Experian Makes Vantagescore 4.0 Free For Mortgage Lenders

Experian announced on Tuesday that it will offer VantageScore 4.0  for free to its mortgage clients in an effort to accelerate adoption — a move that comes just a week after competitor Equifax introduced its own pricing incentives. 

The credit bureau said the score will be available at no cost indefinitely, and if it ever begins charging for it, pricing will be at least 50% lower than what Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) charges for its credit scores.

“Experian’s pricing reflects that the primary value lies in the data and not the score,” the company said in a statement.

Competition among credit scoring providers has intensified since the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) approved Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase loans underwritten with VantageScore 4.0 as an alternative to the long-used Classic FICO score. 

VantageScore is jointly owned by the three national credit bureaus — Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. In response to the heightened competition, FICO recently rolled out a new pricing model for its credit scores, selling them directly through tri-merge resellers. 

Equifax was the first bureau to adjust its structure, announcing that it will offer VantageScore 4.0 at $4.50 per score through the end of 2027, but free in 2025 and 2026 for mortgage, auto, credit card and consumer finance clients that also purchase FICO scores during that period

“Experian is dedicated to fostering a more competitive mortgage landscape, creating a safer and sounder market, and expanding access to homeownership for a wider range of consumers,” Brian Cassin, Experian’s CEO, said in a statement. 

The company noted that VantageScore 4.0 is fully available in its Ascend Analytical Sandbox, which supports lenders’ modeling and analytics needs. Lenders can also use Experian’s Cashflow Score and Cashflow Attributes tools — which the company says can improve risk assessments with up to a 25% lift in predictive performance by offering deeper insights into consumer financial behavior.

“True to our culture of innovation, this latest move provides lenders with choice and flexibility, while advancing fair and affordable access to financial resources for more consumers,” Cassin said.