Before credit scores were developed, lenders use to physically look over each applicants credit report and credit history to determine whether or not to extend credit. This process was highly time consuming and sometimes resulted in large human errors.

As a result, Fair Isaac created the credit scoring formula to help lenders make better judgments more quickly. The credit scoring formula looks at many variables such as total debt to income ratio, types of debt, number of late payments and other variables.

One thing many people fail to realize is that depending on the type of loan you are applying for, you may find your FICO credit score differs quite drastically. The reason for this is that lenders use various versions of the Fair Isaac FICO scores. The goal of this article is to provide an understanding of the different types of credit scores you may see when applying for credit.

Classic FICO

The Classic FICO credit score has traditionally been the most common type of credit scores used by most lenders. Each year billions of lending decisions per year are being measured using the Classic FICO score. If you are looking for a mortgage loan, car loan, motorcycle loan or other consumer loans it is likely that the lender will use a Classic FICO credit score. The Classic FICO credit score is sometimes referred to as Beacon, FICO Risk Score, or Empirica depending on the credit reporting agency.

NexGen FICO Risk Score

The NexGen FICO risk score is an off shoot of the Classic FICO credit score aimed at reducing the risk of lenders while also allowing them to increase their approval rate. The NextGen FICO looks at far more predictive variables than the Classic FICO credit score thus allowing it to be more accurate. The NextGen FICO is currently being widely adopted by lenders and is becoming increasingly popular in retail. NextGen FICO credit score, may be also be referred to the PinnacleSM, FICO Risk Score or Advanced Risk Score.

Industry Specific FICO Score

As the name suggests certain industries have specific FICO credit scores. Normally these scores are developed from the Classic FICO or NextGen credit score, but they will have a little different predictive weighting on variables that are specific to the industry. You may see industry specific credit scores for auto, bankcard, finance and installment products.

CallScoreTM

A CallScore is used primarily in the UK. It is designed to keep records and measure the probability of UK consumers to repay their credit and not default. As defined by Fair Isaac "CallScore leverages CallCredit's database of UK consumer credit profiles and demographic information, in combination with Fair Isaac's predictive analytic expertise, to assess each consumer's relative likelihood of default."

Overall, consumers should understand that the credit score which are bought from the credit reporting agencies may differ from the credit scores lenders are using to decide the terms of their loan request. The above credit score types provide consumers an overview of which type of credit scores they may face when applying for credit.

Copyright (c) 2005, by Jay Fran This article may be freely distributed as long as the copyright, author's information and the below active live link is published with the article.

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