Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) will pull your credit report primarily from Equifax with a likelihood of 72.1%, based on historical information data gathered from creditboards.com between 2002 and 2022.
A distant second is TransUnion with a chance of being pulled by Navy Federal at 25.1%, with Experian falling third accounting for only 2.8% of the total number of pulls.
These numbers are a reflection of all hard inquiry credit pulls that Navy Federal has performed from all over the United States.
Therefore, it may be the case that they prefer to pull from one particular bureau that another on a state by state basis.
The maps below show the areas in the United States where each credit bureau is primarily being pulled by Navy Federal.
US states where Navy Federal (NFCU) pulls primarily from Equifax
US states where Navy Federal (NFCU) pulls primarily from TransUnion
US states where Navy Federal (NFCU) pulls primarily from Experian
There are only a handful of states where Navy Federal chooses to pull preferably from TransUnion.
The majority of states have their credit pulls originating almost exclusively from Equifax, whereas Experian is the least used credit bureau by far.
It is also important to note that the data gathered includes pulls:
- associated with applications for credit cards, auto loans, etc
- regardless of whether the application was successful or denied with an adverse action notice
No, the credit bureau from which Navy Federal Credit Union pulls your credit report is not always the same between states.
However, out of all states, Navy Federal will pull from Equifax for 44 of them, which is a resounding majority.
Below is a table which breaks down the historical data for each state, providing the likelihood for Navy Federal to pull from each credit bureau.
The green percentage values indicate the credit bureau from which Navy Federal has traditionally pulled the most for that state.
| State | TransUnion | Experian | Equifax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 40.00% | 6.67% | 53.33% |
| Alaska | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| Arizona | 25.93% | 3.70% | 70.37% |
| Arkansas | 10.00% | 0.00% | 90.00% |
| California | 18.98% | 2.78% | 78.24% |
| Colorado | 5.00% | 20.00% | 75.00% |
| Connecticut | 33.33% | 0.00% | 66.67% |
| Delaware | 50.00% | 0.00% | 50.00% |
| Florida | 26.09% | 0.87% | 73.04% |
| Georgia | 25.00% | 1.19% | 73.81% |
| Hawaii | 14.29% | 0.00% | 85.71% |
| Idaho | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| Illinois | 37.78% | 0.00% | 62.22% |
| Indiana | 62.50% | 0.00% | 37.50% |
| Iowa | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| Kansas | 0.00% | 11.11% | 88.89% |
| Kentucky | 31.58% | 5.26% | 63.16% |
| Louisiana | 41.67% | 0.00% | 58.33% |
| Maine | 33.33% | 0.00% | 66.67% |
| Maryland | 27.40% | 0.00% | 72.60% |
| Massachusetts | 20.69% | 3.45% | 75.86% |
| Michigan | 29.03% | 9.68% | 61.29% |
| Minnesota | 35.00% | 5.00% | 60.00% |
| Mississippi | 13.33% | 0.00% | 86.67% |
| Missouri | 20.00% | 0.00% | 80.00% |
| Nebraska | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| Nevada | 16.67% | 0.00% | 83.33% |
| New Hampshire | 28.57% | 14.29% | 57.14% |
| New Jersey | 46.15% | 3.85% | 50.00% |
| New Mexico | 20.00% | 0.00% | 80.00% |
| New York | 23.40% | 2.13% | 74.47% |
| North Carolina | 21.82% | 0.00% | 78.18% |
| North Dakota | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| Ohio | 37.21% | 2.33% | 60.47% |
| Oklahoma | 27.27% | 18.18% | 54.55% |
| Oregon | 42.86% | 0.00% | 57.14% |
| Pennsylvania | 35.85% | 0.00% | 64.15% |
| Rhode Island | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| South Carolina | 36.36% | 0.00% | 63.64% |
| Tennessee | 15.38% | 0.00% | 84.62% |
| Texas | 18.87% | 3.77% | 77.36% |
| Utah | 14.29% | 0.00% | 85.71% |
| Vermont | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| Virginia | 16.90% | 5.63% | 77.46% |
| Washington | 35.00% | 7.50% | 57.50% |
| West Virginia | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| Wisconsin | 50.00% | 0.00% | 50.00% |
If a particular state is not listed, this would mean that there was insufficient data for that state.
It is evident from the data presented in the table, that the majority of the states are heavily in favor of pulling from Equifax.
There is one outlier however, with Indiana favoring TransUnion albeit with only around 16 consumers providing data.
Note that the credit bureau from which Navy Federal pulls your credit report will vary depending on the state in which you reside and the credit card for which you are applying.
Yes, Navy Federal will lean heavily towards Equifax when pulling your credit report, with a likelihood of 72%.
The data has been gathered from consumers who have applied for credit and have decided to share the information found in their credit report.
Unfortunately, Navy Federal Credit Union does not disclose information regarding the credit bureau from which they pull for certain credit card applications.
Therefore, the information provided here should only be used as an indication of historical credit pulls, and should not be misconstrued as being true for all scenarios.
The heatmap below displays the states where Navy Federal has historically pulled from Equifax. The darker colors indicate larger numbers of credit pulls.
US states where Navy Federal pulls from Equifax the most
Compare this to credit reports pulled from TransUnion and Experian below. What’s evident is that the areas covered by all the maps are quite similar, which indicates that Navy Federal still pulls credit reports from TransUnion and Experian for all states, but at considerably smaller numbers.
US states where Navy Federal pulls from TransUnion the most
US states where Navy Federal pulls from Experian the most
The only exception is Indiana which has indicated that TransUnion is the favorite by a small margin.
Again, the underlying motive for Navy Federal to pull from TransUnion in this case as opposed to Equifax or Experian is unknown. Perhaps it may be more cost effective in those cases.
Having prior knowledge on the credit bureau that Navy Federal uses, will allow you to focus on improving your credit report for that particular credit bureau.
Perhaps your credit report from all credit bureaus is quite poor and contains derogatory remarks associated with collections, charge-offs, or other delinquencies.
Knowing which credit bureau Navy Federal has a high likelihood of pulling from in your situation, is potentially critical in getting a successful credit application.
In fact, as this article has mentioned on numerous occasions, Navy Federal will prefer to pull from Equifax, and so focussing on improving your credit report with them, should be your priority.
Regardless of whether you are applying for credit or not, careful and calculated steps should always be taken to constantly maintain a strong credit report with all bureaus and to use credit wisely.