Credit

New Federal Reserve research reveals that identity theft victims who use extended fraud alerts often see significant and lasting credit improvements.

The truth is straightforward: the VantageScore 4.0 credit score outperforms the outdated FICO Classic credit score for mortgage, writes the chief data scientist at VantageScore.

VantageScore's claims of outperforming Classic FICO rely on flawed methods and biased comparisons that overstate its impact, according to analysts from AEI Housing Center.

The credit scoring agency's rollout comes after years of criticism from home lenders over its prices, with delivery costs rising over 40% in the past year.

FICO's claims about its 10T score highlight how its monopoly has stifled innovation and raised costs for homebuyers, according to the CHLA's Rob Zimmer.

VantageScore 4.0 is more predictive than Classic FICO, offering a measurable lift in identifying high-risk borrowers and avoiding losses, according to the chief data scientist at VantageScore.

The government-sponsored enterprise is making changes to mortgage-backed securities and servicing disclosure files to support use of the advanced credit score.

Consumers are 19% more likely to pay their auto loans than their mortgages, which is a shift in attitude from the pandemic period, FICO said.

Consumers are more interested in reporting rental pays to the credit bureaus as landlords become less involved, according to TransUnion.

VantageScore 4.0 offers no real edge over FICO and could add risks to housing finance, analysts at AEI's Housing Center argue.

Orlando-based Cogent Bank has hired a team to finance single-tenant net lease properties, an asset class characterized by exceptional credit quality.

MBA urges GSEs to drop tri-merge credit rule, calling it outdated and costly as FHFA weighs broader credit reporting and scoring reforms.

Fears of identity theft are top of mind for many Americans, even as many admit they're open to lying themselves in order to get mortgage credit.

Pushing back on critics, VantageScore's Chief Strategist and Chief Economist says VantageScore 4.0 boosts competition and predicts risk better than FICO.

More details are out about the government-sponsored enterprises' acceptance of nontraditional credit metrics. But pundits say fiscal analysis is still tough.

As high interest rates make refinancing impossible for many homeowners, increasing numbers of them are turning to HELOCs and home equity loans for cash.

Allowing the same three companies to control both credit scoring and credit reporting removes one significant check on manipulation or distortion of consumer data, writes the Director of Consumer Reporting and Data Advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center.

FHFA's surprise approval of VantageScore 4.0 raises concerns over data, implementation hurdles, and the politicized push to reform mortgage credit scoring, writes the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Private mortgage insurers must accept the FICO alternative as valid collateral before it can be widely adopted by the mortgage industry.