Do they always pull FICO scores regardless of which CRA they pull from (e.g instant online credit apps)? So basically, are the experian, and TU scores pretty much worthless (for our eyes only), and we should only pay attention to our FICO scores?
F.I.C.O. SCORES are the only scores the crediters use... YOU GET F.I.C.O. EQUIFAX...F.A.C.O. EXPERIAN...F.A.C.O. TRANS UNION
rackt3, George is correct in that FICO scores are the ones that MOST creditors use. However, some lenders such as citibank has their own scoring models, but uses your credit report for account information. Citibank cares less what your FICO score is with any of the three bureaus.
even though the scores may not be exactly what the lenders see, it does give you an idea of where you stand
Well, another reason I was asking is to make the decision of whether to sign up for experian's credit expert. I was thinking that since I already have Equifax, it wouldn't really do me any good to also get creditexpert since equifax already gives me the FICO score, and supposedly, experian's score doesnt matter much. (both my experian and equifax reports are almost identical as far as content... which is a good thing)
Pay attention to the Equifax-based FICO score. Ignore everything else unless you find someone who will tell you your real FICO score based on TransUnion or Experian. Sometimes a lending professional who you're conducting business with may share this info with you. Focus on trying to improve your Equifax FICO, and assume that the scoring algorithim will work similarly on the other accounts, assuming all of your credit reports identically on all vendors. Feel lucky, as it seems to do so in your case. *All* of my positive credit reports on Equifax only. My transunion and experian files are almost empty.
Actually, now Transunion is offering two products. A standard credit report for $9.00 that has the report and the "fako" transunion score, and an optional report for $12.95 that includes your report and the FICO score based on your transunion report. So it is possible to get the FICO with both TU and Equifax. The only one out of the three (big surprise) that doesn't give a FICO is Experian. Just one more reason why I absolutely HATE Experian!!!
