Debt History

There is no question that the cost of credit reports has increased dramatically over the last year. Furthermore, there has been an abundance of finger pointing as to who is at fault…the three credit bureaus? FICO? The solutions presented were to switch to a bi-merge or even a “no-merge” single report. While these options might ... Read more

Vantage 4.0 and FICO 10T are all the buzz in the mortgage industry today, but there are a lot of questions around both and how they differ. Right now, Vantage 4.0 is in a Pilot phase with 21 GSE chosen lenders. The Pilot phase for 10T has not begun yet and likely will not until ... Read more

One of the things that sets Vantage Score apart from Classic Fico is the inclusion of alternative data such as rent and utilities. The question is, how does that work? Do landlords and Utility companies just start reporting to the bureaus? Unfortunately, it is not that simple. The bureaus have extremely specific requirements to report ... Read more

A term that has been in use for some time but has gained significant prominence in recent years as a major fraud risk, is "credit washing." Credit washing refers to the illegal practice of unlawfully suppressing or removing legitimate, accurate negative information from a consumer's credit report. In most cases, the negative information involved consists ... Read more

The highly anticipated Homeowners Privacy Protection Act will officially becomes effective on March 5, 2026. The primary objective of this legislation is to address and reduce the volume of unsolicited calls, emails, and text messages that consumers often receive following a credit inquiry related to a mortgage application. Up to this point, the three major ... Read more

Each credit score model consists of multiple Scorecards that assess distinct aspects of an individual's credit profile. The points assigned by these Scorecards collectively determine the overall credit score. Typically, each model includes between 8 to 12 Scorecards, which categorize consumers into different segments. Based on a consumer’s actions, changes to the credit report may ... Read more

Fannie Mae recently announced that a minimum credit score of 620 will no longer be a requirement for loan approval. This announcement has generated many questions within the industry. The straightforward answer is that credit scores are still a key factor and continue to hold the same level of significance as they did prior to ... Read more