FICO Holds Mortgage Score Price at $10 for Participating Lenders
Key Facts
Fair Isaac, known as FICO, said it is holding the wholesale price for mortgage scores at $10 for lenders and brokers enrolled in its Preferred program, through participating tri-merge report distributors. The company said the price covers a package of Classic FICO and FICO 10T scores, available through participating reselling partners. The announcement was published on October 23, 2026, at 4:15 p.m. Eastern time, after the regular trading session ended. The stock closed that day at $815.31, compared with $823.27 in the previous session. But the timing of the announcement does not establish that the pricing decision caused the stock’s movement during the session, and verified data on after-hours trading is unavailable.
FICO said the price is fixed annually for lenders that commit to using its scores through participating reselling partners in the program. The price is limited to participants that meet this commitment, and the package covers two credit scores rather than one. One is FICO 10T, which the company said incorporates credit trend data and rental payment information. CEO Will Lansing described holding the price at $10 and including both scores as giving lenders reliable, predictive tools for assessing risk. The announced price is therefore part of a commercial arrangement tied to distribution channels and a commitment to use the company’s scores.
The announcement comes as FICO expands its direct licensing program for mortgage scores, which it launched in October 2025. At the time, the company said tri-merge report distributors could calculate FICO scores and distribute them directly to their clients, reducing their reliance on the three national credit bureaus. It then set a $4.95 royalty fee per score, in addition to a $33 fee per borrower and per score when a funded loan closed. FICO said the royalty fee represented a 50% reduction in the average fee per score previously paid to distributors, attributing this to the removal of credit bureau margins. This context shows that the price freeze for the package offered to Preferred participants is part of broader commercial arrangements for calculating and distributing mortgage scores.
In its investor presentation for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, FICO said it had signed agreements with distributors representing about 60% of U.S. mortgage volumes and was in discussions with distributors representing about 90% of the market. These figures indicate the scope of negotiations over distribution channels. The company said most third-quarter revenue in its Scores segment came from mortgage scores. Segment revenue was $458.9 million, up 41% year over year, while business-to-business revenue rose 49%. The company attributed business-to-business revenue growth primarily to a higher unit price for mortgage scores at loan origination. In the U.S. market, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said most mortgage lenders use FICO scores, often review scores from all three credit reporting bureaus, and use the middle score when setting the offered rate.
At the company level, FICO’s revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 was about $674.2 million, up 26% from the same period a year earlier, when it recorded $536.4 million. Overall revenue growth came alongside faster growth in the Scores segment, whose revenue rose 41%, and business-to-business revenue, which rose 49%. The company linked the increase in business-to-business revenue to a higher unit price for mortgage scores at origination, making pricing relevant to segment performance. In its investor presentation, the company estimated Scores revenue at about $459 million for the quarter and said growth was driven by mortgage origination scores. The upcoming fourth-quarter results will provide an opportunity to report on the following period’s performance. FICO said results will be released after the market closes on November 4, 2026, with a conference call scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern time.