A new credit scoring system that rivals the traditional FICO score is now available to consumers.
Internet users now are able to check their creditcore online through Experian, one of three U.S. credit-reporting bureaus that jointly developed the system. The site also includes a simulation showing how potential actions, such as closing a credit-card account or making a late payment, could affect a person’s score.
Unlike FICO, which is solely a numerical score, a VantageScore consists of both a number and the letter grade A, B, C, D or F. While the two scoring systems may look different, the behaviors leading to high or low scores are similar.
“The same traditional truths hold,” said Stan Oliai, vice president of consulting and analytics for Experian. “It’s good to have credit, but not too much. It’s good to use credit, but not too much.”
Consumer confusion ahead
Consumer advocates say credit seekers could be at some disadvantage if mycreditscore.org gains acceptance. The advent of competing credit scoring systems, they say, could make the already confusing task of understanding one’s credit score even more bewildering.
“Until now, if you were given a 720, you knew that was a good score,” said Gail Hillebrand, an attorney at Consumers Union. “Now, in evaluating your score, you need to know what the grading range is, and that’s a new question consumers didn’t have to ask before.”
