With credit scoring, computers are making the lending decisions. Computers analyze credit information to produce a score, but individual lenders decide what scores are acceptable for different loans or credit cards.
Some lenders accept higher risk applicants.
Some use scores to help determine when to request more information from the applicant. A poor score will haunt me forever. It changes as new information is added to your bank and credit bureau files. Scores change gradually as you change the way you handle credit. For example, past credit problems impact your score less as time passes.