Next: Car buyers’ personal credit stories

 

Equifax, TransUnion and Experian are the three major credit bureaus. They all have different ways to determine your credit worthiness and your credit score. Your credit report may be different among all three major credit bureaus. Experts suggest you check all three reports annually to make sure there are no errors. An error on your credit report can keep you from getting approved for a car loan or lease.
The credit scores all three agencies provide are different too. Call the bank, credit union or auto lender before applying for the car loan or lease to see which bureau they will pull your credit report from.

Experian: Experian was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It has operational headquarters in Nottingham, England and Costa Mesa, Calif. Experian maintains credit information on approximately 215 million U.S. consumers. Experian sells its credit score, called PLUS, to consumers for $14.95, which includes an Experian credit report. Experian no longer sells FICO scores to consumers.

TransUnion: TransUnion is the third largest credit bureau in the U.S. TransUnion was founded in 1968 and is based in Chicago, Ill. TransUnion maintains credit histories on an estimated 500 million consumers around the globe. TransUnion sells its credit score directly to consumers through its credit monitoring service.

Equifax: Equifax was founded in 1899 and is the oldest of the three agencies. It gathers and maintains information on more than 400 million credit holders worldwide. Equifax is based in Atlanta, Ga. Equifax sells its credit score, called ScorePower, to consumers for $15.95, which includes an Equifax credit report. Equifax’s credit score ranges from 280 to 850.

The FICO score ranges from 300 to 850. The VantageScore score ranges from 501-990.

How credit score affects auto loans Car buyers’ personal credit stories