--- title: Rocket Mortgage Will Use VantageScore Instead of FICO as Its Default Credit Score description: Rocket Mortgage will score Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and VA loans on VantageScore 4.0 from Q4 2026. What changes for borrowers, and which loans stay on FICO. author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-10-02T11:05:09.072Z updated: 2026-10-02T11:05:09.081Z canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/rocket-mortgage-vantagescore-instead-of-fico image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-father-and-son-enjoying-playful-bonding-time-in-front-of-a-m-4933621.jpg categories: Real Estate content_type: News region: United States publication: Rich Dad Magazine schema_type: Article --- Rocket Mortgage, which describes itself as the nation's largest mortgage lender, will judge home loan applicants' credit on VantageScore 4.0 by default instead of FICO from the fourth quarter of 2026, the company said on Sept. 28. The switch covers loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, known as [conforming loans](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/mortgage-lenders-2027-conforming-loan-limit-845000), VA home loans and any other eligible mortgages across Rocket's direct-to-consumer products that already allow VantageScore. Rocket is moving three weeks after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac opened VantageScore 4.0 to every approved lender on Sept. 9, 2026, with no prior written approval needed. For decades, mortgages delivered to the two companies had to use one model, Classic FICO, until the Federal Housing Finance Agency [directed them to let lenders choose between Classic FICO and VantageScore 4.0](https://www.fhfa.gov/policy/credit-scores). The Truth About Mortgage reported that FICO shares fell about 10%, roughly $80 a share, in after-hours trading on Sept. 28. ## VantageScore 4.0 Counts Rent and Utility Payments Already in Your Credit File VantageScore 4.0 is one of two newer models FHFA approved in 2022 that take rent payment history into account. It uses rent and utility payments only when they already appear in your credit file, so rent you paid on time counts only if it was reported to the credit bureaus. National Mortgage Professional reports that the model also uses telecom payments and looks at how your balances and payments have moved over 24 months rather than at a single snapshot. The model can produce a score for some people whose thin credit histories leave them with none under older models. VantageScore puts that group at as many as 33 million additional Americans, according to HousingWire. ## Rocket Pulled Both Scores on 1.4 Million Credit Reports Before Choosing VantageScore Rocket began using VantageScore 4.0 alongside Classic FICO in May. The company says it tested the two models for about four months and has obtained 1.4 million credit reports with both scores so far this year. Rocket says more of its clients qualified under VantageScore and many got better pricing, and that borrowers who saved money with VantageScore saved an average of $1,600 at closing. The company also says the switch lowers its own credit scoring costs. "The mortgage industry has relied on one credit scoring model for decades. Competition is healthy, especially when it can lower costs and expand responsible access to homeownership," said Jay Bray, CEO of Rocket Mortgage. > "We did the work, compared the models and chose the one that helped more qualified clients." > — Jay Bray, CEO of Rocket Mortgage Rocket notes that approval still depends on your income, debt, assets, the property and the loan's other requirements, not only on your credit score. ## FHA, Jumbo and Second-Home Loans at Rocket Still Use FICO Rocket will keep using FICO for now on FHA loans, jumbo loans, home equity loans, mortgages for investment properties and second homes, and some other products. The Truth About Mortgage reports that FHA is not yet ready to accept VantageScore, and HousingWire reported in May that HUD plans to adopt FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 for FHA loans in the coming months. If you borrow through a mortgage broker, Rocket Pro, the division that lends through brokers, will give the broker both your VantageScore and your FICO score. Classic FICO remains approved for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. FHFA expects to retire it eventually but has set no date, and says it will give advance notice. Find out more at [rocketmortgage.com](https://www.rocketmortgage.com). ## FAQ **Q: What credit score do mortgage lenders use?** Lenders selling loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can now pick either Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0, one loan at a time. Classic FICO means the older mortgage versions, which FICO lists as FICO Score 5 from Equifax, FICO Score 4 from TransUnion and FICO Score 2 from Experian. FICO Score 8, the version most widely used for cards, personal loans and other credit, is a different model. **Q: If my spouse and I apply together, can we be scored on different models?** No. FHFA requires the lender to use the same scoring model for every borrower on a loan. On a loan with more than one borrower, Fannie Mae's Selling Guide uses the average median credit score of the borrowers to decide eligibility. **Q: What credit score is needed for a mortgage?** Fannie Mae's Selling Guide sets a minimum of 620 for fixed-rate loans and 640 for adjustable-rate loans when a loan is underwritten manually. Loans run through Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter system have no set minimum score, because the system weighs the risk factors together. **Q: Do other mortgage lenders use VantageScore?** Any lender approved by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can now use it. United Wholesale Mortgage began letting its brokers access both FICO and VantageScore for conventional loans at the end of April. In that program the maximum loan-to-value is 80%, and the lender subtracts 20 points from a borrower's VantageScore for eligibility and pricing. That rule is UWM's, and Rocket has not said whether it makes any similar adjustment. **Q: Is FICO 10T used for mortgages yet?** Not yet. FHFA approved FICO 10T alongside VantageScore 4.0 on Oct. 24, 2022, but it is not currently eligible for loans delivered to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.