credit reports are total crap

**MonkeyMama** · 09-10-2010, 08:27 AM

My spouse and I are the same way and we have always had the same (similar) score. Of course, we did the same things before we met/married (both got a card in our teens - paid off monthly - never any loans but our mortgage together).

Are your sure that your wife has no other credit accounts or loans? My spouse and I probably have a couple of separate credit cards (at least I know he does at the moment). This would make our utilization numbers potentially different. But we use so little of our credit, it seems to be all the same in the end, for us. We both have utilizations under 10%, probably.

**wincrasher** · 09-10-2010, 08:40 AM

Huh?

You're a kept man AND you have a great credit score.

What's to complain about?

**GREENBACK** · 09-10-2010, 08:42 AM

Originally posted by KTP View Post

Ok, so going for a refi of our mortgage (no cost 4.25% 30 year) and I get the credit report rating from the bank. My wife, who is the primary and makes all the money has a score of 797, and me, who is a part time student and house husband has a score of 819...

whut? All of our cards and vehicles are joint and we have had joint finances for almost 20 years...do they naturally give men higher ratings than women, assuming that they earn more in the workplace or something?

With scores like that, who cares? You could drive yourself nuts trying to figure out why there's a 22 pt. difference but for all practical matters it's a waste of time.

**disneysteve** · 09-10-2010, 08:46 AM

Originally posted by GREENBACK View Post

With scores like that, who cares? You could drive yourself nuts trying to figure out why there's a 22 pt. difference but for all practical matters it's a waste of time.

I agree. You both have scores in the top category. Scores vary day to day, probably minute to minute. There is no meaningful difference between a 797 and an 819. Pull the scores again in a week, and they might be only 5 points apart or hers might be higher, but at that level, it makes no difference.

**wincrasher** · 09-10-2010, 08:50 AM

Yeah, with scores like that, the bank may even offer you a coke or something while you are in signing your loan application. Respect like that is only reserved for 760 and above!

**disneysteve** · 09-10-2010, 09:15 AM

Originally posted by wincrasher View Post

Yeah, with scores like that, the bank may even offer you a coke or something while you are in signing your loan application. Respect like that is only reserved for 760 and above!

Last time we bought a car, the salesman came back after checking our credit and said, "Are you sure you wouldn't like to buy 2 or 3 cars?"

That's what happens when you have scores like that. Also, we were allowed to drive off the lot with zero money down. We were waiting for an insurance check which didn't come until 2 weeks later. Had we not had such high scores, I'm sure there is no way they would have let us have the car for two weeks without some type of deposit.

**MonkeyMama** · 09-10-2010, 09:38 AM

Yes, our scores have generally been 800-ish. But even at 750 (I did some 0% balance transfers and stuff which temporarily decreased my score), we have always been treated like gold by any lender. Which is why I wouldn't sweat much over 750. 775, 800, 820. It's all the same. Expect to be treated very well.

**snshijuptr** · 09-10-2010, 10:21 AM

KTP if your at all worried get your credit reports and compare them. You might find that you or your wife is only an "authorized signer" and not actually an owner of a credit card. Or maybe something is missing from one of your reports. If it bothers you, then check the reports for consistency.

For a while my husband had a ridiculously high credit score because he shared a credit card with his parents which they opened when he was 8 years old.

**KTP** · 09-10-2010, 03:06 PM

I wasn't worried per se, just curious if there was something causing my wife's score to be 20 odd points below mine when she has the stable income. I see from the other posts that the scores can fluctuate 50pts or so depending on day to day transactions, so no problem.

I thought the max score was in the 900s?

**JoshuaHeckathorn** · 09-10-2010, 05:46 PM

Income is not a factor in the credit-scoring models, and the max FICO score is 850. FICO scores are the only ones that really matter, so don't get confused by other FAKO scores that may be on a different scale.

credit reports are total crap