Credit reporting giant Equifax has committed to holding its $1 pricing for VantageScore 4.0 mortgage credit pulls through the end of 2027, according to Housing Wire, as the company works to accelerate lender adoption of the alternative scoring model. CEO Mark Begor disclosed the pricing commitment during a recent earnings call, noting that roughly 1,200 mortgage lenders are now pulling VantageScore alongside a paid FICO score at no additional charge. Approximately 100 lenders have moved entirely to VantageScore for originations. Second-quarter VantageScore mortgage volume reached 2.2 million transactions, nearly triple the first-quarter figure. Begor stated that Equifax earns no margin on FICO mortgage scores, which represent roughly 7% of total company revenue, while VantageScore — jointly owned by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — carries a more favorable economics profile.
ParkPoint Perspective
Broad adoption of VantageScore in mortgage underwriting could meaningfully expand the borrower pool by scoring previously unscorable applicants, a dynamic that carries supply-and-demand implications for residential markets. For investors in supply-constrained markets, this suggests a potential modest lift in qualified buyer demand without a corresponding increase in housing inventory — a factor worth monitoring in acquisition underwriting. The pace of GSE and HUD adoption remains the critical variable; until agency guidelines fully align, execution risk around loan salability persists for lenders and, downstream, for deal financing assumptions.
Source: New York YIMBY