Credit union pulled score...any clue what they might have pulled?

[disdreamin]

I have a curiosity question for you all.  I went to my credit union for an auto loan and checked my FICO scores here prior to doing so (I needed to get the loan on my own, and wanted to be sure everything looked reasonable before applying).  I got the loan, so that was a positive, but the score they pulled was WAY lower than my scores here.

In fact, it was lower than any score I've had pulled in a number of years - I did a home refi in January 2013 and a prior one in August 2011.  I've also had two recent auto loans that were taken out and PIF within the past 4.5 years.  I can't honestly figure out how an auto enhanced FICO score OR a mortgage score should be lower than any of the bureau scores here by ~40 points.

The one thing I suppose I am lacking is an installment loan along the lines of a student loan or line of credit.  Can that one missing link make such a significant difference in scores with a certain scoring model?  The score simulator through myFICO.com doesn't offer any insight (my score pretty much doesn't change as long as I don't select one of the big baddies).

[mitchblue]

From what I understand, and that's not much, Car companies have their own numbers. Meaning they don't use the Fico scores from here. I think. But there's a high chance I could be wrong. 

[Anonymous]

FICO scores come in many variants. Auto lenders often pull auto enhanced FICO scores that weight certain aspects of your credit profile differently. Moreover, some banks and CUs have their own internal scores that they use. While FICO scores are generally the standard, several versions of FICO scores exist. The version available on this website is the FICO 08 score. The FICO 08 score is used by most CC issuers. Most home lenders, for example, tend to use FICO 04 or FICO 98 models and have not yet moved to using FICO 08 scores. 

FICO scores or even FAKO scores can be used as a guide to see how your credit profile improves or worsens over time. The actual information in your credit reports, however, is most important. Improving your credit profile takes time. As you build positive trade lines, reduce utilization, and do everything else you need to do to keep good credit, your scores should improve across the board. Unfortunately, you cannot rely on the scores here for all loan types. The scores here generally are great for CC applications and sometimes for auto loans (but not always). However, there are so many variants of the FICO score that the version a lender pulls and the one you get here may not be the same. 

[Anonymous]

The scoring method should be listed on the credit score disclosure you got with your loan documents.  If you didn't get one, ask for it.

[disdreamin]

Mitch, thank you - this wasn't an auto lender, but they might have pulled auto-enhanced.

Random, I realize there are different scores and had read up on them prior to our first mortgage refi. I've just always had my scores be close to what myfico shows. They might be off by 5-10, but never by 40+ points! And given my recent auto loan repayment history, I'd think my auto score would be close to the 08 model, not way below it.

Lastly, thank you for the excellent tip, EricDET. I will contact the CU today and request that info. She pulled it, told me the number, and that was it. I asked which type they pulled and she couldn't tell me (?!).

[techiegirl]

My Fico scores are at the mid 800 range.  Today I joined a CU and my credit score was pulled at 763.  The bank officer said their score was a FICO 2.

[disdreamin]

Holy moly, techiegirl! That is a huge difference and scary as heck. From darn-near-perfect range (850-ish, if I'm reading your mid-800's comment right) to barely in the right bucket for the best rates is terrifying.

[mitchblue]

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@disdreamin wrote:
Mitch, thank you - this wasn't an auto lender, but they might have pulled auto-enhanced.

Random, I realize there are different scores and had read up on them prior to our first mortgage refi. I've just always had my scores be close to what myfico shows. They might be off by 5-10, but never by 40+ points! And given my recent auto loan repayment history, I'd think my auto score would be close to the 08 model, not way below it.

Lastly, thank you for the excellent tip, EricDET. I will contact the CU today and request that info. She pulled it, told me the number, and that was it. I asked which type they pulled and she couldn't tell me (?!).

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You're welcome. Like I said I could be wrong  So much stuff..

[techiegirl]

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@disdreamin wrote:
Holy moly, techiegirl! That is a huge difference and scary as heck. From darn-near-perfect range (850-ish, if I'm reading your mid-800's comment right) to barely in the right bucket for the best rates is terrifying.

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Yes.  My most recent scores are in my siggy below (825 & 828). Apparently CU pulled FICO 2 and it came in at 760 something. DH's FICO scores are (800 & 803) and CU pulled him at 755.  

We were still above their 720 minimum, but it was still shocked.  It's too bad there's no consistent score.

[Anonymous]

My assumption is this is shorthand for Fico Risk Score V2. Which is experian 04. Did they pull EX? BTW 760 EX04 is an outstanding score.