The lower Equifax number is a common concern for many people. The reason that this score is lower than your TransUnion score is based on the fact that TransUnion adds personal information and employment data that is weighted into their model.
Your credit scores are calculated using information in your credit reports, so it's normal to see your score change as lenders provide updates to that information. A slight drop in your score may not be cause for worry, especially if you're consistently practicing good credit health habits.
Neither score is more or less accurate than the other; they're only being calculated from slightly differing sources. Your Equifax credit score is more likely to appear lower than your TransUnion one because of the reporting differences, but a “fair” score from TransUnion is typically “fair” across the board.
How Does TransUnion Calculate Credit Scores? One of the scoring models that TransUnion uses to calculate credit scores is VantageScore® 3.0. This model scoring scale starts at 300 (the lowest) and caps at 850.
A: As a general matter, no one credit bureau report is “more important” than the others. In today's economic environment, they are all vitally critical to your personal finances.
An Equifax credit score isn't used by lenders or creditors to assess a consumers' creditworthiness. Instead, many lenders use FICO Scores® to help determine a potential borrower's creditworthiness. FICO uses credit scores from the three reporting agencies, including Equifax and Transunion, to determine their score.
TransUnion is Accurate, But May Conflict With Other Scores
Unfortunately, errors can happen from time to time. FICO and VantageScore both use a range of 300 to 850 to categorize credit scores.
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.
Which Credit Bureau has the Lowest Score? The credit bureau that gives the lowest FICO or Vantage score tends to be the one that lenders use the most in your geographic area. Lenders typically slice the pie (between Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) at the three-digit zip code level.
While both TransUnion and Experian have some similarities, Experian offers a more robust suite of consumer services. It also reveals your FICO Score 8—the score most lenders use—which can give you a better idea of what lenders see than the VantageScore that TransUnion provides.
The credit bureaus may have different information.
And a lender may report updates to different bureaus at different times. So, it's possible that Equifax and TransUnion could have different credit information on your reports, which could lead to your TransUnion score differing from your Equifax score.
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. It is important to check a reputable, accurate credit score because there are more than 1,000 different types of credit scores floating around.
Experian is the largest credit bureau in the United States. Still, it's not the only entity that houses consumer financial data. Equifax and TransUnion are the other major credit reporting agencies lenders, and creditors turn to for credit reports and scores used to make lending decisions.
This is because there are 3 credit bureaus and dozens of different scoring models. Differences in which report is pulled, which scoring model is used, and what information is reported to whom and when, can all have an impact on the credit score you are viewing.
Credit Karma touts that it will always be free to the consumers who use its website or mobile app. But how accurate is Credit Karma? In some cases, as seen in an example below, Credit Karma may be off by 20 to 25 points.
This is due to a variety of factors, such as the many different credit score brands, score variations and score generations in commercial use at any given time. These factors are likely to yield different credit scores, even if your credit reports are identical across the three credit bureaus—which is also unusual.
The credit scores and reports you see on Credit Karma should accurately reflect your credit information as reported by those bureaus. This means a couple of things: The scores we provide are actual credit scores pulled from two of the major consumer credit bureaus, not just estimates of your credit rating.
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.
As you can see in the chart below, a Good credit score under the VantageScore model (typically used by TransUnion and Equifax) falls between 700 and 749. Similarly, a good credit score under the FICO Score model falls between 670 and 739. Source: By these guidelines, yes —a 700 score would be considered a Good score.
Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate, notes that Boost won't help your TransUnion or Equifax credit scores. And because the tool only works with newer versions of the FICO algorithm (specifically FICO Score 8), it won't help you get a home loan, as mortgage lenders typically rely on older FICO score models.
While Experian and Equifax are the most popular bureaus among auto lenders and car dealers, TransUnion can also be used for auto loan decisions.
Is TransUnion legit? TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus, and it has a strong reputation for providing reliable, consistent credit scores. It offers credit monitoring services, fraud alerts, identity theft protection and other useful services to help consumers maximize their credit.
In conclusion, auto lenders use Equifax and Experian the most, while TransUnion is less used for auto loan credit checks, at least in some parts of the US.
Auto dealerships use the FICO credit bureau, which stands for Fair Isaac Corporation. They also use the FICO Auto Credit Score, which has a range of 250 to 900. This may mean that an auto dealer has a different credit score for you than the one you see on your personal credit report.