I have to different credit scores with a 66 point difference what the hell is going on. They show the same exact things Experian vs Credit Karma Experian has me well below 600 Credit Karma has me well above 600 wtf should I worry what do I tell the investigator if I even make it that far. I turned in my Eqip Friday using Credit Karma I just checked my Experian for the first time ever today.
Your credit score is not used for the background investigation.
BUT, having a lower score tells you (the Subject) and your employer of potential financial issues that might arise during your background investigation.
The financial information we normally review is the same you are supposed to report. The biggest issue arises when the financial issues required to be reported on your security application doesn’t match the credit reports (yes, plural) reviewed by NBIB.
I told the truth but I did notice Kredit Karma had me owing more money but a higher credit score and Experian had my owing less with a lesser credit score. It’s weird.
All of your credit scores are usually different. 65 points is not a big deal. Each agency uses slightly different weighting to different issues. If they all came up with the same score there wouldn’t be multiple agencies.
I tell applicants to use Credit Karma like Wikie-pedia (sp?). Good place to get a general idea…but never quote it in a college paper. I see normal differences of 30 points but it still gives a good general area of where you stand. A 500 score is not good. Neither is a 545. So a swing of 45 points there isn’t anything. But one can learn who claims they owe money to by using them. I have also seen credit dings not showing on the three major ones yet the government provides specific info to the applicant. I maintain if a person has an 800 plus score, and there is no record of owing a debt…there is no way to know about it and the applicant should not be held accountable.
Okay I know asking repetitive ?s but what is more important Fico or Credit score like i said they are totally different but i trying to raise it before my investigation i turned in my eqip on last week so i can get my interim clearance.
Your number does not matter as much as answering the financial questions on the form correctly matters.
It appears it’s more credit history than score. You can have a low score because of shopping for a car and really tickling that credit limit on cards and overall, but you can be making all your payments.
It seems to depend on circumstances, but any missed payments or delinquent debt is way way way bigger than just a 600 or low score cause of utilization.
I told the truth on on everything that went to collections i guess i just got to just wait and see.
did you pay the collections off?
Think big picture here. If you caught up anything behind, and are in a solid repayment plan with payments made…you are most likely ok. If you arranged a repayment plan bat have not paid anything on it or slipped…that doesn’t look good. Debt to credit ratio can skew a score high or low. Under the old system people were routinely counseled to close old cards. Now I say keep them open if there isn’t an annual fee. It can actually give you a better score. Don’t confuse that for going out and opening a bunch as each will do a credit check and those will reflect on the score as well. Even with an 800 plus score I had bills I never received go into a collection. Simply explain the circumstance and make the payments.
Ok I owed navy fed like 5,000 went to collections they offered me a lump sum payment of 1200 I haven’t paid it but I told that on my Eqip that’s what they offered me to make it go away. Basically I can pay on my first paycheck if I get the job. My other debt was student loans but I already pay that every month I only got 700 left. And I found a debt on my credit Karma for my medical bills ( I was diagnosed with cancer and beat it few years ago I’m still in my 20s) that debt went to collections I just found out. But it only shows on credit karma and not my fico/Experian score/app when I ran my credit. But newayz it’s only 2300 I started a payment plan. That’s all my debt that I seen when I ran my credit at the 3 bureaus and credit karma.
Experian, Transunion and Equifax use the FICO scoring model, which is used by 90% of the creditors. Credit Karma uses the Vantage score, which is a totally, newer different scoring model. So, you’re not really seeing an apples to apples comparison.
Your FICO score across the 3 main bureaus listed above are what you should focus on, but as stated here - your score won’t be a factor in your adjudication. Any delinquincies 120+ days will be scrutinized, and you’ll need to show that you’ve resolved those debts with either full payment or an approved installment plan with the creditor.
As stated above, get in a repayment plan, and then make payments. Some folks get a plan…and do not follow it. Not good. If you currently have no income I understand the predicament. The settlement sounds good to me but it may drive a tax liability just so you know. What say you Ed? There are differing ways to negotiate it all. Normally, a low credit score lines up with collections, missed payments etc. So it is a good barometer on the big picture side. However, if you have very little in collections and pay bills timely and your lower score is only because you do not have a solid debt to credit ratio…I would not worry much about that score. If however you have a low score because of repeated missed payments and collections…well, you need fix that. Those collections (and subsequent low score) impact you. Just know the government sees a much deeper credit view than the three main ones. Sometimes debt no longer shows on them, but the government demands an answer and there is no way to contact a company with no contact info. I have seen it numerous times. My client is more strict with their clearances than many others.
The credit report run on a federal background investigation is more in-depth than the one you can pull for free or through your financial institution. The government credit check is a tri-merge, meaning it consolidates the reports of all three major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian) into one. It also runs checks for bankruptcies, tax liens, and civil court judgments. Those that don’t keep track of their finances very well are usually surprised when confronted by an investigator about accounts, liens or other issues that they forgot about or were unaware of because they don’t show up on their free credit report.
Things that adjudicators look for on a credit report are:
– different names, social security numbers, dates of birth, employers or addresses listed on the credit report that are not listed on the security application;
– number of open accounts with a high balance (are you living within your means and do you have the ability to pay your debts with your current income);
– number of accounts that were/are delinquent, past due, charged off, or sent to collections. Take note that a debt that is charged off is not resolved, it simply means the creditor has written off the debt as a loss but the amount is still owed; and
– previous or current bankruptcies, tax liens, wage garnishments or judgments (expect questions about the reasons/causes that led these issues).
Your overall credit or FICO score is not relevant to an adjudicator for a background investigation. What is important is your history of being financially responsible and paying agreed upon legal and just debts. This is a reflection of a person’s honesty and trustworthiness. This is not to say that unforeseen events in life happen and we occasionally get into a bind, but rather how you handle resolving these events that is the key to a favorable adjudication.
By looking at this for a clearance, it is NOT necessary to remove security freeze on all my three major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian). Adjudicators look for something else. Correct?
I usually have place freeze on my credit accounts. I want to add back the security freeze as soon as possible.
Please confirm.
In the future, do not use Credit Karma. It is best to use https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
therefore, is this true "A clearance does NOT reply input from these credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian), so it does not matter if these accounts being freeze "?
Correct?
The three big credit bureaus are part of the NBIB credit report. I believe the NBIB report can now be obtained even if the credit accounts are frozen because they are not a credit creating entity.
I got it. I will freeze my accounts with these three credit bureaus soon.
Thanks.