Costa Mesa, Calif., March 9, 2026, 15:32 UTC-07:00.
Experian on Monday put a 99-cent price tag on each VantageScore 4.0 mortgage origination score, slashing the cost for lenders sizing up home loan applicants and ramping up pressure on Fair Isaac’s FICO. The company, listed in London, said lenders buying a FICO score via its Score Choice bundle will keep getting the VantageScore free through 2026.
This shift is significant: when the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced last July that lenders could opt for either VantageScore 4.0 or Classic FICO on loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it cracked open a market FICO had held for years. Now, pricing is a key factor as lenders weigh their options.
Since Fair Isaac rolled out its direct mortgage licensing program in October—enabling lenders and resellers to purchase FICO scores straight from the source—pressure has mounted. VantageScore, the credit score business held by Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, has now moved to the center of the bureaus’ strategy to drive up volume and reduce what lenders pay.
“Competition should translate into measurable savings,” said Michele Bodda, president of Experian Housing, Verification Solutions and Employer Services, in the statement. The company is setting the 99-cent fee for standalone purchases, aiming to cut costs for lenders but still maintain credit standards. Experian plc
VantageScore 4.0 takes a different tack from older models, drawing on trended credit data and, in some cases, pulling in alternative metrics like rent payments to assess borrower risk. The FHFA argues that modernizing score models opens the door for more borrowers and could lower closing costs by encouraging more competition in the space.
Experian isn’t the only one making adjustments. On Monday, Equifax announced it will price VantageScore 4.0 mortgage scores at $1. TransUnion, for its part, lowered its own fee to 99 cents, estimating that the cut could save lenders and consumers over $900 million.
Satyan Merchant at TransUnion said the company is focused on “lowering the cost of mortgage origination” for homebuyers and those seeking to refinance. Equifax CEO Mark Begor, in his own comments, described housing as the “most difficult mortgage market in decades.” TransUnion Newsroom
But lower-cost scoring isn’t likely to spark an immediate change in volumes. According to FHFA, Fannie and Freddie haven’t wrapped up all the steps to start taking loans rated with VantageScore 4.0. For now, their existing lender guides are still the rule; Classic FICO is still in play, and FICO 10T stays cleared for eventual rollout.
Experian in February rolled out its Score Choice bundle, letting lenders access VantageScore 4.0 for free if they also picked up a FICO score. The lower standalone price now expands on that offer.
