You check your credit score and feel confident — then get denied or offered worse terms.

Why?

In this episode, Tiana Mayers explains a major credit misconception: the score you see is not always the score lenders use.

Topics include:

• Educational scores vs. lending scores • FICO vs. VantageScore • Why lender scores differ from app scores • Mortgage, auto & credit card scoring models • Reporting delays & updates • Credit profile vs. credit score • Hidden underwriting factors

Lenders use different scoring systems, timelines, and risk standards. A score shown in a banking app may reflect an educational model, while lenders may pull different versions based on the loan type and bureau used.

Tiana also explains how lenders evaluate more than a three-digit score. Deb ...