What is the Empirica credit score, and why does it matter?
The Empirica score is a credit scoring model used by TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States. The Empirica score is one of three scores that TransUnion uses. This score is provided only to lenders and follows the guiding principles of the FICO model. TransUnion offers the other two scores to consumers to review their credit history and credit standing.
Lenders will use and record this score to determine a person’s creditworthiness. In general, the higher the score, the lower the risk a creditor would incur in providing credit. The Empiria score provides lenders with codes sharing relevant information using specialized codes within their scoring. The most critical factor would be the overall score itself.
Empirica Codes
Account Designations
These accounts determine the different designations, including sole proprietor, joint accounts, shared accounts, and deceased.
Type of Accounts
The types of accounts show the kind of money offered. Different versions hold different rules, repercussions, and ranges associated.
Payment Notifications
The payment notifications show the different payment statuses of specific lending types. The codes showcase whether an account is in good standing or contains blemishes.
How are Empirica Scores determined?
Payment History
The payment history accounts for 35% of the total score calculation. Payment history is the single most crucial part of the score. A person must make sure that their payment history is in good standing. Late payments can result in a considerable drop in a credit score. Defaulting entirely on payments can result in a loss of one hundred points or more.
Credit Utilization
Credit utilization is the amount you carry each month versus the credit limit that a creditor has provided. This score is vital for unsecured debt (credit cards). The best practice is not carrying monthly debt on your credit card, but if you are in a situation where you need to have debt month-over-month, you will want to keep your balances under 30% of your total credit limit.
Length of History
A favorable credit indicator is having a long-solid history of good credit standing. The longer that you have had credit and loan accounts open sends positive signals to the bureaus and lenders that you can manage your credit. Length of history accounts for 15% of your total score.
Amount of New Credit
New credit inquires account for 10% of a credit score. Whenever you apply for a new line of credit with any lender, it is called a hard credit inquiry. We recommend that you keep these to a minimum in a short time. Applying for multiple lines of credit of the same type can be considered as high-risk behavior with credit.
Credit Types
The final 10% of the Empirica score comprises the association of the different credit types that a person possesses. Credit types are broken into different categories, including mortgages, auto loans, student loans, personal loans, secured debt, and unsecured debt. Unsecured debt is split into different rating types, which include general and retail. It is essential to have the right kinds of credit and loans to get a higher score.
What is the TransUnion Empirica Score range?
Officially, the range of the Empirica score is 934 to 150. Most models will display the ranges from a scale of 850 to 300. The ranges are broken into five different categories to determine creditworthiness.
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Excellent (850-760)
The excellent score showcases individuals that pay their debt on time, every time. They show good spending habits by never carrying credit and paying their debts off each month. This shows a lender that you have good financial habits and would be low risk to lend money.
Great (759-700)
Great scores are individuals that pay their debt on time, every time. They carry very little debt over a long period. Commonly, they will take long credit history in good standing. Lenders still offer prime rates for good financial habits and would be low risk to lend.
Good (699-660)
A good score exhibits individuals that pay their debt on time, almost every time. They show good spending habits do not carry large balances on their credit. Individuals with a good credit rating don’t get the best rates but do not get the worst rates.
Fair (659-620)
The fair scores are individuals that pay their debt mostly on time. Many people with a fair credit score carry high balances and utilize a high amount of their credits. Lenders tend to very fair credit as reasonably high risk because they exhibit credit behavior that can result in negative payments.
Poor (619-580)
Poor scores are for individuals with many negative marks on their payment history and usually have large balances with their credit utilization. People with poor scores will commonly pay higher interest rates to cover the increased risk that someone might default on payments.
Bad (579-300)
Bad scores are the worst-case scenarios in terms of credit scores. Individuals with bad credit scores are declined for credit and lending money. Payment history shows repeated patterns of late or collected payments.
How can I get a copy of my Empirica score?
When it comes to your Empirica Score, you will not have access to the score as a consumer. The best way to get an idea of what your score would show would be to get your TransUnion Vantage, Vantage 2.0, or Precision score. There are many places that you would be able to get a copy of your score, the links below are recommended ways to access your score.
- Annual Credit Report – This is a free service provided by the three credit bureaus where anyone can access their credit history at no cost once a year. You can access all three agencies on this website, including TransUnion.
- Credit Karma uses the Equifax and TransUnion Vantage scores to give consumers access to their scores. This service offers a free credit score from these two companies but offers additional paid services. They offer both phone applications and web access to allow you to get to your score.
- TransUnion.com – Yes! The agency is the prominent location to get access to your credit scores from TransUnion. You will not be able to get a copy of your Empirica Score as it is only available to lenders, but the TransUnion score should be closely aligned with what a lender use.
- Request a copy of your Empirica Score from your lender. You can always request a copy of your credit score after a lender conducts a hard credit inquiry.
Summary
This guide has walked you through the Empirica Score purpose, the codes lenders will see, how the score is calculated, what your score says about you, and ways to check your score. It is essential to exhibit good credit habits and understand how this score can affect you.
The Empirica Score accounts for 33% of your total credit picture. Make it the best it can be!
