Hello,
I know this is the norm but my scores have always been different across 3 bureaus even though my reports show identical data and the scores were pulled on the same day with the same version classic FICO 8. I can talk about my profile but I am sure we've all been there.
I noticed that EX is more forgiving with inquires and EQ is always trailing by ~10 pts.
Does anyone know why that happens if they apply the same model to the same info just on a differnt bureau name ? Does TU FICO 8 weigh things differently than EX FICO 8 ?
Yes, all 3 bureaus can weigh data slightly differently. One quick example is that EQ will often impose a scoring penalty when one reaches 1/3 of their accounts with balances, where the same penalty isn't realized for many until 1/2 of their accounts have a balance on TU. There are probably countless other examples, many of which aren't known, since it's of course all proprietary information and we're not actually supposed to know how it all works 
A 10 point variance between scores is very typical and some may argue even a little on the small end. Many people see a varance between top and bottom score from the same scoring model land in the 10-20 point range, with outliers going up toward or even slightly above 30 points from what I've seen on here.
Thank you for your response.
My understanding is FICO model is a secret model owned by FICO and the bureaus don't know anything about how it works which is why they came up with lousy Vantage model. All they do is purchase FICO and apply it to their reports. But your conclusion suggests that the bureaus adjust FICO model to their own preference which is a bit odd.
@patoot10 wrote:Thank you for your response.
My understanding is FICO model is a secret model owned by FICO and the bureaus don't know anything about how it works which is why they came up with lousy Vantage model. All they do is purchase FICO and apply it to their reports. But your conclusion suggests that the bureaus adjust FICO model to their own preference which is a bit odd.
The bureaus do adjust the algorithm for their dataset a bit. Original FICO 04 / 8 guidelines were +/- 30 points for a given identical profile across bureaus... of course, 30 points matters a lot for some things vis a vis mortgage underwriting.
Vantage was actually developed to be a competitor to FICO and addressed some of the weaknesses of the FICO algorithms: that scoring disparity which lenders hated is one of them, and as a result of the newly competitive market FICO 9 took several VS ideas and incorporated them... scores being much closer together for identical files being one of them: when I was fully clean my scores were virtually identical on FICO 9.
Even now they're pretty close even with a 30D on EQ and a 60D on TU.
^^
Good point about Vantage. My reports are fairly similar and my VS is literally the same on all three of them. Vantage does punish you hard if you are constantly openning cards and seeking bonuses.
I never bothered about Fico 9 since very few lenders use it but in the instances were I encountered my FICO 9 score it was much higher than my FICO 8 which means that FICO keeps getting more forgiving with every new version. FICO 2,3,5 are almost always lower than 8.
I hope your file gets clean soon.
Heh oh I have another six years if I don’t try anything cute with that JCB tradeline.
It doesn’t show on EX, and right now unless I pick up an inquiry on TU my middle mortgage score is a 767 so I’m really not that worried when it will probably just keep increasing over time anyway due to age metrics.
In other words it is basically a non-event and if I go poking the bear it might wind back on EX and that would be a shame.
There are more lenders using FICO 9 than VS that we are aware of though, but it isn’t the easiest score to find and as you suggest my EQ prior to inquires and new accounts topped 800 before the 30D even hit a year on FICO 9... so yeah not trippin there.
It doesn’t show on EX, and right now unless I pick up an inquiry on TU my middle mortgage score is a 767 so I’m really not that worried when it will probably just keep increasing over time anyway due to age metrics.
In other words it is basically a non-event and if I go poking the bear it might wind back on EX and that would be a shame.
There are more lenders using FICO 9 than VS that we are aware of though, but it isn’t the easiest score to find and as you suggest my EQ prior to inquires and new accounts topped 800 before the 30D even hit a year on FICO 9... so yeah not trippin there
.
BBS can answer your question about EQ and # of accounts reporting. But my understanding is # of accounts reporting is for all accts, revolvers and installments. However, for me EQ FICO 8 is bulletproof. It is TU and EX FICO 8 where I see a decrease in score when I report balances on more than 4 out of 12 open accts (revolvers and loans). Most points loss with TU.
All my testing for FICO 8 on multiple scorecards has been revolvers only: I got the same results regardless of how many open installment loans and they always landed on nice neat fractions for me.
EQ 1/3 and 1/2 ratios of revolvers with balances.
EX and TU 1/2 ratio of revolvers with balances.
Incidentally for me it was identical movement scorewise for all three once the 1/2 was hit: the two EQ shifts equaled the one EX/TU shift.
Haven’t tested it recently and scorecard might matter somewhat as has been conjectured for FICO 04 recently but it has been consistent for me.
EQ 1/3 and 1/2 ratios of revolvers with balances.
EX and TU 1/2 ratio of revolvers with balances.
Incidentally for me it was identical movement scorewise for all three once the 1/2 was hit: the two EQ shifts equaled the one EX/TU shift.
Haven’t tested it recently and scorecard might matter somewhat as has been conjectured for FICO 04 recently but it has been consistent for me.
My understanding is that a change in score for # of accts reporting is for all (revolvers and loans) whereas revolver balances and loan balances is a separate data points. I may have misunderstood. That may be the distinction for EQ that BBS is referencing that doesn't apply to my understanding as I have 2 loans with balances that obviously report and usually a balance on 1 or 2 revolvers but only see a decrease in score when 3 of 9(or 10) revolvers report a balance. However, still EQ is unchanged when the other CB are on FICO 8. Although I think EQ is the only CB that considers my PLOC as a revolver when EX doesn't but not sure about TU.