What Credit Score Do Mortgage Lenders Use? Accepted Models and Report Requirements, Updated September 2026

Name: CTI Mortgage Credit Score Acceptance Tracker
Creator: Credit Technologies, Inc.
License: CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Credit Technologies, Inc.

Thomas Conwell, CEO, Credit Technologies. Founded 1990, launched rapid rescoring in 1997.

Last reviewed September 8, 2026Next scheduled review October 6, 2026ChangelogHow to citeDownload one-page PDF

How this page stays current: a daily automated check of the regulators, the GSEs, FHA, VA, USDA, FICO, VantageScore and the three bureaus flags any change; a changed row is updated, dated and sourced within two business days and recorded in the changelog; every row is re-verified against its source every 28 days; the page copy is read in full each quarter. If the last-reviewed date is more than 45 days old, this page says so at the top.

Key facts

Three credit score models are approved for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Classic FICO (FICO Scores 2, 4 and 5), VantageScore 4.0, and FICO Score 10T.
Classic FICO is accepted everywhere. VantageScore 4.0 has been eligible for conventional delivery since April 22, 2026, and FHFA directed on September 3, 2026 that all lenders be approved to use it. FICO Score 10T is approved but not yet accepted for delivery to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
Every conventional loan still requires a credit report from all three bureaus (a tri-merge). FHFA said on September 3, 2026 that it is seriously considering a two-bureau report; no rule has been issued.
A lender delivers one score model per loan and may choose the model loan by loan. Classic FICO and VantageScore 4.0 price on separate loan-level price adjustment grids.
FHA is expected to accept all three models for case numbers dated on or after January 1, 2027, and to keep the three-bureau report. VA has no score model requirement. Non-QM and portfolio programs are set by each investor.
Rapid rescoring corrects the underlying credit data, so it works under every model.

Mortgage lenders use one of three score models on loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Classic FICO, VantageScore 4.0, or FICO Score 10T. Today, Classic FICO is accepted everywhere, VantageScore 4.0 is accepted for conventional delivery, and FICO 10T is approved but not yet accepted for delivery. Whatever the model, the lender still orders a report from all three bureaus. This page tracks what each program accepts, with a source and date on every row, and it is updated when a regulator, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA or VA changes something.

Status by loan program

Credit score model acceptance and credit report requirements by mortgage loan program, reviewed September 8, 2026.
Program	Classic FICO	VantageScore 4.0	FICO Score 10T	Report requirement	As of	Sources
Conventional (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac)	AcceptedFICO Scores 2, 4 and 5, middle-of-three, lower-of-two for joint borrowers.	AcceptedEligible for delivery since April 22, 2026 (Fannie Mae SEL-2026-04; first deliveries May 1). FHFA directed on September 3, 2026 that all lenders be approved. A Selling Guide amendment implementing the all-lender change had not been published as of September 8, 2026; lenders are working through their account teams.	PendingApproved by FHFA. Fannie Mae states FICO 10T will be available for delivery at a later date, after the market has analyzed the historical data released July 1, 2026.	RequiredTri-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.	Sep 8, 2026	FHFA Apr 22, 2026; Fannie Mae Apr 22, 2026; Fannie Mae Jul 1, 2026; Scotsman Guide Sep 3, 2026; HousingWire Sep 4, 2026; USA Herald Sep 5, 2026; The Mortgage Point Sep 8, 2026
FHA	AcceptedRetained; industry sources report FHA will not sunset Classic FICO.	ExpectedHUD announced on April 22, 2026 that FHA would accept the new models in the coming months. Industry sources told HousingWire (August 28, 2026) that acceptance is expected for case numbers dated on or after January 1, 2027, with one model used consistently within a loan file. No Mortgagee Letter had been issued as of September 8, 2026.	ExpectedSame timeline and conditions as VantageScore 4.0, per the same sources.	RequiredFHA has stated it will keep the three-bureau requirement even as newer models are adopted (National Mortgage Professional, May 26, 2026).	Sep 8, 2026	HUD Apr 22, 2026; HousingWire Aug 28, 2026; National Mortgage Professional May 26, 2026
VA	Accepted	AcceptedVA has no specific credit score model requirement and has accepted loans scored with VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T since at least 2024.	AcceptedSee VantageScore 4.0 note.	Lender-setPer lender and investor overlays.	Sep 8, 2026	National Mortgage News Jul 28, 2026
USDA	Accepted	UnverifiedNo USDA announcement located as of September 8, 2026. Row will be updated when Rural Development publishes guidance.	UnverifiedAs above.	RequiredTri-merge per current handbook; unverified for changes.	Sep 8, 2026	No published guidance located.
Non-QM, non-conforming and portfolio	Investor-setSet by each investor.	In useIn use by non-agency programs; requirements are investor-specific.	In useFICO'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.	Investor-setTri-merge typical; investor-specific.	Sep 8, 2026	FICO Jul 28, 2026; FICO Feb 3, 2026; National Mortgage News Jul 28, 2026
Private mortgage insurers (PMIERs)	Accepted	Accepted, with conditionsGSE 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.	UnverifiedNot addressed in the July 29 guidance as reported.	Not applicable	Sep 8, 2026	HousingWire Aug 11, 2026
Jumbo and other investor programs	Investor-setSet by each investor.	Investor-setSet by each investor; ask before ordering.	Investor-setAs above.	Investor-setTri-merge typical.	Sep 8, 2026	No published guidance located.

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: 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

Open questions we are tracking

When Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will publish guide changes implementing the September 3 all-lender direction.
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 Mortgagee Letter for the new models.
USDA guidance.

What credit score do mortgage lenders use?

For a borrower, the short answer is: a mortgage score, not the score in a banking app. Lenders pull a report from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, each bureau returns a score under the model the lender ordered, and the lender uses the middle of the three (or, for two borrowers, the lower of the two middles) as the representative score.

For a lender, the question has become which model. Since April 2026 a conventional loan can be scored under Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0, and the two are priced on different loan-level price adjustment grids. FICO Score 10T is the third approved model and will be accepted for GSE delivery at a date Fannie Mae has not yet set.

Which credit score models do Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accept?

Three. Classic FICO (Scores 2, 4 and 5 by bureau) has been the standard since the early 2000s. VantageScore 4.0 was approved by FHFA in 2025, opened to a limited group of lenders on April 22, 2026, and directed to all lenders on September 3, 2026. FICO Score 10T was approved at the same time as VantageScore 4.0; the GSEs published historical 10T data on July 1, 2026, and Fannie Mae says delivery will open at a later date.

One model per loan. A lender may choose the model loan by loan, but a single loan is scored and delivered under one model, and the two GSEs have said they expect lenders to manage that choice with risk controls.

Is VantageScore 4.0 accepted for a mortgage?

Yes, for conventional loans. Deliveries began May 1, 2026 with a limited group of approved lenders, and VantageScore reported in early September that its model had captured more than 9 percent of GSE securitizations since then. On September 3, 2026 the FHFA Director instructed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to approve all lenders to use it.

As of the date at the top of this page, that direction has not yet appeared as a Selling Guide amendment; lenders are onboarding through their GSE account teams. For FHA, acceptance is announced but not effective (see the FHA row). For VA, yes. For non-QM, it depends on the investor.

Is FICO Score 10T accepted by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

Not yet for delivery. It is approved, the historical data lenders need to analyze it is public, and Fannie Mae says delivery will be available at a later date.

Lenders can already receive 10T today: FICO's Free Access Program provides FICO Score 10T alongside Classic FICO through dual processing at no additional fee from FICO for participating lenders, and more than 70 lenders had adopted it by late July 2026, mostly on non-conforming programs. VA accepts it. Credit Technologies can enable FICO 10T dual processing for end users FICO has approved.

Do mortgage lenders use all three credit bureaus?

Yes. A conventional, FHA, VA or USDA mortgage today is underwritten from a tri-merge report, one file from each of the three bureaus. The representative score under Classic FICO is the middle of the three scores, and for two or more borrowers, the lowest of the middles.

The historical data the GSEs released for VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T uses a different method, average of the three then average across borrowers, and the GSEs have said the Classic FICO calculation is not changing. Which method applies to a new model at delivery will be set in the guides.

How a tri-merge report is assembled and read is covered in our guide to tri-merge credit reports.

Is bi-merge happening?

It is being considered, again. FHFA proposed a two-bureau report in October 2022, confirmed the plan in early 2024, put it on hold in January 2025, and reversed it in July 2025 in favor of keeping tri-merge. On September 3, 2026 the Director said the agency is seriously considering bi-merge and stronger solutions; the following day HousingWire reported a single-bureau report is also being weighed. No proposal has been issued.

Under the earlier design, a lender could select any two bureaus, the representative score would have been the average of the two, and a lender that obtained three reports would have had to deliver all three. Whether a new proposal would keep those rules is unknown. Our companion analysis walks through the evidence on both sides and who funded it.

Can a lender run both models and deliver the better one?

A lender may run both models and choose loan by loan, but each loan is delivered under one model, and the GSEs have stated they expect risk controls around that choice.

A higher number under one model does not automatically mean a better price, because Classic FICO and VantageScore 4.0 are priced on separate grids. The practical question for an originator is which model, with which grid, produces the better outcome for a given file, and that is a pricing decision, not a scoring trick.

Does a higher VantageScore mean a better rate?

Not by itself. A reseller put the question well in July 2025: is a 680 FICO the same as a 680 Vantage? It is not.

The models weigh trended data and rental history differently, and the GSEs price them on different grids. Compare the loan-level price, not the number.

What do FHA, VA, USDA and non-QM programs accept?

FHA: Classic FICO today. HUD announced on April 22, 2026 that the new models would follow in the coming months; industry sources report FHA will accept all three models for case numbers dated on or after January 1, 2027, will require one model to be used consistently within a loan file, and will not sunset Classic FICO. FHA has said the three-bureau report stays. No Mortgagee Letter has been issued as of the page date.

VA: no model requirement. VA has accepted loans scored with VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T since at least 2024.

USDA: no published guidance located. We are checking and will update the row.

Non-QM, portfolio and jumbo: set by each investor. FICO 10T adoption has been concentrated in non-conforming programs. Ask the investor before ordering.

Mortgage insurers: GSE PMIERs guidance 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.

Which score goes on the borrower's disclosures?

The score the lender actually used. The risk-based pricing notice and the FCRA section 609(g) score disclosure report the score used in the credit decision, with the key factors (reason codes) for that score.

Reason codes differ by model, so a file scored under VantageScore 4.0 carries VantageScore reason codes. Adverse action notices follow the same rule. Credit Technologies' disclosure service delivers the notices for the model on the file.

Does rapid rescoring work on VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T?

Yes. Score Express, the rapid rescoring service Credit Technologies introduced in 1997, corrects the data at the bureaus; every model reads the data.

A paid-down balance or a removed error moves the file under Classic FICO, VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T alike, though not by the same number of points, because the models weigh the same change differently.

Why does the same borrower score differently at each bureau?

Because the bureaus do not hold identical data. Not every creditor reports to all three, and timing differs.

That is why the tri-merge exists, and it is the center of the bi-merge debate: with two bureaus, a missing tradeline matters more, not less.

What has not changed

The tri-merge requirement. The middle-score rule for Classic FICO. The fact that consumer-app scores are not mortgage scores.

And the distance between an announcement and an implementation: VantageScore 4.0 was announced as accepted on July 8, 2025, the first loans were delivered May 1, 2026, and the model had 9 percent of securitizations by September 2026. Fourteen months from post to measurable share. Plan on that gap.

How to get VantageScore 4.0 or FICO Score 10T on your credit reports

Credit Technologies delivers all applicable FICO and VantageScore models on a tri-merge report.

SoftQualify Plus provides the trended data both new models require at the prequalification stage. Score Express rescoring works under every model. FICO 10T dual processing can be enabled for end users FICO has approved. For current clients, VantageScore 4.0 activation is by invitation; ask your account manager.

Talk to a Specialist: 800-445-4922 See your ROI in the profitability simulator

Frequently asked questions

What credit score do mortgage lenders use?

Lenders use a mortgage score from one of three approved models (Classic FICO, VantageScore 4.0, FICO Score 10T), pulled from all three bureaus, with the middle score as the representative score.

Which credit score model do mortgage lenders use in 2026?

Most conventional loans are still scored under Classic FICO; VantageScore 4.0 has been accepted since April 2026 and was directed to all lenders on September 3, 2026; FICO 10T is approved but not yet accepted for GSE delivery.

Do mortgage lenders use all 3 credit scores?

They pull all three and use the middle one (or the lower middle for two borrowers).

Do mortgage lenders use the lowest credit score?

Not the lowest of three; the middle of three. With two borrowers, the lower of the two middle scores.

Is VantageScore 4.0 accepted for a mortgage?

Yes for conventional loans and VA; expected for FHA from January 1, 2027; investor-specific for non-QM.

Is FICO Score 10T accepted by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

Approved, not yet accepted for delivery; available to lenders today through FICO's dual processing program and accepted by VA.

Do I still need all three bureaus?

Yes. Tri-merge is required. A two-bureau report is under consideration by FHFA; no rule exists.

Can a lender run both models and deliver the better one?

A lender chooses loan by loan but delivers under one model, with GSE-expected risk controls; the models price on separate grids.

Does a higher VantageScore mean a better rate?

Not by itself; compare the loan-level price under each model's grid.

Does rapid rescoring work with VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T?

Yes. Score Express rescoring corrects the data at the bureaus, and every model reads the data.

Which score do I disclose to the borrower?

The score used in the decision, with that model's reason codes.

Does FHA accept VantageScore 4.0?

Announced; expected for case numbers on or after January 1, 2027 per industry sources; no Mortgagee Letter yet.

Changelog

Sep 8, 2026Page 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.

Sources

FHFA, FHFA announcement: VantageScore 4.0 limited rollout, April 22, 2026.
Fannie Mae, Fannie Mae Selling Guide Announcement SEL-2026-04, April 22, 2026.
Fannie Mae, Fannie Mae Credit Score Models FAQ (July 2026), July 1, 2026.
Scotsman Guide, Pulte instructs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to accept VantageScore for all lenders, September 3, 2026.
HousingWire, Pulte says FHFA weighing bi-merge, single credit report, September 4, 2026.
The Mortgage Point, Pulte directs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to approve all lenders for VantageScore 4.0, September 8, 2026.
USA Herald, FHFA opens VantageScore 4.0 to all lenders; Selling Guide amendment pending, September 5, 2026.
HUD, HUD announcement on FHA acceptance of new credit score models, April 22, 2026.
HousingWire, FHA expected to keep Classic FICO as it adds new models in January, August 28, 2026.
National Mortgage Professional, FHA to keep three-bureau reports as newer models are adopted, May 26, 2026.
National Mortgage News, More than 70 lenders adopt FICO 10T; VA accepts new models, July 28, 2026.
FICO, FICO Score 10T Free Access Program, July 28, 2026.
FICO, FICO Score 10T Adopter Program for non-conforming mortgage loans, February 3, 2026.
HousingWire, Mortgage insurers face larger safety net rule for VantageScore 4.0, August 11, 2026.
HousingWire, Housing Policy Council: FHFA pushed new credit model despite GSE resistance, February 3, 2026.
HousingWire, GSEs release historical FICO 10T data, expand VantageScore 4.0 file, July 1, 2026.

Links point to the publisher where no stable article URL is available. Every claim on this page is dated to the source that carries it.

How to cite this page

Credit Technologies, Inc. "CTI Mortgage Credit Score Acceptance Tracker." credittechnologies.com/credit-score-tracker. Reviewed September 8, 2026. Accessed [date].

This table is published under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Credit Technologies, Inc. The rows are also available as JSON.