September 17, 2010 | By Greg Fisher

Equifax, the national consumer reporting agency, has discovered the mystical power of 850.

A company called Fair, Isaac and Company, Inc. created a credit score called FICO with the weird scale of 300 to 850. It was rebranded as BEACON for use by credit bureau Equifax, and made its first appearance in 1989.

In a huge coincidence, the highest score in the TransUnion TransRisk New Account score scale is

And, now, unbelievably, in another gargantuan coincidence, the highest number in the scale of the brand new Equifax Score is

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 8:10 AM
To: Helen Chernikoff, reporter, Reuters
Subject: THE average credit score

See http://twitter.com/creditscoring/status/21309382582.

You reported that the average credit score rose to 704 in July.

What is the name of the credit score model to which you refer? What is its scale?

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 10:33 AM
To: Helen Chernikoff, reporter, Reuters
Cc: Andre Grenon, journalist, Reuters
Subject: RE: THE average credit score

Please reply.

Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342
937-681-3224

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 9:02 AM
To: Helen Chernikoff
Cc: Andre Grenon, journalist, Reuters; Jack Reerink, managing editor, United States and Canada, Reuters
Subject: RE: THE average credit score

Please reply.

From: Helen Chernikoff
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 8:09 AM
To: greg@creditscoring.com
Subject: RE: THE average credit score

Hi, I've been out on vacation.
For more information you would need to go to Equifax.

Helen Chernikoff
Journalist
Thomson Reuters
Phone: [... ]
Mobile: [... ]
[email address]
www.thomsonreuters.com

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 9:24 AM
To: Pam Stevens, TALX Corporation
Subject: RE: THE average credit score, Reuters

J. Dann Adams, president
TALX Corporation

Reuters reported that the average credit score rose to 704 in July.

With the data that you provided exclusively to Reuters, did you state the name of the credit score model? What is its name? What is its scale?

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:43 PM
To: Pam Stevens, TALX Corporation
Cc: Helen Chernikoff, reporter, Reuters
Subject: RE: THE average credit score, Reuters II

Please reply.

So, what's so special about 850? Either it must have some trancendental property for three genius independent thinkers to come up with it — or not.

Shell game.