Videos · October 6, 2026 · 35 seconds

FICO's Mortgage Credit Score Toll, From 60 Cents to $10

Name: FICO's Mortgage Credit Score Toll, From 60 Cents to $10
Uploaded: 2026-10-06T16:52:00.000Z
Duration: 35 s
Description: Lenders have paid Fair Isaac for a FICO score on nearly every American mortgage for 30 years, and the price has climbed from under a dollar to $10. Washington just put a 99-cent rival on equal footing, but the investors who buy those loans still trust FICO.

Lenders have paid Fair Isaac for a FICO score on nearly every American mortgage for 30 years, and the price has climbed from under a dollar to $10. Washington just put a 99-cent rival on equal footing, but the investors who buy those loans still trust FICO.

Read the full articleby Adam Canissario

Transcript

THE $10 NUMBER IN YOUR MORTGAGE

[THE SCORE] One number, bought three times.

A FICO score is the three-digit number lenders use to judge whether you'll repay a loan.
Mortgage lenders buy three per borrower, and the price rose from under $1 in 2018 to $10.

[THE RIVAL] Then a 99-cent rival got in.

In September 2026, mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were told to treat the far cheaper VantageScore like FICO.
Borrowers who score higher on VantageScore could save hundreds, but mortgage investors still trust FICO.

Read the full article at noozify.com. Images: Images: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress (public domain); Coolcaesar (CC BY-SA 4.0). Music: an original score for Noozify.