Why Mortgages Are Different Most mortgage lenders still use old FICO models (2, 4, and 5), not the shiny new versions. Why? Because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require them, and lenders don’t want to risk loans being rejected by...
Credit card companies care about one thing above all: how you handle revolving debt. That’s why the Bankcard model weighs factors like utilization (your balances vs. limits) and card payment history much more heavily than loans or mortgages. Example: The...
Millions of Americans are what lenders call “credit invisible.” They don’t have enough history to generate a traditional FICO score, yet they pay rent, utilities, phone bills, and manage bank accounts every month. Until recently, none of that counted. But...
Credit scores in the U.S. are slipping, and fast. The average FICO® Score has dropped to 715 in 2025, down from its pandemic-era highs. For some borrowers, especially younger Americans and those carrying heavy balances, the decline has been much...
