Why do credit scores differ?

There are three major credit-reporting bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and two scoring models: FICO or VantageScore—that determine credit scores. More than 200 factors in a credit report may be taken into account when calculating a score, and each scoring model may weigh credit factors differently, so no scoring model is completely identical. No matter what credit bureau or credit scoring model is used, consumers fall into specific credit ranges: Excellent 781–850, Good 661-780, Fair 601-660, Unfavorable 501-600, and Bad 500 or less.