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Credit Scores

Along with the credit report, lenders can also buy a credit score based on the information in the report. That score is calculated by a mathematical equation that evaluates many types of information that are on your credit report at that agency. By comparing this information to the patterns in hundreds of thousands of past credit reports, the score identifies your level of future credit risk.

In order for a FICO® score to be calculated on your credit report, the report must contain at least one account which has been open for six months or greater. In addition, the report must contain at least one account that has been updated in the past six months. This ensures that there is enough information - and enough recent information - in your report on which to base a score.

About FICO scores
Credit bureau scores are often called "FICO scores" because most credit bureau scores used in the US are produced from software developed by Fair Isaac and Company. FICO scores are provided to lenders by the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

FICO scores provide the best guide to future risk based solely on credit report data. The higher the score, the lower the risk. But no score says whether a specific individual will be a "good" or "bad" customer. And while many lenders use FICO scores to help them make lending decisions, each lender has its own strategy, including the level of risk it finds acceptable for a given credit product. There is no single "cutoff score" used by all lenders and there are many additional factors that lenders use to determine your actual interest rates.

Other Names for FICO Scores
FICO scores have different names at each of the three credit reporting agencies. All of these scores, however, are developed using the same methods by Fair Isaac, and have been rigorously tested to ensure they provide the most accurate picture of credit risk possible using credit report data.

CREDIT REPORTING AGENCY	FICO SCORE
Equifax	Beacon®
Experian	Experian/Fair Isaac Risk Model
Trans Union	Emperica®

More than one score
In general, when people talk about "your score", they're talking about your current FICO score. However, there is no one score used to make decisions about you. This is true because:

Credit bureau scores are not the only scores used.
Many lenders use their own scores, which often will include the FICO score as well as other information about you.

FICO scores are not the only credit bureau scores.
There are other credit bureau scores, although FICO scores are by far the most commonly used. Other credit bureau scores may evaluate your credit report differently than FICO scores, and in some cases a higher score may mean more risk, not less risk as with FICO scores.

Your score may be different at each of the three main credit reporting agencies.
The FICO score from each credit reporting agency considers only the data in your credit report at that agency. If your current scores from the three credit reporting agencies are different, it's probably because the information those agencies have on you differs.

Your FICO score changes over time.
As your data changes at the credit reporting agency, so will any new score based on your credit report. So your FICO score from a month ago is probably not the same score a lender would get from the credit reporting agency today.

What's in a Score

FICO Scores are calculated from a lot of different credit data in your credit report. This data can be grouped into five categories as outlined below. The percentages in the chart reflect how important each of the categories is in determining your score.

These percentages are based on the importance of the five categories for the general population. For particular groups - for example, people who have not been using credit long - the importance of these categories may be somewhat different.

Payment History

Account payment information on specific types of accounts (credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, finance company accounts, mortgage, etc.)

Presence of adverse public records (bankruptcy, judgements, suits, liens, wage attachments, etc.), collection items, and/or delinquency (past due items)

Severity of delinquency (how long past due)

Amount past due on delinquent accounts or collection items

Time since (recency of) past due items (delinquency), adverse public records (if any), or collection items (if any)

Number of past due items on file

Number of accounts paid as agreed

Amounts Owed

Amount owing on accounts

Amount owing on specific types of accounts

Lack of a specific type of balance, in some cases

Number of accounts with balances

Proportion of credit lines used (proportion of balances to total credit limits on certain types of revolving accounts)

Proportion of installment loan amounts still owing (proportion of balance to original loan amount on certain types of installment loans)

Length of Credit History

Time since accounts opened

Time since accounts opened, by specific type of account

Time since account activity

New Credit

Number of recently opened accounts, and proportion of accounts that are recently opened, by type of account

Number of recent credit inquiries

Time since recent account opening(s), by type of account

Time since credit inquiry(s)

Re-establishment of positive credit history following past payment problems

Types of Credit Used

Number of (presence, prevalence, and recent information on) various types of accounts (credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, mortgage, consumer finance accounts, etc.)

Please note that:

A score takes into consideration all these categories of information, not just one or two.
No one piece of information or factor alone will determine your score.

The importance of any factor depends on the overall information in your credit report.
For some people, a given factor may be more important than for someone else with a different credit history. In addition, as the information in your credit report changes, so does the importance of any factor in determining your score. Thus, it's impossible to say exactly how important any single factor is in determining your score - even the levels of importance shown here are for the general population, and will be different for different credit profiles. What's important is the mix of information, which varies from person to person, and for any one person over time.

Your FICO score only looks at information in your credit report.
However, lenders look at many things when making a credit decision including your income, how long you have worked at your present job and the kind of credit you are requesting.

Your score considers both positive and negative information in your credit report.
Late payments will lower your score, but establishing or re-establishing a good track record of making payments on time will raise your score.

What's not in a Score

FICO scores consider a wide range of information on your credit report. However, they do not consider:

Your race, color, religion, national origin, sex and marital status.
US law prohibits credit scoring from considering these facts, as well as any receipt of public assistance, or the exercise of any consumer right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.

Your age.
Other types of scores may consider your age, but FICO scores don't.

Your salary, occupation, title, employer, date employed or employment history.
Lenders may consider this information, however, as may other types of scores.

Where you live.

Any interest rate being charged on a particular credit card or other account.

Any items reported as child/family support obligations or rental agreements.

Certain types of inquiries (requests for your credit report).
The score does not count "consumer-initiated" inquiries - requests you have made for your credit report, in order to check it. It also does not count "promotional inquiries" - requests made by lenders in order to make you a "pre-approved" credit offer - or "administrative inquiries" - requests made by lenders to review your account with them. Requests that are marked as coming from employers are not counted either.

Any information not found in your credit report.

Any information that is not proven to be predictive of future credit performance.

Whether or not you are participating in a credit counseling of any kind.

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