{
  "name": "CTI Mortgage Credit Score Acceptance Tracker",
  "description": "Credit score model acceptance and credit report requirements by mortgage loan program, with a source and an as-of date on every row.",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Credit Technologies, Inc.",
  "url": "https://www.credittechnologies.com/credit-score-tracker",
  "last_reviewed": "2026-09-14",
  "next_review": "2026-10-12",
  "review_cadence_days": 28,
  "status_legend": {
    "accepted": "Accepted for delivery today",
    "accepted_with_conditions": "Accepted, with conditions noted",
    "expected": "Announced, effective date not yet reached",
    "pending": "Approved by the regulator, not yet accepted for delivery",
    "in_use": "In use on non-agency programs; investor-specific",
    "investor": "Set by each investor",
    "lender_set": "Set by lender and investor overlays",
    "required": "Required",
    "unverified": "No published guidance located; we are checking",
    "not_applicable": "Not applicable"
  },
  "status_rows": [
    {
      "key": "conventional",
      "program": "Conventional (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac)",
      "classic_fico": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": "FICO Scores 2, 4 and 5, middle-of-three, lower-of-two for joint borrowers. Expected to be retired at a future date; no date announced, and the GSEs have said advance notice will come through the Selling Guides (GSE Partner Playbook, September 9, 2026)."
      },
      "vantagescore_4": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": "Available to all approved single-family lenders effective September 9, 2026 (Fannie Mae LL-2026-06; Freddie Mac Bulletin 2026-H), following the limited rollout that began April 22 (SEL-2026-04). When elected, the same model applies to all borrowers on the loan. Manually underwritten loans remain Classic FICO only. LLPA and credit-fee grids for VantageScore 4.0 are published; VantageScore tiers sit 20 points above the FICO tiers (FICO 780+ corresponds to VantageScore 800+). Published grids price VantageScore 4.0 at a tier 20 points above the FICO tier; third-party analyses (Pivot Financial, Milliman, September 2026) find a higher price adjustment more often than a lower one, with the widest modeled gaps at 75 to 80 percent LTV and on cash-out refinances. Loan origination platforms are adding delivery: VantageScore 4.0 is available in Calyx Path, Point and Zenly through Advantage Partner Solutions as of September 8, 2026. Lenders should confirm with their LOS and reseller before ordering. Delivery requires a Special Feature Code (Fannie Mae) or Investor Feature Identifier (Freddie Mac) in the ULDD; there is one credit score field, so a loan is delivered under one model. The representative score calculation is unchanged from Classic FICO (GSE Partner Playbook, September 9, 2026)."
      },
      "fico_10t": {
        "status": "pending",
        "note": "Approved by FHFA; not yet eligible for delivery to either GSE. On September 9, 2026 the FHFA Director said he has asked FICO for competitive pricing on FICO 10T. The GSEs plan to adopt FICO Score 10T once market participants have had the opportunity to analyze the historical data released July 1, 2026."
      },
      "report": {
        "status": "required",
        "note": "Tri-merge required. FHFA said on September 3, 2026 it is seriously considering bi-merge; HousingWire reported on September 4 that a single credit report is also being weighed. No rule issued."
      },
      "as_of": "2026-09-14",
      "sources": [
        "gse-playbook-2026-09",
        "fnma-ll-2026-06",
        "fhlmc-bulletin-2026-h",
        "hw-2026-09-11",
        "hw-2026-09-10",
        "fhfa-2026-04-22",
        "fnma-sel-2026-04",
        "fnma-faq-2026-07",
        "scotsman-2026-09-03",
        "hw-2026-09-04",
        "usaherald-2026-09-05",
        "mortgagepoint-2026-09-08"
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "fha",
      "program": "FHA",
      "classic_fico": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": "Retained. FHA adds the new models in addition to Classic FICO, not in place of it (FHA INFO 2026-11, May 21, 2026)."
      },
      "vantagescore_4": {
        "status": "expected",
        "note": "Announced. FHA INFO 2026-21 sets the TOTAL Scorecard update for case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027, for Title II forward mortgages only. FHA has stated twice that this does not change existing policy: mortgagees follow Handbook 4000.1 until the policy update is formally published, and no Mortgagee Letter has been issued. TOTAL Developer's Guide Release 5.0 carries the mapping."
      },
      "fico_10t": {
        "status": "expected",
        "note": "Same message, same date and same conditions as VantageScore 4.0. Both models are named together in FHA INFO 2026-11 and 2026-21, tracing back to the Secretary's April 22, 2026 announcement."
      },
      "report": {
        "status": "required",
        "note": "Tri-merge required, and unchanged by the model change. FHA INFO 2026-11: FHA will continue to require a tri-merge credit report across all acceptable scoring models. The scoring-model change and the bureau-count requirement move independently; the new models do not bring a two-bureau allowance with them."
      },
      "as_of": "2026-09-13",
      "sources": [
        "hud-fha-info-2026-21",
        "hud-fha-info-2026-11",
        "hud-2026-04-22",
        "hw-2026-08-28",
        "nmp-2026-05-26"
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "va",
      "program": "VA",
      "classic_fico": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": ""
      },
      "vantagescore_4": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": "VA has no specific credit score model requirement and has accepted loans scored with VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T since at least 2024."
      },
      "fico_10t": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": "See VantageScore 4.0 note."
      },
      "report": {
        "status": "lender_set",
        "note": "Per lender and investor overlays."
      },
      "as_of": "2026-09-08",
      "sources": [
        "nmn-2026-07-28"
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "usda",
      "program": "USDA",
      "classic_fico": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": ""
      },
      "vantagescore_4": {
        "status": "unverified",
        "note": "No USDA announcement located as of September 8, 2026. Row will be updated when Rural Development publishes guidance."
      },
      "fico_10t": {
        "status": "unverified",
        "note": "As above."
      },
      "report": {
        "status": "required",
        "note": "Tri-merge per current handbook; unverified for changes."
      },
      "as_of": "2026-09-08",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "key": "non-qm",
      "program": "Non-QM, non-conforming and portfolio",
      "classic_fico": {
        "status": "investor",
        "note": "Set by each investor."
      },
      "vantagescore_4": {
        "status": "in_use",
        "note": "In use by non-agency programs; requirements are investor-specific."
      },
      "fico_10t": {
        "status": "in_use",
        "note": "FICO's Free Access Program provides FICO Score 10T alongside Classic FICO through dual processing at no additional fee from FICO for participating lenders; more than 70 lenders had adopted or committed as of July 28, 2026. Early adoption has been concentrated in non-conforming programs."
      },
      "report": {
        "status": "investor",
        "note": "Tri-merge typical; investor-specific."
      },
      "as_of": "2026-09-08",
      "sources": [
        "fico-2026-07-28",
        "fico-2026-02-03",
        "nmn-2026-07-28"
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "mortgage-insurers",
      "program": "Private mortgage insurers (PMIERs)",
      "classic_fico": {
        "status": "accepted",
        "note": ""
      },
      "vantagescore_4": {
        "status": "accepted_with_conditions",
        "note": "GSE PMIERs guidance published July 29, 2026 and effective September 30, 2026 adds a VantageScore 4.0 grid that generally requires more risk-based assets than the Classic FICO grid in many tiers. Where both scores are present, the insurer may choose which to use for the calculation."
      },
      "fico_10t": {
        "status": "unverified",
        "note": "Not addressed in the July 29 guidance as reported."
      },
      "report": {
        "status": "not_applicable",
        "note": ""
      },
      "as_of": "2026-09-08",
      "sources": [
        "hw-2026-08-11"
      ]
    },
    {
      "key": "jumbo",
      "program": "Jumbo and other investor programs",
      "classic_fico": {
        "status": "investor",
        "note": "Set by each investor."
      },
      "vantagescore_4": {
        "status": "investor",
        "note": "Set by each investor; ask before ordering."
      },
      "fico_10t": {
        "status": "investor",
        "note": "As above."
      },
      "report": {
        "status": "investor",
        "note": "Tri-merge typical."
      },
      "as_of": "2026-09-08",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "changelog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-09-14",
      "change": "Corrected the representative-score answer: the GSE Partner Playbook confirms VantageScore 4.0 uses the same middle-of-three then lowest-across-borrowers calculation as Classic FICO, and the historical files use a different method only as a research dataset. Added the Special Feature Code and Investor Feature Identifier delivery requirement, the single credit score field, the all-three-repositories requirement, Classic FICO retirement with no announced date, the not-operationally-ready path, the no-refund rule on a post-funding model change, and what a lender has to do to enable the model. No status changes.",
      "source": "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Enterprise Credit Score Models and Credit Reports Initiative Partner Playbook, September 9, 2026"
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-13",
      "change": "key_facts aligned with the FHA row: assigned, Title II forward only.",
      "source": "Internal consistency fix; no new external source."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-13",
      "change": "FHA row re-sourced to FHA's own messages: FHA INFO 2026-21 dates the TOTAL Scorecard update to case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027, Title II forward only; FHA INFO 2026-11 confirms the new models are added alongside Classic FICO and that tri-merge is unchanged. Recorded that no Mortgagee Letter has been issued and Handbook 4000.1 still governs. Added LOS availability to the conventional row. No status changes.",
      "source": "HUD FHA INFO 2026-21 and 2026-11; VantageScore, September 8, 2026"
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-11",
      "change": "Added what the published LLPA grids mean for borrower cost: the 20-point tier offset in practice, Pivot Financial's modeled deltas by LTV and score band, Milliman's 25/36/40 split on historical loans, and the adverse-selection reason for the offset. No status changes.",
      "source": "HousingWire, September 11, 2026"
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-10",
      "change": "Conventional row: all-lender access to VantageScore 4.0 is now in the guides (Fannie Mae LL-2026-06, Freddie Mac Bulletin 2026-H, September 9). Added the same-model-per-loan rule, the Classic-FICO-only rule for manual underwrites, the published grids with the 20-point tier offset, KBW's August adoption data, the FICO 10T pricing note and the securitization disclosure. Closed the open question on the guide amendment.",
      "source": "Fannie Mae LL-2026-06; Freddie Mac Bulletin 2026-H; HousingWire, September 10, 2026"
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-08",
      "change": "Page created. Conventional row reflects the September 3 FHFA direction and the absence of a Selling Guide amendment as of this date. FHA row carries the January 1, 2027 expectation from industry sources, no Mortgagee Letter yet. MI row added from the July 29 PMIERs guidance.",
      "source": "See sources list"
    }
  ],
  "open_questions": [
    "The date FICO Score 10T becomes eligible for GSE delivery.",
    "Whether FHFA will propose a two-bureau report, a single-bureau option, or neither, and on what timeline.",
    "What FHFA means by SAFER and SOUNDER in its September 3 statement. We do not speculate.",
    "FHA's policy update and Mortgagee Letter for the new models; until they publish, Handbook 4000.1 governs, whatever date the TOTAL Scorecard carries.",
    "USDA guidance.",
    "Whether the delivery dataset will ever carry more than one credit score model; the GSEs say multi-model support in the ULDD specification is still to be determined and is not part of the current implementation."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "fhfa-2026-04-22",
      "title": "FHFA announcement: VantageScore 4.0 limited rollout",
      "publisher": "FHFA",
      "date": "2026-04-22",
      "url": "https://www.fhfa.gov/news"
    },
    {
      "id": "fnma-sel-2026-04",
      "title": "Fannie Mae Selling Guide Announcement SEL-2026-04",
      "publisher": "Fannie Mae",
      "date": "2026-04-22",
      "url": "https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "fnma-faq-2026-07",
      "title": "Fannie Mae Credit Score Models FAQ (July 2026)",
      "publisher": "Fannie Mae",
      "date": "2026-07-01",
      "url": "https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "scotsman-2026-09-03",
      "title": "Pulte instructs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to accept VantageScore for all lenders",
      "publisher": "Scotsman Guide",
      "date": "2026-09-03",
      "url": "https://www.scotsmanguide.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "hw-2026-09-04",
      "title": "Pulte says FHFA weighing bi-merge, single credit report",
      "publisher": "HousingWire",
      "date": "2026-09-04",
      "url": "https://www.housingwire.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "mortgagepoint-2026-09-08",
      "title": "Pulte directs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to approve all lenders for VantageScore 4.0",
      "publisher": "The Mortgage Point",
      "date": "2026-09-08",
      "url": "https://themortgagepoint.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "usaherald-2026-09-05",
      "title": "FHFA opens VantageScore 4.0 to all lenders; Selling Guide amendment pending",
      "publisher": "USA Herald",
      "date": "2026-09-05",
      "url": "https://usaherald.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "hud-2026-04-22",
      "title": "HUD announcement on FHA acceptance of new credit score models",
      "publisher": "HUD",
      "date": "2026-04-22",
      "url": "https://www.hud.gov/press"
    },
    {
      "id": "hw-2026-08-28",
      "title": "FHA expected to keep Classic FICO as it adds new models in January",
      "publisher": "HousingWire",
      "date": "2026-08-28",
      "url": "https://www.housingwire.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "nmp-2026-05-26",
      "title": "FHA to keep three-bureau reports as newer models are adopted",
      "publisher": "National Mortgage Professional",
      "date": "2026-05-26",
      "url": "https://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "nmn-2026-07-28",
      "title": "More than 70 lenders adopt FICO 10T; VA accepts new models",
      "publisher": "National Mortgage News",
      "date": "2026-07-28",
      "url": "https://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "fico-2026-07-28",
      "title": "FICO Score 10T Free Access Program",
      "publisher": "FICO",
      "date": "2026-07-28",
      "url": "https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom"
    },
    {
      "id": "fico-2026-02-03",
      "title": "FICO Score 10T Adopter Program for non-conforming mortgage loans",
      "publisher": "FICO",
      "date": "2026-02-03",
      "url": "https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom"
    },
    {
      "id": "hw-2026-08-11",
      "title": "Mortgage insurers face larger safety net rule for VantageScore 4.0",
      "publisher": "HousingWire",
      "date": "2026-08-11",
      "url": "https://www.housingwire.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "hw-2026-02-03",
      "title": "Housing Policy Council: FHFA pushed new credit model despite GSE resistance",
      "publisher": "HousingWire",
      "date": "2026-02-03",
      "url": "https://www.housingwire.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "hw-2026-07-01",
      "title": "GSEs release historical FICO 10T data, expand VantageScore 4.0 file",
      "publisher": "HousingWire",
      "date": "2026-07-01",
      "url": "https://www.housingwire.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "fnma-ll-2026-06",
      "title": "Fannie Mae Lender Letter LL-2026-06: VantageScore 4.0 available to all lenders",
      "publisher": "Fannie Mae",
      "date": "2026-09-09",
      "url": "https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "fhlmc-bulletin-2026-h",
      "title": "Freddie Mac Bulletin 2026-H: VantageScore 4.0",
      "publisher": "Freddie Mac",
      "date": "2026-09-09",
      "url": "https://guide.freddiemac.com/"
    },
    {
      "id": "hw-2026-09-10",
      "title": "GSEs broaden VantageScore 4.0 access to all lenders; Rocket and UWM dominate volume",
      "publisher": "HousingWire",
      "date": "2026-09-10",
      "url": "https://www.housingwire.com/articles/gses-broaden-vantagescore-4-0-access-rocket-uwm-dominate-volume/"
    },
    {
      "id": "hw-2026-09-11",
      "title": "New credit score pricing grids point to higher borrower costs, report shows",
      "publisher": "HousingWire",
      "date": "2026-09-11",
      "url": "https://www.housingwire.com/articles/vantagescore-llpa-grids/"
    },
    {
      "id": "hud-fha-info-2026-21",
      "title": "FHA INFO 2026-21: TOTAL Scorecard update and preparedness guide for the new credit score models",
      "publisher": "HUD",
      "date": "2026-09-10",
      "url": "https://www.hud.gov/hud-partners/single-family-fha-info"
    },
    {
      "id": "hud-fha-info-2026-11",
      "title": "FHA INFO 2026-11: FHA adopts modern credit scoring models",
      "publisher": "HUD",
      "date": "2026-05-21",
      "url": "https://www.hud.gov/hud-partners/single-family-fha-info"
    },
    {
      "id": "vantagescore-2026-09-08",
      "title": "VantageScore 4.0 integrated into Calyx and APS",
      "publisher": "VantageScore",
      "date": "2026-09-08",
      "url": "https://vantagescore.com/resources/knowledge-center/press_releases/vantagescore-4-0-now-integrated-into-calyx-and-aps-expanding-lender-access-to-the-most-advanced-mortgage-credit-score-available"
    },
    {
      "id": "gse-playbook-2026-09",
      "title": "Enterprise Credit Score Models and Credit Reports Initiative: Partner Playbook",
      "publisher": "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac",
      "date": "2026-09-09",
      "url": "https://sf.freddiemac.com/docs/pdf/2026-credit-score-playbook.pdf"
    }
  ]
}