FRU News · News Brief
A Newer Credit Score Is Now Open to All Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Lenders
VantageScore 4.0 reads how balances, credit use and payments change over time rather than one snapshot. VantageScore says it can score 33 million more U.S. adults, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's published guidance says that since Sept. 9 every approved lender may use it with no written approval needed, while Classic FICO stays allowed. On Sept. 30 the two companies aligned their upfront fees across both scores, which matters most for people with little or no traditional credit history.
55 sec · Captions available on the player · Presented by AI-generated presenters, with every line taken from the sources below.
Source: VantageScore and FHFA Credit Scores page, Sept. 9 and Sept. 30, 2026
Transcript
This is FreeRateUpdate News. I'm Edmund Ledger. Let's look at a newer credit score. It's VantageScore 4.0. It reads how your balances, credit use and payments change over time, not just one snapshot. VantageScore says it can score 33 million more U.S. adults than was possible before. Since September 9, every Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac approved lender may use it, with no written approval needed. Lenders can still use Classic FICO. It's their choice. And on September 30, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aligned their upfront fees across both scores. It matters most for people with little or no traditional credit history. A score is only one part of a loan decision. I'm Edmund Ledger, for FreeRateUpdate News.