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Credit Score

Missouri senator opens investigation into FICO’s mortgage credit score pricing

Credit Score, FICO, First-Time Homebuyers, HWmember, Missouri, Mortgage, Origination, Senate /

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has opened an investigation into Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO)’s pricing practices in the mortgage industry and is urging Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson to do the same. FICO dominates the credit scoring market for mortgage lenders, largely due to decades of exclusive acceptance for loans sold to Fannie […]

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From loan pools to consumer wallets: The ripple effects of credit score lender choice

Contributors, credit report, Credit Score, HWmember, Opinion /

On January 15, 2026, the FHFA provided documentation to the Housing Policy Council (HPC) in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made in July of 2023.  Those documents, though redacted, clearly indicated that the GSEs did not recommend approving two scores as was directed by the FHFA. Rather, the GSEs only recommended

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Verification is the new credit score

Artificial Intelligence, Contributors, credit report, Credit Score, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

The mortgage industry does not have a speed problem. It has a confidence problem. For decades, the credit score has served as the central organizing mechanism of mortgage risk. It estimates the probability of repayment using historical behavioral data. It is statistically validated, embedded in capital markets, and operationally indispensable. But the credit score answers

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Experian imposes another price increase on mortgage lenders

Credit Score, Experian, FICO, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Origination, Xactus /

Experian is imposing another price increase on credit reports sold to mortgage lenders — an unusual move at this time of year, according to resellers who spoke with HousingWire. “I have never seen a price increase after a price increase in January,” said one reseller executive, who requested anonymity to avoid potential retaliation. “It comes

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Minor FICO score improvements can ease homebuying costs

Affordability, Credit Score, FICO, Housing Market, HWmember, Lenders, Mortgage /

Improving a credit score could save homebuyers tens of thousands of dollars in mortgage interest, according to a new nationwide study from AD Mortgage, released on Thursday. The analysis, Credit Score vs. Mortgage Cost: How Long It Takes to Improve and How Much It Can Save, State by State, shows that even modest gains in

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Study reveals bureau score gaps, fueling tri-merge credit debate

Credit Score, Equifax, Experian, HWmember, Mortgage, Origination, TransUnion, Underwriting, VantageScore /

A study by Andrew Davidson & Co. found meaningful credit score discrepancies among the three major bureaus — a key data point for those arguing in favor of maintaining the tri-merge standard rather than shifting to a bi-merge or single-report model. According to the paper, released Friday, 35% of the 245 million scored consumers in

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Looming risk for mortgage credit and MBS investors from “Lender Choice”

Looming risk for mortgage credit and MBS investors from “Lender Choice”

Contributors, Credit Score, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

Since 1996 when Freddie Mac introduced the industry to the first automated underwriting system (AUS) for GSE-eligible mortgages, a borrower’s credit score has served as one of the most important predictors of mortgage delinquency.  For many years thereafter, FICO score was the sole provider of scores to both GSEs’ AUS scorecards.  The arrival of VantageScore

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MBA’s Broeksmit says credit bureau trade group “gaslit” mortgage industry

Bob Broeksmit, Credit Score, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Mortgage Bankers Association, Origination /

Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) President and CEO Bob Broeksmit took the stage at the trade group’s IMB26 Conference in Florida to say that its members and he himself have “just been gaslit by the trade association that represents the credit bureaus.” The MBA has proposed that lenders submit a single-bureau credit pull for loans sold

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Mortgage pros warn credit card rate cap could backfire on homebuyers

Credit, Credit Score, Homebuyers, HWmember, Interest rates, LendingLife, Mortgage, Mortgage Credit Availability, Origination, Underwriting /

In the mortgage industry, the initial reaction to President Donald Trump’s proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% has been concern that the policy could ultimately backfire on would-be homebuyers. The cap might seem beneficial on paper, but the long-term consequences, including reduced credit availability, could outweigh the benefits, mortgage professionals told HousingWire. 

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FHFA Director Pulte criticizes credit bureau pricing

Bill Pulte, Credit Score, Equifax, Experian, FICO, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Mortgage Bankers Association, TransUnion /

Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), took to the social media platform X on Monday to seemingly call out credit bureaus for their pricing. “I do not understand what the credit bureaus are doing with their pricing — they are inviting a lot of scrutiny that is only intensifying by

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