Which Lenders Use Equifax Only?

"Equifax only" means the lender checks solely your Equifax credit report when evaluating your loan. The lender ignores TransUnion and Experian data, so the decision hinges entirely on the Equifax score, credit utilization, and account history you have with that bureau.

For example, a Mid‑Atlantic regional bank that offers home‑equity lines of credit may use an Equifax‑only pull; if your Equifax score sits at 740 while your other scores linger in the 680 range, you could qualify for a lower interest rate or higher limit. Conversely, an online auto‑loan provider that relies on Equifax only might deny you or raise the APR if your Equifax score trails your TransUnion and Experian scores. A credit‑union personal loan that uses Equifax‑only checks will base its underwriting on the Equifax payment‑history flags, meaning a recent missed payment reported only to Equifax could affect approval even if the other bureaus show clean records.

These scenarios illustrate how the "Equifax only" policy can shift approval odds and loan terms dramatically, depending on which bureau reflects your strongest credit profile.

The lenders that pull an 'Equifax only' report are usually smaller, regionally focused institutions that have a sole‑bureau agreement with Equifax.

• Community banks in the Midwest and South that signed an exclusive data‑share contract with Equifax.
• Credit unions that partner only with Equifax for member credit checks, often to keep processing costs low.
• Subprime auto financiers that rely on a single bureau to streamline high‑volume loan approvals.
• Certain mortgage lenders, especially niche first‑time‑homebuyer programs, that use an Equifax‑only pull to match their underwriting models.
• Some online fintech lenders that have built their risk algorithms around Equifax data and therefore do not query the other bureaus.

(For more on why these lenders prefer a single bureau, see the next section on surprising businesses that still pull 'Equifax only'.)

A few niche lenders still rely on an 'Equifax only' pull, which surprises many borrowers because most big banks now query all three bureaus. These surprising businesses include certain credit unions, specialty auto‑loan financiers, and a handful of debt‑consolidation firms that publicly disclose an Equifax‑only underwriting policy.

• Midland Credit Union - uses 'Equifax only' for personal and auto loans (Midland CU loan policies).
• DriveTime Auto Loans - pulls exclusively from Equifax for subprime car financing (DriveTime Equifax policy).
• Freedom Financial - applies an 'Equifax only' check for its 24‑month debt‑consolidation loans (Freedom Financial terms).
• Consolidated Credit - relies solely on Equifax for its credit‑repair‑linked personal loans (Consolidated Credit policy).

Lenders pick 'Equifax only' because the bureau delivers the lowest‑cost, fastest‑to‑pull reports that meet most underwriting cut‑offs. Their pricing tiers undercut the other two bureaus, and the turnaround time often falls within minutes, which directly improves a lender's processing speed.

Most lenders already embed Equifax's data fields into their credit‑scoring algorithms and API integrations, so swapping to TransUnion or Experian would demand costly system rewrites and retraining. A midsize regional credit union, for example, keeps its automated decision engine synced to Equifax's standardized data schema, avoiding expensive redevelopment.

Finally, certain loan programs and state regulations name Equifax as the primary source, so lenders must comply to qualify borrowers for those products. When a program mandates Equifax, the lender has little choice but to pull 'Equifax only' reports.

You confirm a lender pulls 'Equifax only' by inspecting the lender's disclosures and the actual credit‑pull record.

1. Ask for the written disclosure - Request the loan estimate or credit‑authorization form; it must list the bureau that will be queried. If the document says 'Equifax,' you have written proof.
2. Check the hard‑pull receipt - After the lender runs the check, they should provide a copy of the report or a receipt showing the source. Look for 'Equifax' in the header.
3. Verify the pull on your credit file - Log into your Equifax online account and locate the recent inquiry. If the inquiry appears only under Equifax, the lender used 'Equifax only.'
4. Request a confirmation email - Ask the loan officer to email you a statement that the credit pull was performed with Equifax exclusively. Keep the email for your records.
5. Call Equifax's inquiry hotline - Provide the lender's name and the date of the pull; Equifax can confirm whether they processed a request from that institution. A verbal confirmation completes the verification.

Equifax only proof arrives as a hard‑inquiry line on your credit report and, if needed, a written statement from the lender. Request the report, locate the inquiry dated the loan application, and ask the lender for a signed note confirming they pulled Equifax only data.

First, download your free annual report directly from Equifax's credit‑report page. Spot the hard inquiry labeled 'Equifax' on the same day you applied. If the entry is missing, call Equifax's consumer support and request an 'inquiry verification letter.'

Next, email the lender and ask for a brief, dated confirmation that they accessed Equifax-only information. Keep the report, the verification letter, and the lender's note together; they constitute definitive proof for any dispute or future inquiry.

Equifax-only checks raise your approval odds if your Equifax score outperforms your TransUnion and Experian scores, and lower them if it trails those numbers.

When a lender relies on an 'Equifax only' pull, the decision engine looks at a single number. If that number sits in the 720‑plus range, the lender sees a low‑risk profile and may fast‑track approval, even though the same borrower could appear riskier on the other bureaus. For example, a borrower with a 735 Equifax score but 680 scores elsewhere often qualifies for a personal loan from a credit‑union that uses only Equifax, because the lender's model does not factor in the lower scores.

Conversely, if the Equifax score lags, the odds shrink. A borrower with a 650 Equifax score but 710 scores on TransUnion and Experian may be rejected by an 'Equifax only' auto‑loan specialist, even though a multi‑bureau lender would view the overall credit picture more favorably.

In this scenario the lender's risk calculation flags the single low score, resulting in denial or a higher interest rate. The upcoming section 'what to do if your Equifax score lags others' explains how to address that gap. Equifax credit score overview

If your Equifax score lags the others, focus on correcting errors, strengthening the factors Equifax tracks, and communicating the gap to lenders.

Start by ordering a free Equifax‑only report and flag any inaccuracies; dispute them online or by mail and follow up until they're resolved.

Next, improve the score drivers that Equifax weighs most heavily: lower credit‑card utilization below 30 %, pay down any high‑balance revolving accounts, and add a small, on‑time installment loan or secured credit card that reports to Equifax. Finally, reach out to the lender you're targeting, explain the discrepancy, and ask whether they can temporarily weigh a higher TransUnion or Experian score while you bring the Equifax figure up.

• Check and dispute - Get the full report at Equifax free credit report, mark errors, submit disputes, and monitor updates.
• Reduce utilization - Pay down balances on cards reported to Equifax; aim for under 30 % of each limit.
• Add positive tradelines - Open a secured card or credit‑builder loan that reports to Equifax; keep payments punctual.
• Leverage authorized‑user status - Join a family member's account that reports to Equifax to inherit their good history.
• Communicate with the lender - Provide a copy of your higher TransUnion/Experian scores and request a manual review while you improve the Equifax number.

Addressing the lag now not only lifts your Equifax‑only standing but also positions you for the '5 tactics you can use with Equifax‑only lenders' covered next.

Here are five proven tactics you can use with 'Equifax only' lenders.

• Pull your own Equifax report, check for inaccuracies, and dispute any errors through the official dispute process.
• Build a thin but positive Equifax history with a secured credit card or a credit‑builder loan, then let the new accounts age.
• Request a soft‑pull pre‑qualification that uses only your Equifax data; it shows eligibility without hurting your score.
• Offer a larger down payment, higher collateral, or a longer repayment term to offset a lower Equifax score.
• Add a co‑signer or joint applicant whose credit is evaluated separately; their strong Equifax score can improve the overall approval odds.

Regional statutes do not dictate which credit bureau a lender must use; under the Fair Credit Reporting Act a lender may pull from any single bureau, including an 'Equifax only' pull. However, state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act or the New York SHIELD Act shape how lenders collect, store, and share credit data, which can sway their preferred bureau in that market.

lenders often choose the bureau that offers the most complete local data or aligns with their compliance processes; many community banks in the Midwest rely on Equifax because its regional scoring models match local credit patterns, while some coastal fintechs lean toward Experian for its alternative-data integrations. This regional preference determines whether you will encounter an 'Equifax only' inquiry and leads into the next step of confirming a lender's pull.