Overview
- Rocket Mortgage announced Monday that it will default to VantageScore 4.0 for most loans delivered to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA loans and other eligible products beginning in the fourth quarter of 2026.
- The lender said four months of testing using 1.4 million paired credit reports found VantageScore helped more clients qualify and produced an average closing savings of about $1,600 for affected borrowers.
- VantageScore 4.0 can use rent and utility payment data and measures credit behavior over time, which lets it produce scores for some consumers who have thin or limited credit files.
- Certain products will continue to use FICO for now, including investment properties, second homes, FHA loans and jumbo or home equity loans, and Rocket Pro will supply both scores to mortgage brokers.
- FHFA Director Bill Pulte praised the move as part of a push for score competition that could lower costs and force lenders to recalibrate underwriting and pricing, with broader industry adoption and long‑term effects on FICO revenue still uncertain.