FICO Statement: GSE Credit Score Recommendations

On February 2, 2026, the Housing Policy Council (HPC) published a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response from the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) detailing the long-anticipated results from the Credit Score Assessment conducted in 2021 as part of the Joint Enterprise Credit Score Solicitation. Transparency into this credit score evaluation is essential to maintaining trust and confidence across the mortgage industry, and the release of the GSE recommendations represents a meaningful step in the right direction. Increased visibility into this competitive process helps lenders, investors, consumer advocates, and policymakers better understand how decisions are made and reinforces the importance of objective, data‑driven policymaking.

Although the analysis of the recommendations is almost entirely redacted, what is clear from the unredacted documents is that FICO® Score 10T was determined to be the sole credit score model recommended by both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the “GSEs”) as a result of a lengthy, competitive and comprehensive evaluation. The recommendations by the GSEs are not surprising. Independent third-party research and FICO’s analysis demonstrates that FICO Score 10T delivers superior mortgage accuracy. The outcome of the evaluation confirms that FICO Score 10T won the competition. We support HPC’s call for the underlying analysis from the GSEs and FHFA to be publicly released without redactions as we believe full disclosure of the results confirm the GSEs’ recommendation to update to FICO Score 10T because it is the most accurate model.   

The documents also reveal the FHFA had serious concern with adverse selection risks from a “lender choice” framework, and we share those concerns. For decades, the mortgage ecosystem has relied on FICO® Scores as a trusted, consistent standard to support prudent underwriting and protect the safety and soundness of the housing market. As long‑standing stewards of that system, FICO has a responsibility to raise awareness of the risks lender choice presents. Independent experts agree—lender choice would lead to either higher costs for mortgage borrowers or reduced revenue for the GSEs—outcomes that ultimately pose risks to the safety and soundness of the $13 trillion mortgage market.

FICO will continue working with industry partners and the FHFA to advance credit score modernization efforts, and we hope this additional transparency helps clear the path for making FICO® Score 10T—the most predictive score—available for use for GSE loans as soon as possible.