FICO holds mortgage score bundle at $10

Article Summary

FICO said it will keep the price of its mortgage score bundle at $10, a move the company says is meant to preserve lenders’ access to reliable tools for evaluating mortgage risk.

“For nearly three decades, FICO has helped lenders make sound risk decisions that support the strength and stability of the U.S. mortgage system,” Will Lansing, FICO’s chief executive, said in a statement.

He added that the unchanged price will help lenders “have access to the trusted and predictive tools they need to assess risk with confidence.”

The decision comes as the mortgage industry undergoes a broader shift in credit score requirements. The Federal Housing Administration will accept Classic FICO, FICO Score 10T, or VantageScore 4.0 for eligible mortgages starting Jan. 1, while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have already begun accepting VantageScore 4.0 and have indicated they will accept FICO 10T as well.

At the same time, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said the agency is reviewing whether mortgage underwriting should rely on one or two credit reports, hinting at possible policy changes as early as 2026.

In a post on X, Pulte said, “We are studying the usage of just one or two credit reports to bring even more savings than we already have to American consumers.”

Separately, credit bureaus now allow mortgage lenders to review borrower credit files without immediately purchasing scores, with scores added later if needed. FICO also introduced a program last year that lets it sell scores directly to resellers, cutting the credit bureaus out of the process.

FICO shares fell about 7% to $756 on Monday morning after the announcement.