FHFA Opens VantageScore to All Lenders, Eyes Bi-Merge

In a post on X published the evening of September 3, FHFA Director Bill Pulte said he is instructing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to immediately approve all lenders to use VantageScore 4.0, expanding a limited rollout he announced in April.

"Fannie and Freddie's initial rollout of VantageScore has been incredibly successful, with 50 lenders delivering loans. So, effective immediately, I'm instructing Fannie and Freddie to approve all lenders to use VantageScore."

• In a separate post that same evening, Pulte said FHFA is considering a bi-merge credit report, pulling data from two of the three credit bureaus instead of today's tri-merge report, after trade groups including the Mortgage Bankers Association raised concerns about bureau pricing.

• The next morning, Pulte said FHFA is also studying the use of a single credit report, pulling data from just one of the three bureaus, to bring additional savings to consumers.

At Informative Research, we work with all three credit bureaus and support both FICO and VantageScore today, and we will adapt to whatever data combination our clients and their investors require. A shift to bi-merge or single reporting would change how lenders order and pay for credit data, but Pulte described it as still under consideration, not a confirmed policy. IR is watching for formal guidance before anything changes in practice.

For IR clients, the takeaway is readiness. IR is technically ready today to deliver either FICO or VantageScore scores across single-bureau, bi-merge, or tri-merge files, and our team is ready to handle the workflow details with any lender moving to request VantageScore 4.0 loans through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.