Consumer Law

Experian FICO Scores No Longer Available to Consumers

By Kemnitzer, Anderson, Barron, Ogilvie & Brewer

Experian just announced that it will no longer allow public access to FICO scores based on its credit reports, as Public Citizen's blog reported February 16 and the New York Times reported earlier. The other two credit reporting agencies, Equifax and Trans Union, will continue to allow the public to view their FICO scores.

Experian's decision could have disturbing consequences. Because Experian will continue to sell FICO scores to lenders and creditors based on its data, those lenders may base decisions on factors that consumers can no longer see.

Particularly if you are thinking about applying for major credit, you should check your Experian credit report periodically to be sure there are no errors. That way, you should have no surprises, even if you can't view the Experian FICO score that your lender can access.

All consumers remain entitled to a free copy of their credit report, once a year, from each of the three credit reporting agencies. Those reports maybe requested through this Web site .

Full post as published by California Credit Law Blog on February 18, 2009 (boomark / email).