at the entire credit report for both occasions, and to go through every single tradeline and see every difference, date updated, balances, status, payment histories, every piece of data that is showing on the report. Rip it apart as if you were planning to dispute the information.

    Some of the differences will probably be things that are helping you, others are probably things that are hurting you. Sometimes, though, something that you may think is hurting you, could actually be helping you.
     
  3. CCinPA

    CCinPA Member

    Message(s) received.

     
  4. jam237

    jam237 Well-Known Member

    What I love, yesterday, I get an alert from Equifax, log in to view my report, get another alert an hour later that there was another change. Literally within an hour my score changed, just because they received an update in that time window.
     
  5. CCinPA

    CCinPA Member

    For something that impacts our lives/credit-worthiness... It's a sloppy way to run a business.

    I had a similar situation... During my email-battle with Equifax my score changed from 785 to 800. So I sent them an email and stated... Now this should be an easy one for you... What just changed? Answer: "We can't tell you".

    I am flabbergasted with I have learned about credit-bureaus.
     
  6. jam237

    jam237 Well-Known Member

    You would really be flabbergasted if you go up against them in court... The things that they don't want you to learn then (but have to tell you) is hilarious... :)
     
  7. jam237

    jam237 Well-Known Member

    Hint: If they kept notations of changes that occurred in your credit report, annotated to when they were occurring, then when you disputed something that was previously accurate, they would have to check their records as to what was previously reported to them to verify the dispute of incorrect information.

    YOU can actually make that work in your best interests, if you know how. :) I had a fun call with a CRA one time, and by the time I hung up the phone I was singing "Kiss Him Goodbye" for the tradeline. :) For some reason people around the pay phone were having a strange reaction. :)
     
  8. CCinPA

    CCinPA Member

    As an IT guy… There is no reason why these folks can not pull a back dated report. It amazes me that they get away with this stuff!

    I too submitted claims with the CRA on both TR and EQ. I found the CRA to be useless… They simply recorded my complaint… Then recorded the responses from TR and EQ… The end.

    At CRA’s recommendation… I filed claims with the FTC. The FTC reported that they will record my information, and if they get enough of the same type of complaints… They may take action. Dead end.

    On the subject of what “I” can do… That may be favorable. I read something in a credit-form that my “friend” executed. The last time I posted this… I receive a lot of criticism. So… If you are pro-credit bureaus… Stop now.

    My “friend” read that the credit bureau folks often will not reconfirm or research certain information such as courthouse bankruptcy information. With a little bit of cut/paste, and the truth about not confirming… He had his bankruptcy wiped clean.

    So… Any other agencies that might help me with my little issue?
     
  9. jam237

    jam237 Well-Known Member

    You just want to remember, them not being able to pull up old information works for us, as often, if not more, than it works against us.

    IF a tradeline is erroneous, and they could roll it back to an entry that YOU concede was accurate, you'd be stuck with that data for the entire reporting history; however if they don't maintain the old data, then they are left with no option but to delete the erroneous data.

    The CRA dispute process is designed, by federal law, and many examples of caselaw, for this exact reason. The CRA only receives the data which is posted on your credit report, your name, SSN, DOB, address, account number, last payment information, delinquency information, comments. THAT'S ALL FOLKS...

    The CRA doesn't receive all of the data that the data furnisher should supposedly have on file for you, and per caselaw, the CRA shouldn't have to demand that the data furnisher provide them with copies of all of those files so that the CRA can personally decide what data is 100% complete, accurate, and verifiable; the courts have said that the CRA asking the data furnisher to verify the SPECIFIC pieces of information being disputed is enough, and then the data furnisher reviewing those specific pieces of information is sufficient under the FCRA.

    We don't want the CRAs to have more data, the more data that they have, the more data that they can use against us. Maybe if the CRAs had the entire dataset, the CRA may create 'lates' where they were only technical lates, and delinquencies where there were no delinquencies...
     
  10. CCinPA

    CCinPA Member

  11. jam237

    jam237 Well-Known Member

    TU uses an entirely different scoring system.

    As it says on the score sheet, 990 to 501 is the score range that they use.

    You never get a true FICO score, unless you are paying for a true FICO score; otherwise it's a "FAKO" score.
     
  12. JoshuaHeckathorn

    JoshuaHeckathorn Administrator

    Ah yes, the good ole TransUnion Vantage Score. This is the same "FAKO" credit score that you can get access to for free via CreditKarma.com. When TransUnion launched it years ago, I think they believed that they could set themselves apart from the FICO credit scoring model by using a different scoring range up to 990. Unfortunately, all it seems to do is confuse consumers.
     

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