Experian - Equifax - TransUnion scores wildly different

[Anonymous]

New to forum, if this subject is covered somewhere, please post link.

My current scores are Experian 712, Equifax 733 and TransUnion 643.

I have viewed the report content and it's virtually the same on all 3 reports.

13 months ago I bought a new Ford through FordMotorCredit. I just went through the paper work and, at the time, Experian was 753, TU was 678, they did not run Equifax.

The loan is 574 a month. I have sent 750 each month on average so I'm out in front of the loan by a few months.

Why is my TU score so low?

[K-in-Boston]

Welcome to the forums!  The different bureaus will weigh different things in different ways, but that is quite a discrepancy if the reports are essentially identical.

Just to make sure we're comparing apples to apples, all 5 scores you mentioned are the same FICO 8 model?  Auto loans will usually use different models, or with FICO 8 will use an auto industry version.  Where are you getting your 3 current scores and were they all pulled on roughly the same date?

[Anonymous]

I got the TU and Equifax scores (updated today) from credit karma. The Experian score is from their free site dated June 7th.

The Experian site recommended I get a credit card and run things through it. So I got a Discover card and run up 200 to 300 and then pay it off online.

The Discover card app offers a FICO score and says my score (based on TU data) is 698. But I asked via Discover messaging if that was my actual TU score and didn't really get a yes or no answer. So I assume credit karma is right???

Credit karma a week ago was TU 649 and Equifax 701. So Equifax went up 32 and TU dropped 6. I assume the drop was the hard pull for the Discover card. And the Equifax increase from paying extra on the car loan. Experian recently jumped 60 after a year on the car loan. It dropped right after I bought the car and has been recovering. Experian did drop 4 on the hard pull for Discover that I got through the Experian app that I have.

I'm learning a lot lately, never paid a lot af attention to it before. I've bought 4 vehicles through FordMotorCredit since 2007 so they always give me the loan.

[MrZero]

The scores available on Credit Karma aren't FICO, they're VantageScore 3 and are fairly irrelevant to the vast majority of lenders. You can't compare FICO and VS scores, CK and similar sites are best for monitoring and just not really paying attention to the scores they provide.

The TU score Discover provides is your FICO8 score but it could be different depending on when they pull it. Along with Experian's free service, you can also get your FICO8 Experian score from Discover's Credit Scorecard site.

[Anonymous]

OK, thanks for the info.

I'll check out the Discover Credit Scorecard site. 

[Cowboys4Life]

I am having the exact same issue with TU.  Reports are identical yet the TU scores through this site, Discover and Experian are VASTLY different and cannot figure out why.  Anyone have any ideas on who to speak to at TU to see if this can be unraveled?

[Anonymous]

I splurged and bought my scores today. Experian - Equifax - TU

761 - 751 - 744  all FICO 8 scores.

So it turns out they're all close. I bought them through Experian and they show you 6 more Exprrian FICO scores. FICO Auto 8, FICO Auto 2, FICO Bankcard 8, FICO Bankcard 2, FICO Bankcard 3 and FICO 2. 

LOL. They're all different. I'm finding out I have all kinds of scores but the important ones are fine.

I wouldn't trust what credit karma says, I'm still a TU 643 over there. I know now it's a vantage score 3.0 which is different and I still don't believe it.

Credit karma shows me credit card offers and says I have poor odds of getting them including a Discover card. But I just got a Discover Card the first week of June with instant approval so their data has to be screwed up over there.

It was their low ball TU score that set me off to go searching for an explanation in the first place.

You get what you pay for, I guess. Like my dad told me decades ago. I've been paying extra on two car loans dating back to 2017, one was a 4 year loan I paid off in 2 years, I can't have anything but good credit. FordMotorCredit loves me. I want a better interest rate next time though.

I had to take what they offered 13 months ago because I bought a two year old leftover, never titled Mustang convertible and the banks would not accept it as a new car. And they didn't want to finance something that was 2 years old when you drove it off the lot for what I paid for it including the extended 8 year warranty.

It was an unusual situation, banks aren't fond of unusual situations. My credit rating did plunge after I bought it, it's just returning to what it was right now. I'm still a little upside down in the loan but I got GAP insurance that was another $798.

It's a blast to drive though.