As amazing as it may seem, when it comes to getting a credit rating not all credit scores are the same. When you pay to get a rating number it may not be the same one your lender sees.
What are the implications of this? Well for starters it could mean the difference between getting a mortgage or not, getting any kind of loan or not, getting a good versus bad rate on a car loan, the list goes on and on. The implications are huge!
Where does the difference come from? If you go looking for a credit score you will find many sources from credit bureaus themselves to credit card companies. Some of these are free but most are not. These serve as additional profit centers for the providers. They all have their own take on what makes up your credit score and may or may not be close to what the real deal is.
What is the real deal? The real deal is the FICO score. Fair Isaac and Company has been THE source of credit scores for lenders for decades and will probably remain so.
The other score for the purposes intended are worthless. Checking your real FICO scores and credit reports is the best way to get an accurate picture of how lenders see...