FICO® Score Facts

In 2015, FICO introduced FICO® Score 9, which scores rental data. This coincided with the first evidence of sufficient positive and negative rental data at the national credit reporting agencies, an important condition for adding this data into the FICO Score algorithm. Rental data is included in all FICO Score versions since FICO Score 9, including FICO® Score 10T.

This means some consumers without loans or credit cards can receive a valid FICO® Score via their rental payment history, and others can observe increases in their FICO Score via their rental payment history, in both instances potentially leading to access to more affordable credit.

FICO® Scores ensure that consumers get credit for their good payment history, allowing the data to stand on its own merit. We don’t factor in the presence of a past mortgage in our score.

Innovation leadership doesn’t just mean getting there first—it means getting it right. FICO® Score 9 became the first major credit score to incorporate rental payment history through validated HUD partnership in 2015, demonstrating that responsible expansion works.

Blog: Has the Reporting of Rental Data to the Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) Increased?, by Tommy Lee

Blog: FICO Fact: Do FICO Scores Consider Telco and Utility Data?

FICO scores 232 million Americans — over 90% of the U.S. credit-eligible population — through innovative use of expansive, FCRA-compliant alternative data sources. 

Alternative data is simply FCRA-compliant data not currently reported on mainstream credit reports — sources like telecom, utility, and rental payment history that millions of consumers have but that don't appear in their traditional credit bureau file. As an independent analytics provider, FICO sought out this predictive data from outside the traditional credit bureau to give lenders a second opportunity to assess otherwise unscorable consumers.

FICO's comprehensive approach delivers measurable inclusion results: 27 million+ newly scored consumers through validated alternative data integration, expanding access without compromising the reliability that credit and lending markets depend on. 

When comparing the suite of FICO® Scores to benchmark scores that simply loosen minimum scoring criteria, FICO was found to score over one million more consumers responsibly.

Infographic: Expanding Credit Access with Alternative Data 

Leading Inclusive Innovation & Consumer Wellness Empowerment

FICO® Score XD: Start extending your scorable universe by millions of consumers

UltraFICO® Score: leverage trended cash flow data to give a broader view of credit readiness

FICO® Scores are developed to be transparent, explainable, accurate, and reliable. Since 1989, the FICO Score has relied upon factual data to rank risk, drawing upon information furnished by creditors without any personal identification information or subjective content. 

While trendy AI and Machine Learning "replacement theories" create market noise, the reality is that FICO® Score models and lenders' proprietary custom models are designed for different purposes—each bringing unique and complementary value to credit decisions. 

The FICO® Score serves as the independent universal language used across the credit ecosystem.

Newsroom: FICO® Score Remains the Most Widely Used Credit Score in the Securitization Market, Keeping Lender Confidence 

White Paper: FICO's Role in Developing Accurate, Unbiased, and Fair Credit Scoring Model

Video: FICO® Score: the score lenders use—how are credit reports and scores created?