topic Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)? in Understanding FICO® Scoring

FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 00:59:21 GMT

Does anyone know why when you get a set of scores from CCT why they are sometimes shown as "FICO Score 8" and other times shown as "Plus Score?" I've often wondered this, as I do a ton of CCT $1 trials. I'd say 75% of the time they are displayed as "FICO Score 8" and 25% of the time as "Plus Score." I'm assuming there is zero difference in terms of numerical value here, but would like to know if anyone has any insight as far as the different wording provided? I'll attach a couple of images to illustrate what I'm referring to for those that don't use CCT:

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 01:44:56 GMT

PLUS is an educational scoring model not used by lenders for credit decisions, i.e. FAKO score that can have little or very significant difference from your FICO score. Why CCT would show you a PLUS score, I don't have a clue since I don't really have an account.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 01:45:26 GMT

What's strange is that in this FAQ at CCT's web site, it clearly states that Plus scores are not FICO scores....

What is the difference between the PLUS® Score and the FICO® Score?
The PLUS Score was developed by Experian Decision Analytics, the credit score-developing business owned by Experian. FICO® scores are developed by the Fair, Isaac Corporation which specializes in developing credit-scoring systems for lenders and other businesses.

... but immediately prior to that it states:

CreditCheckTotal uses the standard FICO® Score calculation model to generate scores.

Bizarre.

https://www.creditchecktotal.com/faqs#fico-what-is-the-difference-between

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 02:15:01 GMT

Odd stuff, guys.

I can assure you though 100% that the scores provided regardless of the "model" here (Plus or Score 8) are identical. There are times where my scores have been stagnant for lengths of time during which I do several CCT trials. My scores will remain exactly the same across all 3B, yet sometimes they say Plus and sometimes Score 8.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

K-in-Boston — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 03:26:21 GMT

I've noticed that too, and I've had a continuous CCT subscription for over a year now. (Even though my account lists the full price, it's still only the 50% off "don't leave us" rate appearing on my CC statement.) Either the model is eerily similar to FICO 08 (because the PLUS scores match exactly every time to FICO 08 scores elsewhere) or it's a programming bug.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 04:02:01 GMT

It's got to be a programming bug, as there's no way IMO the model could be identical. I just don't understand why it would flip-flop every couple of times from Score 8 to Plus? I guess it is what it is. Ultimately I suppose it doesn't matter, I was just curious if anyone knew why the inconsistency here with Score 8 vs Plus. Also, I'm not sure I've ever seen "Plus" used anywhere else other than CCT, so that alone is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 05:02:06 GMT

The Plus score was more widely available back in the day. FreeCreditScore.com was one source.

Now that free FICO scores are available everywhere hardly anyone is interested in (or has even heard of) Experian's two old forays into the world of credit scoring: the Plus score and the National equivalency score.

We should be grateful to VantageScore and free sites like Karma. Their popularity got FICO worried enough that they induced it to release its scores to the public for free. Hard to realize that this has only been a big thing for the last few years.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 18:45:32 GMT

I feel like it may just be a software issue on CCTs end, perhaps incorrectly stating Plus when it's not? There's just no way IMO that all 3 Plus scores and 3 Score 8's are exactly identical, every time... unless the Plus and Score 8's are identical scoring models, just with different names for some odd reason.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Thomas_Thumb — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 20:56:10 GMT

The Plus score/Fico issue was discussed on at least three other MyFico threads in 2015/2016 as I recall. Scores were always associated with Fico 8 although the old wording would pop up from time to time. The flip flop happened multiple times and many posters mentioned seeing the same thing. More than one poster reported back the scores were indeed Fico 8.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/CreditCheckTotal/m-p/4486248#M225389

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/CCT-showing-true-Ficos/m-p/4336208#M219812

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Attention-cct-users/m-p/4353195#M220222

Note: Experian Plus score goes from 330 to 830. See below link for score range by model tables

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Understanding-FICO-Scoring/The-many-flavors-of-FICO-Editions-versions-and-variations/m-p/4222362#M98991

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 21:04:35 GMT

Nice references, TT. Interesting that the threads discussing it were from 2-3 years ago and not more recently.

It makes sense that they are indeed Score 8.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 00:58:03 GMT

Further evidence that CCT doesn't really use Plus. See the attached images. When I did my $1 trial yesterday, it provided me with an EX Plus score, generated 3/6/18. Today I log in and see it's now showing as a Score 8, generated on the same date. Proof here that the Plus graphics are simply a mistake, masking Score 8 for whatever reason:

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 06:02:57 GMT

From my limited experience with the $1 trials (done 3 back to back trials so far), the first set of 3B scores I get when I sign up for the trial subscription shows up as FICO 8 scores. But the next set of 3B scores I get (on day 8th and 9th) show up as PLUS scores though those are exactly same as the FICO 8 scores.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 14:42:56 GMT

I think you'll find that as you do more trials and you have a larger sample set of data, there won't be any consistency as far as when the Plus graphics are shown verses the Score 8. Sometimes they are there from the initial trial pull, sometimes it's from the second pull 7-10 days later.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 14:48:57 GMT

Maybe it's linked to when there is a change in score? ie: the first time you pull it with CCT it's Fico but if you pull again AND it hasn't changed, then it's plus. (Again, no idea and still seems like a bug, just playing the logic game).

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 15:18:54 GMT

The thing that baffles me, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, is that CCT seems aware of the PLUS vs. FICO 8 distinction and its relevance for their scoring product, because they explicitly include this question in the FAQ for their product:

It's as if they know that the two scores are different and want to stress that when they say a score is a Plus then it is very different from when they say it is a FICO.

But also in the same FAQ they say:

CreditCheckTotal uses the standard FICO® Score calculation model to generate scores.

I'd be curious to hear what a CCT rep says about this weird conflict (and the fact their scores are, occasionally and at random, identified as PLUS). An email to CCT along with appropriate text from their FAQ and screenshots might elicit an illuminating response.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 01:37:11 GMT

I'll jump on that grenade...

...email has been sent.

I'll report back their response. Usually it takes at least 2-3 days for me to hear back from CCT, so I may not having anything to share quickly.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Thomas_Thumb — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 01:44:29 GMT

Side note:

I had an Experian Plus score of 821 when my Experian Fico 8 was 850 and my Experian National Equivalency was 840 [data from 2015]. These three models are all different.

Re: FICO Score 8 vs Plus Score (CCT)?

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 03:28:59 GMT

@Thomas_ThumbI had an Experian Plus score of 821 when my Experian Fico 8 was 850 and my Experian National Equivalency was 840 [data from 2015]. These three models are all different.

So then, this is further proof that CCT isn't using Plus at all, since their "Plus" score is always identical to their Score 8. Just incorrect bannering, I suppose. If they were using both models, users would be seeing two different scores, where all reports have been identical scores.