A good FICO Score starts at 670, but 'good' depends on the model and on what you're applying for. The real ranges for FICO and VantageScore, plus the thresholds that change the outcome for mortgages, cars and apartments.
Credit advice treats every mistake as equally scary. It isn't. A bankruptcy and a hard inquiry are in completely different leagues. What really moves a FICO score, ranked from most damaging to least, and how long each one sticks around.
No score doesn't mean bad credit. It usually means not enough credit, and tens of millions of U.S. adults are in that spot. What a thin credit file is, why some files can't be scored, and how to size up someone who doesn't have a score.
Credit utilization is the share of your card limits you're using, and it moves scores faster than anything else you control. The famous 30% line is a rough guide. Here's what scoring models actually see.
You checked the app, saw a number you liked, then the lender came back lower. Nothing went wrong. The two numbers come from different formulas, and once you know which one a lender pulls, you can see it before you apply.
No law sets a minimum credit score to rent. Each landlord picks their own bar, and most of them care more about how you've paid than about the exact number. Here's how it works from both sides of the application.
Your app says 724. The lender says 691. Nobody made a mistake. FICO and VantageScore read the same kind of data with different rules, and once you know where they split, the gap stops being a mystery.
Your credit report is the record. Your credit score is one model's verdict on that record. Here's what's in each, why they disagree so often, and which one matters for the decision in front of you.
FICO Score 4 is the TransUnion version of the Classic FICO scores mortgage lenders use. Most people have never seen theirs, and it can sit a long way from the number their app shows.
Both kinds of credit check read the same file. What changes is why it was opened, who can see that it happened, and whether the score moves. Plus the rate-shopping rule that trips up most mortgage borrowers.
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