FHA Keeps Tri Merge Credit Reports

In a National Mortgage Professional article published May 27, FHA reinforced that it will continue requiring tri-merge credit reports as it prepares to adopt VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T.

The key message:

“FHA will continue to require the use of a tri-merge credit report, ensuring a comprehensive and consistent evaluation of borrower credit information across all acceptable scoring models and supporting prudent risk management.”

• The agency said tri-merge reporting remains central to consistency and risk management.
• Additional implementation guidance and timing for new scoring models FICO 10T and Vantage Score 4.0 are expected later in 2026.

This announcement also appears to cool some of the recent industry discussion around FHA moving to single or dual bureau credit reports as a way to reduce lender and borrower costs. While those conversations gained momentum over the last several months, FHA’s latest guidance points clearly toward maintaining the tri-merge requirement for now. 

At Informative Research, we expect lenders will continue watching closely for implementation details tied to VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T. At the same time, this guidance provides some added clarity around the continued role of tri-merge credit reporting in FHA lending workflows.

For IR clients, the key takeaway is that score modernization is still moving forward, but lenders should not assume that newer scoring models automatically mean fewer bureau files or simplified credit report requirements.