VantageScore 4.0 and your buyer's mortgage: what changed
Lenders that sell loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can now use VantageScore 4.0. Here's what that changes, and doesn't, for a financed offer.
September 30, 2026 · 4 min read
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now let approved lenders use VantageScore 4.0 when they qualify some borrowers.
For sellers, most of this change happens well behind the scenes. It could help some buyers qualify for financing who might have had a harder time under the older scoring system. But it doesn't change the offer you receive, the deadlines in the contract, or what has to happen before the buyer's loan can close.
What changed in September?
Since September 2026, lenders approved by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can choose to use VantageScore 4.0 instead of the Classic FICO score when qualifying a borrower.
The National Association of reported the broader rollout on September 14, while trade reports date the lender guidance to September 9.
This followed a smaller rollout earlier in the year. Fannie Mae announced in April that participating lenders could use VantageScore 4.0 from each of the three credit bureaus through a tri-merge credit report. CNBC reported that about 50 lenders took part.
The biggest thing to know is that VantageScore 4.0 is an option, not a replacement for FICO. A lender can keep using Classic FICO. Whichever model it chooses, it has to use that same model for every borrower on the loan.
The models also use different thresholds. HousingWire reported that the highest pricing tier begins at 780 for Classic FICO and 800 for VantageScore 4.0.
And this change doesn't cover every mortgage. It applies to loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Other loan programs can have their own rules. FICO 10T was validated alongside VantageScore 4.0 in 2022, but reports in September said it still wasn't eligible for these loans.
Why could this help some buyers qualify?
VantageScore 4.0 was created by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. One of its differences is that it can use things like rent, utility, and phone payment history that older credit scoring models mostly ignored.
That could matter for someone who pays their bills on time but doesn't have a long history of credit cards, car loans, or other traditional debt. CNBC reported that the model may help some people with thinner credit files qualify for a mortgage or receive a better rate.
But switching scoring models doesn't always give someone a higher score. The model may be able to use rent or utility payments, for example, but that doesn't mean those payments appear in every borrower's credit file. For an individual buyer, the result could be better, worse, or about the same.
VantageScore says its score was used on more than 9% of mortgages securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from May 1 through August 31, 2026. That figure comes from VantageScore itself.
What doesn't change for a seller?
A credit score is only one part of getting a mortgage. The lender still looks at the buyer's income, assets, debts, and financial documents. The loan can still depend on the , work, , and the rest of the process.
So a based on VantageScore doesn't mean the mortgage will close. Neither does one based on FICO.
Which score the lender used is only one part of the loan. The buyer still has to make it through underwriting and reach .
For a seller looking at a financed offer, the terms in the offer itself still matter. That can include the type of loan, the buyer's , the lender, the , and contract deadlines.
The compare offers tool puts those terms next to each other. You can also see what happens after you accept an offer, including the deadlines that usually come next.
What a seller can ask about a buyer's financing depends on the contract and the state. rules also apply to how offers are considered. For a particular sale, a lender, real estate attorney, or can explain what applies.
A few parts are still changing
are one of them. HUD said in April 2026 that FHA would allow VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T. NAR reports that FHA acceptance will begin in 2027, but the sources we reviewed didn't give a final start date or the full lender rules.
There could also be changes to how many credit reports lenders need. For now, lenders still pull reports from all three credit bureaus. CNBC reported that the agency is studying whether fewer reports could be used in the future, but that's still a study rather than a new rule.
There's also a small difference in how sources date the September rollout. Trade reports point to September 9, while NAR published its report on September 14. The lender letters themselves weren't readable for this article, so we can't settle the exact date from those documents.
What is VantageScore 4.0?
VantageScore 4.0 is a credit scoring model created by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It can use rent, utility, and phone payment history along with more traditional credit information. Since September 2026, lenders that sell mortgages to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may use it instead of Classic FICO.
Do all lenders use VantageScore 4.0 now?
No. Using it is optional. A lender can keep using Classic FICO. If it chooses VantageScore 4.0 for a loan, it has to use that same scoring model for every borrower on the loan. The change also applies specifically to loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, not every kind of mortgage.
Is VantageScore 4.0 the same as FICO 10T?
No. They're two different credit scoring models. Both were validated in 2022, but reports in September 2026 said VantageScore 4.0 was eligible for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while FICO 10T was not yet eligible.
Will FHA loans use VantageScore 4.0?
HUD said in April 2026 that FHA would allow VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T. NAR reports that FHA acceptance will begin in 2027. The sources we reviewed didn't settle the full start date or all of the lender rules.
Does a VantageScore preapproval mean the buyer can close?
No. The same is true of a FICO preapproval. A preapproval is the lender's early look at the buyer's finances. The mortgage still has to go through underwriting, and the appraisal, title work, insurance, and other loan requirements still have to clear before closing.
An underlined word opens what it means, here, without losing your place. Every word a sale uses is a page of its own.
Your own sale, in one place.
Everything above happens to one house on one set of dates. A Room keeps that house's steps, papers, people and numbers together, and tells you what needs you today.
Organize my sale