FICO Scores are trusted to be a fair and reliable measure of whether a person will pay back their loan on time. By consistently using FICO Scores, lenders take on less risk, and you get faster and fairer access to the credit you need and can manage.
Which credit score matters the most? While there's no exact answer to which credit score matters most, lenders have a clear favorite: FICO® Scores are used in over 90% of lending decisions.
Basically, "credit score" and "FICO® score" are all referring to the same thing. A FICO® score is a type of credit scoring model. While different reporting agencies may weigh factors slightly differently, they are all essentially measuring the same thing.
You can get a real FICO® Score☉ from many sources, including credit bureaus, lenders, credit card issuers and other financial institutions. There are many versions of the FICO® Score, and they may have different uses, but they're all real.
When the scores are significantly different across bureaus, it is likely the underlying data in the credit bureaus is different and thus driving that observed score difference.
For the majority of general lending decisions, such as personal loans and credit cards, lenders use your FICO Score. Your FICO Score is calculated by the data analytics company Fair Isaac Corporation, and it's based on data from your credit reports. VantageScore, another scoring model, is a well-known alternative.
The commonly used FICO® Scores for mortgage lending are: FICO® Score 2, or Experian/Fair Isaac Risk Model v2. FICO® Score 5, or Equifax Beacon 5. FICO® Score 4, or TransUnion FICO® Risk Score 04.
What Credit Score Do Lenders Use? The two main companies that produce and maintain credit scoring models are FICO® and VantageScore. Lenders most commonly use the FICO® Score to make lending decisions, and in particular, the FICO® Score 8 is the most popular version for general use.
Some lenders report to all three major credit bureaus, but others report to only one or two. Because of this difference in reporting, each of the three credit bureaus may have slightly different credit report information for you and you may see different scores as a result.
Consequently, when lenders check your FICO credit score, whether based on credit report data from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, they will likely use the FICO 8 scoring model. FICO 8 scores range between 300 and 850. A FICO score of at least 700 is considered a good score.
Experian's advantage over FICO is that the information it provides is more thorough than a simple number. A pair of borrowers could both have 700 FICO scores but vastly different credit histories.
In short, FICO is more transparent than the three credit bureaus and, most times, the least costly for all parties involved. However, reports from the three credit bureaus are vital to monitor your progress on your journey to that ideal credit score so that you can get the best loan rates and credit cards.
Your score can then differ based on what bureau your credit report is pulled from since they don't all receive the same information about your credit accounts. Secondly, different credit score models (and versions) exist across the board. As it states on its website, Credit Karma uses the VantageScore® 3.0 model.
Although VantageScore credit scores have been around for about 15 years, the FICO Score is still the preferred choice of most lenders. In the U.S., lenders use FICO Scores in 90% of lending decisions.
FICO Scores are an industry standard
90% of top lenders use FICO Scores when making lending decisions. So when you apply for a loan, it's likely your lender will be checking your FICO Scores to determine how much you can borrow and how much interest you'll pay.
Though Credit Karma does not currently offer FICO® scores, the scores you see on Credit Karma (VantageScore 3.0 credit scores from TransUnion and Equifax) provide valuable insight into your financial health. It's important to keep in mind that no one credit score is the end-all, be-all.
The most accurate credit scores are the latest versions of the FICO Score and VantageScore credit-scoring models: FICO Score 8 and VantageScore 3.0.
Credit scoring models consider information from your credit reports that falls into one of five categories: payment history, amounts owed, age of credit, new accounts/inquiries and credit mix. The better you manage credit in each of these categories, the higher your scores.
A 750 credit score generally falls into the “excellent” range, which shows lenders that you're a very dependable borrower. People with credit scores within this range tend to qualify for loans and secure the best mortgage rates. A 750 credit score could help you: Qualify for a mortgage.
While you don't need a perfect 850 credit score to get the best mortgage rates, there are general credit score requirements you will need to meet in order to take out a mortgage. Prospective home buyers should aim to have credit scores of 760 or greater to qualify for the best interest rates on mortgages.
700 is a good score — and with a little effort, you should be able to find a mortgage lender who will give you a competitive rate and get you into the home you want.
Based on the 2020 US Census, the US credit-eligible population (those over 18 years of age) is 258 million people. But how many of those consumers can obtain a FICO® Score? Calculations by FICO data scientists indicate that more than 232 million US consumers can be scored by the FICO® Score suite.
Equifax credit scores are not used by lenders and creditors to assess consumers' creditworthiness. FICO scores are general purpose credit scores developed by the Fair Isaac Corporation, which are used by lenders and creditors to help assess consumers' creditworthiness.
Because there are varied scoring models, you'll likely have different scores from different providers. Lenders use many different types of credit scores to make lending decisions. The score you see when you check it may not be the same as the one used by your lender.