V
Joined:
08/12/2007
Posts:
515
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I used to be a head of retail credit
for 2 banks. I have set up credit scoring to auto approve credit cards, lines of credit etc. I have no idea where you live but for an example, if you are east coast, Equifax is your main credit agency and tracks you close. Experian is west coast and tracks heavy there. Trans Union is Chicago and normally falls in between. So depending upon where you are, you could have one agency that doesn't have all of your info or wife's info creating the difference. That could happen even if all accounts are joint credit.
It's the reason why a bank/lender will pull all 3 reporting agencies for a mortgage/car loan. They want to see the discrepancies.
Technically none of them have to show you the credit score. Fair Credit Reporting Act says they have to provide you a free credit report once a year. Equifax and Experian are the two largest so they go ahead and give score to you to avoid any issues.
Tuckahokie is correct too that income can cause an issue. I have found it needs to be somewhat significant to make as big a difference as you are seeing. Maybe $30K or more. Likely it's a combo of all these items.
You can ask for all the reports and compare. With scores over 800, you are A+ credit so both of you would get the best rates. Congrats on that fact.
Or other option is you just pissed off someone at Experian and they are screwing with you.
Thread Replies (19)
My wife and I have had all of our financial accounts merged for about 20
-- Late 80s Hokie
Apr 01, 2025 at 03:50 PM ET
Late 80s Hokie
•
04/01/25 03:50 PM ET
I read somewhere awhile back that when comparing apples to apples
-- VTENGR
Apr 02, 2025 at 11:50 AM ET
VTENGR
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04/02/25 11:50 AM ET
It's all a scam ... pay off big car loan +2, charge $1k for a month -5
-- WestyHokie
Apr 02, 2025 at 11:49 AM ET
WestyHokie
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04/02/25 11:49 AM ET
I used to be a head of retail credit
◄
-- VT48uva0
Apr 01, 2025 at 07:49 PM ET
VT48uva0
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04/01/25 07:49 PM ET
The secret credit card you use at shady gentleman clubs?**
-- HwoodHokie
Apr 01, 2025 at 07:06 PM ET
HwoodHokie
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04/01/25 07:06 PM ET
Those are pretty secure. I feel good about my Ashley Madison account.
-- HokieGator
Apr 01, 2025 at 07:51 PM ET
HokieGator
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04/01/25 07:51 PM ET
the rub I have about credit reports.
-- section11hokie
Apr 01, 2025 at 04:02 PM ET
section11hokie
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04/01/25 04:02 PM ET
Did you CANCEL the accounts you paid off? That actually works against you>
-- HOKIERIT
Apr 01, 2025 at 07:02 PM ET
HOKIERIT
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04/01/25 07:02 PM ET
I think they like seeing you "borrow money," then pay it off.
-- EDGEMAN
Apr 01, 2025 at 04:22 PM ET
EDGEMAN
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04/01/25 04:22 PM ET
Yep. Cancel a card you’re not or lightly using, FICO goes down.
-- Va AandM
Apr 01, 2025 at 05:45 PM ET
Va AandM
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04/01/25 05:45 PM ET
seems counterintuitive to me.**
-- reestuart
Apr 01, 2025 at 06:17 PM ET
reestuart
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04/01/25 06:17 PM ET
"Credit Utilization" is one of the major factors in your credit score.
-- Tafkam Hokie
Apr 02, 2025 at 12:01 PM ET
Tafkam Hokie
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04/02/25 12:01 PM ET
It shows that you have access to money but not abusing that access. **
-- Hoakie82
Apr 01, 2025 at 08:24 PM ET
Hoakie82
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04/01/25 08:24 PM ET
Sorry, it wasn't meant to be a riddle. Just trying to figure out if anyone
-- Late 80s Hokie
Apr 01, 2025 at 04:02 PM ET
Late 80s Hokie
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04/01/25 04:02 PM ET
Income disparity assuming you both work? Even a fairly small
-- Tuckahokie
Apr 01, 2025 at 04:18 PM ET
Tuckahokie
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04/01/25 04:18 PM ET
Income doesn't have any effect on credit score. **
-- TravelingHokie
Apr 01, 2025 at 09:46 PM ET
TravelingHokie
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04/01/25 09:46 PM ET