Credit.com Is the First to Offer VantageScore 3.0 to Consumers

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Credit.com

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) August 21, 2013

Credit.com, a trusted source of financial information for consumers for more than 15 years, today announced that it has made the latest VantageScore available to consumers at no cost. VantageScore 3.0 has made headlines since its spring release because it is the first credit score to exclude paid collection accounts, including paid medical collection accounts, from its formula, and it is able to score 30-35 million more Americans than earlier credit scoring models. The VantageScore 3.0 is only available to consumers for free via Credit.com.

“We’re really proud to be able to offer this new credit score to consumers at no cost,” says Credit.com’s CEO Ian Cohen. “For tens of millions of consumers who were previously unscorable, or had what is referred to in the industry as ‘thin files,’ this is a great opportunity for them to start building their credit histories and enter the mainstream earlier. It’s good for consumers and good for lenders to have competition in the market. It forces everyone to challenge old assumptions, such as the predictiveness of paid medical debt, and look for new ways to score consumers in a world that has changed a great deal since the 2008 recession.”

The VantageScore 3.0, calculated here based on information in users’ Experian credit report, will be featured within Credit.com’s Credit Report Card, a free tool that provides users with an easy-to-understand overview of their credit profile, history and standing. VantageScore 3.0, which operates on a 300-850 scale, as does the FICO score. In addition to the VantageScore 3.0, the Credit Report Card also displays two other credit scores, including an estimated FICO score. The goal here is to educate users about the variety of credit scores in general. Many people don’t realize that they have many credit scores, and the Credit Report Card helps deliver that message in the clearest possible way.

There are in fact many similarities among the scoring models, and Credit.com's goal is to help consumers focus on the factors that drive their credit scores. These five factors (credit inquiries, credit mix, debt use, credit age & payment history) are essentially the same across all credit scoring models and Credit.com use grades to make this simple and clear. Credit.com also provides users with a customized action plan, including concrete steps they can take to improve their credit. Users can update their report card and credit scores at no cost, allowing them to monitor their progress over time.

“There are so many different kinds of credit scores and reports out there, it's no wonder people are confused. But our experts have heard it all,” said Credit.com’s Director of Consumer Education Gerri Detweiler. “Our goal is to help consumers get the answers – and tools – they need to make smarter credit decisions and to make sure that we share those lessons with the Credit.com community.”

The inclusion of VantageScore 3.0 furthers Credit.com’s mission to provide users with an accurate and transparent view of their credit worthiness and actionable data and advice that they can use to improve their standing. To support this mission, Credit.com maintains a team of more than 30 credit and money experts who offer guidance as part of the Credit Report Card and via “Ask the Expert” events on the Credit.com blog, Twitter and Facebook.

To learn more about VantageScore 3.0, read the recent Credit.com article, “Did Credit Scores Just Get Fairer?”

About Credit.com

Credit.com is a trusted source of financial information for consumers. Founded in 1994, and run by leading credit & money experts, Credit.com offers the latest news, advice, easy-to-use tools to help consumers gain valuable insight, save money and make smarter financial decisions. Credit.com content is syndicated to leading consumer, finance & news sites and the Credit.com experts are regularly called upon by the most respected and accomplished financial journalists in the world, including those from ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, FOX News, CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NPR, CNBC, AOL, CNN Money, MSN Money, Yahoo Finance, Kiplinger’s, Consumer Affairs, among others. Its flagship product, the free Credit Report Card, has been recognized as an innovative consumer finance tool by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and others.

To learn more about Credit.com, its tools, editorial team, or partnership opportunities, please contact Michael Schreiber at michael(at)credit(dot)com.

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