FICO Score
FICO Score is the credit scoring model developed by Fair Isaac Corporation, used by about 90% of US lenders for credit decisions. The score ranges from 300 to 850, with higher numbers indicating lower default risk. Multiple FICO versions exist (FICO 8, FICO 9, FICO 10, plus industry-specific versions for auto loans and credit cards).
FICO is the dominant credit scoring system in US lending. When a lender pulls your credit and references “your score,” they’re usually talking about a FICO score: though which specific version depends on the lender and the loan type.
The different FICO versions
- FICO 8 is the most widely used. Penalizes high credit utilization heavily.
- FICO 9 treats medical debt more leniently and ignores paid collections.
- FICO 10 and 10 T factor in trended data: your balance patterns over time, not just current snapshots.
- Industry-specific versions exist for auto, credit card, and mortgage lending, with weights tuned for each context.
Different lenders use different FICO versions. A score you see on Credit Karma (which uses VantageScore) may differ from your FICO score by 20-50 points.
Why your score might differ across sources
The score you see depends on:
- Which scoring model is used (FICO version, VantageScore)
- Which credit bureau the data comes from (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)
- When the report was pulled (data updates throughout the month)
A 20-30 point spread between sources is normal. Lenders care about the score they pull at the moment of underwriting, not what you saw on a free monitoring tool last week.