Randy Nantz retweetledi
i hope Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion sue me for this one
your credit score is made up. like genuinely fabricated. the three bureaus use different data, different algorithms, and different reporting timelines. your score at Equifax right now could be 60-80 points different from your score at TransUnion. same you. same debt. same payment history. completely different numbers
and nobody tells you which one your lender is actually looking at
Chase pulls Experian. Capital One pulls TransUnion. some banks pull all three and take the middle score. mortgage lenders use FICO 2, 4, and 5 which are completely different models than the FICO 8 your bank app shows you. the "740" you see on your phone might be a 688 on the model your mortgage lender actually uses
Chase pulls Experian. Capital One pulls TransUnion. some banks pull all three and take the middle score. mortgage lenders use FICO 2, 4, and 5 which are completely different models than the FICO 8 your bank app shows you. the "740" you see on your phone might be a 688 on the model your mortgage lender actually uses
Credit Karma shows you VantageScore 3.0. over 90% of lenders don't use VantageScore for anything. it's a made-up number from a made-up model that exists so Credit Karma can show you a score for free, make you feel confident, and earn $50-$150 in affiliate commissions when you click "see if you're pre-approved" for cards you don't need
you could be walking around thinking you have a 740 while the bank is looking at a 670 and hitting deny. and nobody in this equation has any incentive to tell you the truth because Credit Karma makes money when you apply, banks make money when you borrow at high rates, and the bureaus make money selling your data. everybody eats except you
so here's how you stop being the product and start being the player
step 1: check your real FICO 8 through your actual bank app or credit card issuer. most major banks provide it free. Discover gives it to literally anyone through their Credit Scorecard tool even if you don't have a Discover card
step 2: if you're planning any major purchase in the next 6 months, spend $40 on myfico for one month and pull your bureau-specific scores. mortgage? you need FICO 2, 4, and 5. auto loan? FICO 8 Auto. credit cards? FICO 8 Bankcard. these are all different numbers and they all matter for different things. cancel the subscription after one month
step 3: pay your credit cards down to 1-3% utilization before the statement closing date on each card. not the due date. the CLOSING date. that's when the balance gets reported to the bureaus. most people pay on the due date which is AFTER the statement already reported your high balance. you could spend $8,000 a month on a card, pay in full every cycle, never pay a penny in interest, and still show 50% utilization because you're paying on the wrong date. fixing the timing alone can jump your score 30-50 points in one billing cycle
step 4: dispute anything inaccurate on each bureau separately. a collection that shows on Experian but not TransUnion means it was only reported to one bureau. dispute it at that specific bureau citing FCRA Section 611. they have 30 days to verify or remove. the original creditor frequently doesn't respond because it's not worth their time for one account
the whole credit system is three private companies selling a number they can't even agree on to lenders who all use different versions of it. and your financial future gets decided by whichever version they happen to pull on the day you apply. that's the actual game
we fix credit profiles across all three bureaus simultaneously and build the kind of score that gets you approved for real money. 0% business credit, mortgages, auto loans, SBA facilities. if you're tired of guessing what your score actually is and want someone to optimize the whole thing, link in bio
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