 TITLE: Understanding Credit Score Risk Factors CONTENT: Risk factors accompany your credit score and tell you why you may have been rejected for a loan or credit card or received a higher interest rate than you'd like. These factors vary depending on the model used to calculate your credit score. Scoring models analyze the data in your credit report using complex math to produce a numerical score, and may weigh some factors differently or not at all.\nLenders use many scoring models, but the most popular are the FICO® and VantageScore® models. Each model produces a three-digit score, with higher scores indicating lower statistical likelihood of defaulting on debts. When these models determine your score, they also identify the information in your credit report that had the biggest negative influence on your credit score—and present that information as risk factors.\nRecent versions of both models also generate positive reason codes, indicating the factors having the most favorable influence on your credit scores. END