Collection Accounts Not Showing on FICO but showing on Experian.com

[Anonymous]

I signed up for membership with Experian and also signed up here to see my FICO score.  Two collection accounts that show on the Experian website miraculously do not show on the list of accounts under the FICO site.  Does anyone know how this is so and whether or not I should bother trying to get those accounts deleted since they do not show on FICO anyway.

[Anonymous]

myFICO is a 3rd party report and not always as detailed or accurate.  If they are on your actual CRA report, go by that.

[Anonymous]

Thanks!  But I thought Lenders use FICO, am I wrong?  All I am trying to do is to improve my score to 640 so I can qualify for an FHA loan.  So if the loan officer is gonna go by FICO then why should I bother with the missing collections?  I'm confused a bit.

[Anonymous]

Lenders use FICO scores not their reports.  The reports they get are tri-merge and come from the CRAs.  Your score will stll be a FICO based on those reports.

[Anonymous]

Oh ok I see, thank you for clarifying that for me.  So here is my situation; my FHA Loan Officer is not worried about the REPORT but just wants my experian SCORE (middle) to get to 640 and I'm good to go.  So I am thinking that since these two items are not on the FICO report, then they do NOT affect the FICO score which I am trying to get to 640 and therefore getting them removed would not affect the FICO score, am I correct on that analysis?

[Anonymous]

They may not be on the myFICO report but they are on the report directly from the CRAs. 

If they are on the actual report from EX, then yes, they are affecting your score and getting them removed would make a difference. 

The LO will get your score from a trimerge report which will be FICO scores.  Those reports will show the collections.

[Anonymous]

I see, thank you very much, it all makes sense now.  Will try and do PFD on those accounts.