At a time when lack of affordability is a major issue for prospective homebuyers, eliminating minimum credit score requirements in GSE automated underwriting may sound like a great idea to expand credit access. However, there’s a reason the GSEs had such requirements in place for decades. They acted as an important override against errors in the analytical […]
Easing GSE credit score requirements raises risk concerns Read More »
Credit report prices for mortgage lenders will increase by up to 50% in 2026, despite regulatory efforts to boost competition and recent pricing shifts by some players, resellers told HousingWire. It will mark the fourth consecutive year of higher costs. The increase is tied to credit reports that originate with FICO information and flow through
Mortgage credit report costs could jump 50% in 2026 Read More »
The way that mortgage lenders assess credit risk is undergoing its biggest overhaul in decades as the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is preparing to roll out a new framework that allows lenders to use two scoring models — FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0. FHFA Director Bill Pulte and the Trump administration have voiced support
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Credit bureau TransUnion has followed its peers in slashing prices for mortgage lenders that purchase VantageScore 4.0, responding to Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO)’s newly implemented pricing model. Starting in 2026, TransUnion will offer VantageScore 4.0 for $4 per score and provide it at no cost to lenders that purchase a FICO score through the end
TransUnion cuts VantageScore 4.0 pricing for mortgage lenders Read More »
Plaid on Wednesday introduced LendScore, a new credit risk model that uses real-time cash flow data and account connection insights to give unsecured personal lenders a more complete view of a borrower’s financial situation. The launch comes amid significant shifts in consumer borrowing behavior and credit scoring. Plaid pointed to a recent TransUnion study, which
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Fair Isaac Corp.’s (FICO) decision to let resellers calculate and distribute its scores directly to lenders drew a mixed response from the mortgage industry — viewed by some as a step toward more competition, but by others as a potential driver of higher credit score costs in the short term. On Wednesday, FICO unveiled the
FICO’s new program draws mixed reviews from mortgage market Read More »
Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) has launched a program allowing tri-merge resellers to calculate and distribute its scores directly to mortgage companies, effectively bypassing the three nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. The move comes amid intensified competition with VantageScore, owned by the three bureaus, following the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) decision to let
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The number of consumers whose rent payments are reported to credit reporting agencies rose to 13% in 2025, according to TransUnion‘s latest Rent Payment Reporting analysis, released on Wednesday. That number is up from 11% in 2024. In a press release, the company suggested that this trend may gain momentum after the July 2025 directive
Consumers are increasingly self-reporting rent payments, TransUnion says Read More »
Nearly two dozen members of Congress recently sent a letter to Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), that supports his decision to accept VantageScore 4.0 credit scores for mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The lawmakers, led by Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), said that the move will help President
Lawmakers voice support for FHFA’s adoption of VantageScore 4.0 Read More »
VantageScore and FICO have escalated their rivalry in the mortgage space following the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) decision to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase loans underwritten with VantageScore 4.0 as an alternative to the Classic FICO score. Both companies published analyses this week from their data scientists. Naturally, each claims their score more
Which is better for mortgage — FICO or VantageScore? Read More »