topic Re: Understanding score differences in Understanding FICO® Scoring

Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 16:37:19 GMT

It's been 6 months since we opened our first credit card and so we were finally able to get scores a few days ago.

But I am confused over the dramatic score differences between hubby and I on Eq and Ex. Both files are clean .
We have a discover card (6 mon) $62/400. He's the card holder I am only the AU.
We have an OSCU visa $51/1000 joint account holders. (3mon)
OSCU install loan 829/1000 (3mon) joint account holders
He has 3 inqu on eq and me 2 on eq
We have none on ex.

So why are his scores so different from mine?
Hubby: EQ 685. EX 722
Me: EQ 724. EX 771

So confusing to me....

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 16:53:05 GMT

I'm confused by Experian the most as we both have zero inquiries and clean files. The only difference is that I am an AU on discover while he is the actual account holder.
Yet I'm 49 points higher in score... 🤔

Re: Understanding score differences

kxkxkxx — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 17:43:36 GMT

There are way more experienced people on here than me that will respond...my guess is, since you are an AU is most likely the difference. I put my daughter on 3 cards, all AU...her score is way higher than mine since she was able to cherry pick all the good stuff!...she is floating around 779 for all 3...I have never reached that in my life (yes a little jealous)

Someone else here might correct me if I am wrong.

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 18:51:43 GMT

You mention a difference in scores. Can you tell us whether you have tools for pulling your full reports as well?

I also note that you mention EX and EQ but fail to mention anything about TU. Why is that?

If you would, tell us where you are getting your scores from. And if you are pulling reports, tell us where you are getting those from too.

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 19:44:07 GMT

Sure CreditGuyInDixie,
I pull our reports annually from annual credit report.com. and then also get reports from credit karma and Monday I paid to get both sets (hubby and I) 3b reports from myfico.

Scores are from myfico. Purchased his and mine on Monday.
I didn't mention tu because our reports dont match for tu and that explains why our tu scores don't match. If that makes sense lol

I posted a more complete picture of our data points in my thread on Monday https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Understanding-FICO-Scoring/We-finally-have-credit-scores-data-points-included/td-p/5347054
☺

Re: Understanding score differences

Revelate — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 19:54:06 GMT

EQ the difference between 2 and 3 inquiries is probably enough right there frankly; I know there was a breakpoint for me there, so not surprised by that.

The EX one though, the fact your EX FICO 2 is absolutely identical and your FICO 8 is not, suggests the AU might not be counted for you.

Now why you have a score if that tradeline is discounted I don't know, possible we don't quite understand how that works... but what I probably would do in the name of science would be pay off the Discover, let the reports update and keep the balance on the OSCU card basically the same, and then repull and look for score shifts.

I suspect though your files are both so new that changes might get lost in the noise... I wouldn't worry about it really, but as stated it's probably the AU.

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 20:23:57 GMT

Revelate,
Good catch on the mortgage scores. They match up closely for both of us. Except for TU of course, as hubbys tu is dirtied up with 2 med collections.

I would have thought that my Fico 8s would be lower than hubbys since I am only an AU on discover and he is the actual account holder.

Thanks for your insight. Im not concerned so much as just curious.

Re: Understanding score differences

Revelate — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 01:01:48 GMT

AU's generally count the same in FICO 04 and before, FICO 8 has an anti-abuse algorithm in it and none of us really know for any given set of files if it gets counted or not when it comes to AU's... we just don't know what they're pattern matching on.

We had thought they either counted or didn't, and usually the way to try to sort that was with number of tradelines with balances (vis a vis 1 balance, 2 $0, with the balance being the AU, and then 1 balance, 2 $0 with the balance being a non-AU card and see if the scores are the same or different) but maybe you can still generate a FICO score with an AU but not have it counted for revolving utillization? AU's can be a bit strange and FICO 8 made them well stranger.

It won't matter long term as I suspect you both will probably thicken your file some, but it's interesting given that your files are basically identical on EX to see the score difference. I can't recall a similar data point honestly as comparing between users is nearly a non-starter but with everything either joint or AU, you're sort of an ideal test case haha.

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 02:50:27 GMT

@Revelate wrote:
AU's generally count the same in FICO 04 and before, FICO 8 has an anti-abuse algorithm in it and none of us really know for any given set of files if it gets counted or not when it comes to AU's... we just don't know what they're pattern matching on.

We had thought they either counted or didn't, and usually the way to try to sort that was with number of tradelines with balances (vis a vis 1 balance, 2 $0, with the balance being the AU, and then 1 balance, 2 $0 with the balance being a non-AU card and see if the scores are the same or different) but maybe you can still generate a FICO score with an AU but not have it counted for revolving utillization? AU's can be a bit strange and FICO 8 made them well stranger.

It won't matter long term as I suspect you both will probably thicken your file some, but it's interesting given that your files are basically identical on EX to see the score difference. I can't recall a similar data point honestly as comparing between users is nearly a non-starter but with everything either joint or AU, you're sort of an ideal test case haha.

I'm happy to be the data point guinea pig. Lol

Our credit union should update in a few days to a zero balance so it will be interesting to see what that does.

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 19:29:33 GMT

Update:
Our credit union finally reported our visa update $0/1,000
It caused no change for EQ or TU but my EX went up 19 points and hubbys EX went up only 7 points

Again, I am assuming fico 8 or the bureaus are not counting my AU? In which case I'm getting better scores for one card than hubby is for 2 cards?
Uggh! So confusing 😡

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 21:33:22 GMT

Don't stress out and lose sight of what's the most important, that you have the higher score than he does.

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 22:47:48 GMT

😂😂😂

Well yes oldman, there is always that.

Re: Understanding score differences

Thomas_Thumb — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 16:34:03 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Update:
Our credit union finally reported our visa update $0/1,000
It caused no change for EQ or TU but my EX went up 19 points and hubbys EX went up only 7 points

Again, I am assuming fico 8 or the bureaus are not counting my AU? In which case I'm getting better scores for one card than hubby is for 2 cards?
Uggh! So confusing 😡

Yes,

When all else fails point the finger at the difference - which is the AU card.

As Revelate mentioned, it appears the AU card is not counting for you with Fico 8. Why the big score difference? Perhaps you, with one less open account, are not experiencing the "too many accounts recently opened" while your hubby is. That scoring attribute is magnified with young & thin files. Additionally he may be getting dinged for too many accounts with balances while you are not.

Side note: As we know, AU accounts are conditional in counting with Fico 8 and almost certainly Fico 9 as well. Could conditioning be tweaked by each CRA? It certainly appears CRAs sometimes classify LOCs among the CRAs and store cards differently as well.

Re: Understanding score differences

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 02:15:44 GMT

Too many accounts recently opened and too many accounts with balances, makes perfect sense to me
Thomas Thumb. Thank you for that insight. ☺