Credit Reports
How report pulls work and why the three bureaus disagree.
- Why are my three credit scores different?
Your three credit scores differ because the bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — operate independently, receive different data from different creditors, update on different schedules, and feed that data into different scoring models. Gaps of 10 to 50 points are normal. Bigger gaps usually signal that one bureau is missing information or has a reporting error worth disputing.
3 min read - What's the difference between a soft pull and a hard pull?
A soft pull is a credit check that doesn't affect your score and isn't visible to other lenders — covering things like checking your own credit, pre-approval offers, and the pulls CreditRefresh runs on your reports. A hard pull is a credit check tied to a credit application that does affect your score, usually by a small amount, and stays visible to lenders for two years.
3 min read - What factors actually determine my credit score?
The standard FICO credit score is built from five factors: payment history (35%), credit utilization (30%), length of credit history (15%), credit mix (10%), and new credit (10%). Payment history and utilization together account for two-thirds of the score, which is why disputing inaccurate late payments and incorrect balances tends to move scores the most.
4 min read - How often should I check my credit report?
At minimum, once a year per bureau — and right now you can pull free reports weekly from all three bureaus at annualcreditreport.com. Annual review catches errors before they hit major applications. Step up to monthly during active dispute work, and every two weeks after identity theft. CreditRefresh also pulls automatically.
3 min read