Homebuying Advances into New Era of Credit Score Competition

Washington, D.C. — Today the U.S. government is ushering in a new era of competition in our nation’s mortgage market. 

In a joint announcement, HUD Secretary Scott Turner and FHFA Director William J. Pulte announced that the Federal Housing Administration and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are implementing their first new credit score models for mortgages in decades. This historic move is intended to lower costs for the American people after years of rising prices under the status quo credit score system. 

HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced today that the Federal Housing Administration will permit the use of VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T as eligible credit scoring models for FHA-insured mortgage underwriting. “By embracing additional predictive credit scoring models, we are taking a meaningful step toward expanding access to homeownership – particularly for creditworthy borrowers who may have been overlooked under older systems” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “This exciting announcement is in service to President Trump’s promise to restore the American Dream of Homeownership.” 

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are also moving forward with VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 10T, updating their selling guides with the new scores and immediately accepting Vantage-scored loans from approved lenders. This step advances the full implementation of the Credit Score Competition Act of 2018 as signed by President Trump, bringing greater choice and flexibility to borrowers.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are driving down costs across the homebuying process,” said Director Pulte. “We are modernizing credit scoring with more predictive models, helping millions of Americans who responsibly pay rent qualify for mortgages. That’s fair, it’s commonsense, and it’s finally delivering the benefits of competition to homebuyers nationwide.”

Fannie Mae Press Release

Freddie Mac Press Release