Greg Fisher - The Credit Score Blog

Talk back to your screen

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 12:28 PM
To: Brian L. Roberts, chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation (via Adam Miller, EVP, Corporate Affairs, NBCUniversal, Comcast)
Cc: Allen Wastler, managing editor, CNBC.com; Daniel Bukszpan, staff writer, CNBC.com, Comcast; Daniel Bukszpan, staff writer, CNBC.com, Comcast (2); Jennifer Dauble, director, public relations, CNBC; Bernard T. Gugar, Harpo Productions; Steve J. Bernas, president/CEO, Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, Inc.; MSNBC.com; MSNBC.com (2)
Subject: RE: US national average credit score, “States with the best credit scores” II

Do you mean to tell me that you actually believe that the national average credit score could have decreased by 22 points in 11 days?

No way. Really?

On a recent whistle stop trip to New York (via Chicago), I was able to make a small dent in the misinformation about credit scores. However, these things have a life of their own, and I am not sure that Oprah Winfrey got my message (sent directly to her lawyer, however!). The inaccuracy on her website still exists. She even published this: “That history is digested by a company called Fair Isaac and converted into your credit score, which ranges from 350 to 800.”

Ha, ha!

That’s not true, of course, and it’s an old story. But, even the New York Times fell for Experian’s campaign, so don’t feel bad. Like the Times (until enlightened), you’re just in a Funk.

—
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342

[prevous message]

Efficacy of email

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 4:00 PM
To: Brian L. Roberts, chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation (via Adam Miller, EVP, Corporate Affairs, NBCUniversal, Comcast)
Cc: Allen Wastler, managing editor, CNBC.com; Daniel Bukszpan, staff writer, CNBC.com, Comcast; Daniel Bukszpan, staff writer, CNBC.com, Comcast (2); Jennifer Dauble, director, public relations, CNBC
Subject: US national average credit score, “States with the best credit scores”

See this message and your response at https://blog.creditscoring.com/?p=3822 and https://blog.creditscoring.com/?tag=nbc.

On March 29, you published: “In January 2010, the average credit score in the United States was 692, according to Experian’s National Score Index... [t]oday, it’s between 700 and 710… ”

However, according to Experian, the “National Score Index” is 687.

Your error correction format is honorable. But, accuracy aside, the efficacy of email is in question. Did you get my message of March 1?

—
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342

Slight, daily variations

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 12:43 PM
To: Lori Swanson, attorney general, State of Minnesota; Lori Swanson, attorney general, State of Minnesota (alt email address); Lori Swanson, attorney general, State of Minnesota (2nd alt email address)
Cc: Jeff Holman, communications director, Dept. of Human Rights, State of Minnesota
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, Minnesota Attorney General II

Please reply.

—
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342

[previous message]

credit score, employers, Minnesota Attorney General

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2012 12:50 AM
To: Lori Swanson, attorney general, State of Minnesota; Lori Swanson, attorney general, State of Minnesota (alt email address); Lori Swanson, attorney general, State of Minnesota (2nd alt email address)
Subject: credit score, employers, Minnesota Attorney General

See this message and your response at https://blog.creditscoring.com/?tag=minnesota-attorney-general.

You wrote: “Credit scores are used by credit card companies, auto lenders, landlords, and home mortgage lenders to predict the likelihood that a consumer will pay their bills. They are also used by insurance companies to decide how much to charge people for homeowners and automobile insurance and by some employers.”

In the same document, you also wrote: “Credit scores are not only used by lenders. Landlords, employers, utility companies and insurance companies also use a variation of the credit score in determining whether to rent an apartment, give a job, underwrite an insurance policy, or hook up electricity.”

The consumer reporting agencies all state that they do not provide credit scores for employment purposes.

What indicates that employers use credit scores?

—
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342

Wall Street Journal accuracy, errors and corrections

When a member of the UK parliament asked News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch if he was ultimately responsible for a fiasco, Murdoch replied, “Nope.” (37:36)

[alternate video (43:11)]

After contact with creditscoring.com, Murdoch made corrections of documents on two of his websites.

MoneyWatch says, “This update deletes a reference to credit scores being used to land or lose jobs.“
The Wall Street Journal website says, “An earlier version incorrectly stated that a credit score can help a person land, or lose out on, a job.”

However, a syndication of the same article by Yahoo! remains uncorrected.

Daily adjustments

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 11:28 AM
To: Donald E. Graham, chairman, Washington Post Company; Patrick B. Pexton, ombudsman, Washington Post
Cc: Cory Haik, digital journalist, Washington Post
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, Washington Post II

Please reply.

—
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342

[previous message]

Washington Post; Have you met Don Graham?

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2012 10:53 AM
To: Jon DeNunzio, blogger, Washington Post
Cc: Patrick B. Pexton, ombudsman, Washington Post; Donald E. Graham, chairman, Washington Post Company; Ylan Q. Mui, reporter, Washington Post
Subject: Washington Post, who is your source?

Have you ever met Donald E. Graham?

—
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342

[previous email]

Contacting Oprah Winfrey, personal finance

The questions are all the same. Answers vary.

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 10:11 AM
To: Oprah Winfrey, Harpo Productions (via Bernard Gugar)
Subject: credit score, employers, Oprah Winfrey

See this message and your reply at https://blog.creditscoring.com/?cat=293 and https://blog.creditscoring.com/?tag=oprah-winfrey.

Your website states:

Last year, 25 billion credit decisions were made based on FICO scores alone. These weren’t just decisions about whether you’d be approved for a new credit card but… Whether an employer will hire you… In other words, your score is a really powerful piece of information.

I visited your office earlier this month, but was unable to see anyone about that statement.

Despite unfortunate conflicting information, employers do not use credit scores.

What indicates that employers base hiring decisions on credit scores?

—
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342

The Question. Same thing, every day.

The questions are all the same. The answers are different.