FHFA Announces Credit Scoring, Upfront Fee Changes

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has made significant changes meant to improve lending access to low-income and first-time homebuyers. At the Mortgage Bankers Association’s 2022 Annual Convention & Expo, FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson announced that the agency had validated and approved the FICO 10T credit score model and the VantageScore 4.0 credit score model for use by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two models will replace the Classic FICO, which the GSEs have used for two decades. Thompson said the models will take multiple years and significant effort to introduce to the industry. But will the end result will be “improved accuracy and a more inclusive approach to evaluating borrowers.” The new models improve accuracy by accounting for…