FICO holds mortgage score pricing at $10 to boost volume amid competition

Analysts view FICO's decision to keep its wholesale mortgage score pricing at $10 for 2027 as a defensive strategy to capture volume amid increasing competition from VantageScore, according to HousingWire.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte emphasized the agency's commitment to ensuring genuine competition in mortgage credit scoring and preventing market manipulation, as reported by HousingWire.

FICO's flat $10 wholesale price applies to lenders and brokers purchasing tri-merge credit reports through resellers who commit to pulling FICO scores on all mortgage applications, including both soft and hard credit pulls, HousingWire noted.

This pricing covers a bundle including Classic FICO and FICO Score 10T, while other mortgage score pricing options from FICO for 2027 remain undisclosed, according to HousingWire.

The mortgage industry is preparing for a transition in credit score requirements with FHA accepting Classic FICO, FICO 10T, and VantageScore 4.0 starting January 1, 2027; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have begun accepting VantageScore 4.0 and plan to accept FICO 10T, HousingWire reported.

Mizuho analysts described FICO's pricing move as partly aimed at countering strategies where lenders might initially pull lower-cost scores like VantageScore and only order FICO scores for some loans, as per HousingWire.