Anyone have any data on the correlation between TU98 and TU04? Also, any idea on what percentage of lenders are using TU04 vs. TU98. I feel like there is a disservice done by blasting FAKO scores because they are not what a lender sees when the only TU score you can buy on this site is an outdated scoring model. Now if it's true that TU98 is still widely used by lenders, or if it's true that TU98 is within say +-10 points of TU04 for most people, I suppose it isn't quite comparable to a FAKO score.
Starting Score: ~500 (12/01/2008)
I just found and read your thread. Hoping for more info like that. I'm not concerned with the score from Vantage or TransRisk or whatever being the same number as a FICO score. As has been said many times, they are different scoring models and aren't even on the same scales. Making something out of the fact that they are close to the same number every once in a while is a little like finding it interesting when it is the same temperature Celsius as it is Fahrenheit (realizing I haven't written that word since high school and that I probably spelled it incorrectly).
TU98 and TU04 are at least on the same scale. So you can make more meaningful comparisons between the absolute numbers. But I wonder how wide a disparity is seen. I don't know personally because the only TU score I have access to is the one I bought here.
If it's a much narrower window for most people, then it isn't as big of a deal. And the more we can figure out about predictable differences in the weighting of the factors, the more useful TU98 would be for people. But if it's common to see 30 point differences between the two TU scoring models, then we might as well call TU98 a FAKO.
Also, I've read here a couple times that it is TU that is responsible for us not being able to pull TU04. But the scoring model is the property of FICO. Is the allegation that TU sells reports to Fair Isaac on the condition that it not apply TU04 to the data in those reports?
@Booner72 wrote:It would be interesting to see if they continue to be 13 points apart. I believe my LO is going to pull credit again before closing. I'll come here and pull another TU98 and see if it stays 13 points apart. My guess, it won't. It will be more or less.
It would be good if more people could pull their TU98 after they get scores from a lender and make the comparison. But it is a spendy thing to do. Nobody has 20 bucks to just throw around for the sake of figuring out a scoring difference when they are in the middle of a big purchase like a house or a car.
Agreed. It would be nice if we had some more data points for people that happen to know both. For instance, people who pulled TU and EQ here before going into a mortgage app to see where they stood and then pulled soon thereafter when they applied for the mortgage. But I wouldn't recommend anyone spending the extra $20 to satisfy my curiosity or engage in this very unscientific attempt at a correlation.
My main concern is that people bash on FAKO all the time because it's not what lender's see. We tell people that your FICO score is what really matters. And while the information is certainly out there that TU98 isn't the most up to date version of TU, that often gets glossed over. So a person who comes over here, finally thinks they've figured out to stop wasting energy worrying about FAKOs, goes and spends money to see their TU score, only to find out later that it may be unreliable as well.
@Anonymous wrote:Has anyone had TU 04 be higher than TU 98? I'm wondering if we can figure out any patterns.
As far as figuring out patterns, llecs posted some helpful info on this thread:
I don't think anyone can accurately describe the key differences between both versions. Info is vague from FICO and we don't have access to TU04 to do a daily, weekly, or monthly comparison. It's my understanding they added bucket(s), changed how inquiries are duplicated (auto & mortgage), they treat lates a bit differently and scores on trending a bit more, and treats NPSL and HELOCs a bit differently per util. All this info is available on FICO's website via webinars, docs, etc.
That being said, my TU 04 and TU 98 were off by 11 points, as were DH's. (I don't remember which was higher for us, though - sorry). However, it's important to note that folks have widely varying spreads. There are so many variables and constantly moving targets in FICO scores that it's very difficult to decipher and untangle not just a single pattern, but the myriad factors comingling within a single FICO score. (Sort of like me trying to decipher the thinking in my teenage son's brain cells 
)