| > However, the scores used by lenders are generated by 1 company, FICO. I’m pretty sure all the big financial institutions also calculate their own scores. I can see it when I login to BoA, Chase, Citi, etc. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-sc... > Keep in mind there is no “one” credit score. It is important to know that you do not have just “one” credit score and there are many credit scores available to you as well as to lenders. Any credit score depends on the data used to calculate it, and may differ depending on the scoring model, the source of your credit history, the type of loan product, and even the day when it was calculated. Edit: It looks like the government might mandate FICO scores for taxpayer funded home mortgages: https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/which-credit-sco... > When you apply for a mortgage, lenders will generally request all three of your credit reports (one from each credit bureau) and a FICO® Score based on each report. However, the type of FICO® Scores they request are often older versions, due to guidelines set by government-backed mortgage companies Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. > There are exceptions, though. Mortgage lenders could use different credit scoring models for loans that aren't secured or bought by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. You might even be able to get a mortgage if you don't have a credit history or score at all. |
The scores you see when you log into those institutions is whatever is written into the contract with whichever bureau they pay to provide consumer credit monitoring. For Mint, Amex, CapitalOne and others it is a VantageScore 3 score provided by TransUnion. I thought I had previously seen a warning on a site that provided VantageScore 3 scores that they were just for educational purposes, but currently I’m just seeing disclosures similar to the one you quoted above. So yes you are right there are other scoring algorithms, but I believe FICO is still the one used by most lenders. Even if large financial institutions don’t generate their own scores they still have a copy of your credit report to use to make more detailed decisions. That is how you can have an incredibly high credit score and have a bank or a car dealership tell you that you don’t have enough lines of credit to qualify for the loan you want.