Rocket adopts VantageScore 4.0 pilot

Rocket Mortgage and Rocket Pro have started using VantageScore 4.0 alongside Classic FICO in borrower qualification, adding one of the first large-scale retail and broker-facing adopters to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s rollout of new mortgage credit-score options. (housingwire.com) HousingWire reported the change on May 21, and National Mortgage News said Rocket had incorporated VantageScore 4.0 into existing processes for both its retail and third-party origination businesses. (mpamag.com) The move comes after the FHFA said on April 22 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would immediately begin accepting VantageScore 4.0 loans from approved lenders as part of a broader credit-score modernization effort. (guide.freddiemac.com) Freddie Mac separately told sellers in Bulletin 2026-D that Classic FICO, VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 10T are the approved models in the updated framework. ### Why is Rocket using VantageScore 4.0 now? FHFA’s April 22 announcement opened the door for approved lenders to deliver mortgages assessed with VantageScore 4.0 to the government-sponsored enterprises. The agency said the step advances implementation of the Credit Score Competition Act of 2018 and gives borrowers and lenders more choice in mortgage underwriting. (housingwire.com) Rocket’s adoption means the model is no longer just a policy announcement or a small lender test. National Mortgage News said Rocket had made VantageScore 4.0 available across both its consumer and broker channels, suggesting lenders can operationalize the score inside normal origination workflows rather than only in a separate pilot lane. (fhfa.gov) ### What changes in the actual credit check? VantageScore says version 4.0 can incorporate payment data such as rent, utilities and telecom tradelines when those items appear in a consumer’s credit file. HousingWire said Rocket is using the model alongside Classic FICO, not as a replacement, which means borrowers are entering a system where lenders may compare multiple approved scoring approaches. (fhfa.gov) Freddie Mac’s April bulletin said the transition is being carried out through the existing tri-merge credit report structure. That matters because the immediate shift is in which score model can be used on those reports, not in a wholesale redesign of mortgage documentation or delivery mechanics. (nationalmortgagenews.com) ### Where does the $10 million figure come from? Bill Pulte, the FHFA director, said in April that Freddie Mac had already received about $10 million of VantageScore 4.0 loans in an initial operational test. CNBC and Mortgage Professional America both reported that statement, and National Mortgage Professional identified Newrez as one of the early lenders whose loans were delivered and later securitized by Freddie Mac. (housingwire.com) That figure is small relative to the broader agency mortgage market, but it shows the program has moved beyond a paper approval. Freddie Mac’s guide update and the reported securitization of early loans indicate the model is being tested through origination, delivery and secondary-market execution. (guide.freddiemac.com) ### Which borrowers could be affected first? CNBC reported that 21 large mortgage lenders were part of the first wave using VantageScore 4.0, according to Pulte. VantageScore and HousingWire both said the model’s use of additional payment history may help borrowers whose credit files are thinner than those typically favored by older scoring systems. (cnbc.com) In practice, that means prequalification conversations could change first, especially for applicants with limited traditional credit histories but consistent rent or utility payments. Whether that produces materially different approval outcomes at scale will depend on lender overlays, agency guidance and how broadly approved lenders adopt the model. (guide.freddiemac.com) That is an inference based on the agencies’ rollout and the model’s design. ### What happens next in the rollout? Freddie Mac’s seller guide says approved lenders can deliver VantageScore 4.0 loans now, while FHFA said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are moving ahead with both VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T under the modernized framework. (cnbc.com) The next milestones are likely to come through additional lender adoptions, further guide updates and larger volumes of delivered loans moving through agency securitization. That is an inference from the current implementation steps already announced by FHFA and Freddie Mac. (guide.freddiemac.com) (fhfa.gov)