Holy difference between EQ and EX!

[MBOhio2]

I am also working on inmproving my husband's credit repair. For the last year, we both were using Experian's credit monitoring service and didn't realize the score there was a FAKO. Regardless, it was still very useful to see the good and bad items on the his report. His EX FAKO is 680 because of a few lates on 5 different account (4 SLs and 1 ols mortgage loan). He also has a high util % but generally speaking, his credit report looks good.

Just last week, I decided it was time to pull his TU score from here and begin a SW account for him. His EQ score is a measly 543!! The only difference between the information contained on EX and EQ is that one of his CCs on EQ shows 6 30-day late payments, the most recent in May, 2010. His EX report shows this account as never late.

Has anyone else seen such drastic differences between scores based on a relatively minor (in the whole scheme of baddies) reporting difference?!

[Datx]

I can see two reasons why you see a major difference in scores:

- You are comparing a FAKO score with a FICO score.

- The lates on the CC account reported on EQ is going to affect your score. Especially the recent late on EQ in 2010. The more recent the baddie is, the more it is going to affect your score.

[MBOhio2]

Oh yes, I completely understand the two points you make above and know that they're causing the difference... I was just very surprised at the nearly 140 difference based on those two points.

[Datx]

Its really the FAKO and FICO score difference. My EQ FAKO score was at 579 when my EQ FICO was 650 at one time. That was when I was comparing it on one credit monitoring service. Another monitoring service gave me a different FAKO score. Basically FAKO scores really varies. Some goes through a scale from 300 to 950 instead of up to 850. I'm thinking the combination of using FAKO scores and also the recent lates that show up on EQ and not on EX is throwing your scores way off.

[MBOhio2]

After some reflection... I think my shock is less about the differences in the score, but instead that a total of about 12 late payments (most 30 day, a few 60 day, most of which are well over 2 years old) and admittedly high utilization (about 80%) would give someone such a terrible credit score (543).

Given everything I read here and all of the other myfico users scores I see floating around, it seems like his score should be much higher given the relatively "soft" baddies. He only has 1-2 inquiries and a pretty decent mix of credit. I suppose his student loans do make it look like he has too many installment loans, but still... not terrible stuff in the scheme of things!!