which fico score do they go by?

[kc1985]

I recently got discharged from chapter 7. I checked my fico scores and my transunion is 563 and equifax is 623... which one do they go by?

[Amy26]

There is another also with experian and also a fourth that I don't know and I've never checked it.

Equifax is the most widely used credit score. Historically, my equifax credit score was always lower than all the others because it was most heavily used.

Which one do they use? Depends! And even the scores that you got from trans union and equifax are not the score that some lenders see... when you apply for a car for example there is a "car score" that shows them a different score. When I just bought my car recently, my equifax score showed 598 but the car dealership said it was 589.

Each lender has a specific credit file that they use. As I mentioned, equifax is the most heavily used. When you get a mortgage... its a little different as they take all three credit scores and average them to get your overall score.

So, it really depends on what you're doing and which lender you are using. Sometimes, I have actually requested from the lender which reporting agency they use before I even apply so I know what my chances are based on whats on my report from that reporting agency.

[justbroke]

As stated, it depends. Different creditors use different credit reporting agencies (CRAs) in different regions for different reasons. When applying for a mortgage, however, they use the "middle" score (not average) from the three major bureaus (Experian, Equifax, Trans Union).

[jennordhavn]

If you are thinking of applying for a specific card, you may want to check out Creditboards. They have a listing of people who have been approved/denied and the scores they had. Also, there is a list of BK-friendly creditors. It's a great site for credit rebuilding information. Good luck.

[Amy26]

As stated, it depends. Different creditors use different credit reporting agencies (CRAs) in different regions for different reasons. When applying for a mortgage, however, they use the "middle" score (not average) from the three major bureaus (Experian, Equifax, Trans Union).

Then that must depend as well because both mortgages I have ever gotten took an Average of the score not the median.

[justbroke]

Then that must depend as well because both mortgages I have ever gotten took an Average of the score not the median.

Interesting indeed. Of course different lenders may use different models and scoring. MyFICO indicates that lenders using the FICO score use the "middle" score. This doesn't mean that a creditor using Beacon or some other scoring model, won't actually use the median, average or some other statistical method on top of the scoring system.