FICO Bypasses Credit Bureaus with New Direct Licensing Program to Cut Mortgage Score Costs

Group 1 - Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) has launched the FICO Mortgage Direct License Program, which changes how FICO Scores are delivered and priced in the mortgage industry [1] - The new program allows tri-merge resellers to directly calculate and distribute FICO Scores, eliminating reliance on the three nationwide credit bureaus [1][2] - This shift is expected to enhance price transparency and provide immediate cost savings, potentially saving lenders up to 50% on per score FICO fees by removing credit bureau mark-ups [2] Group 2 - FICO is introducing two alternative pricing models to offer greater flexibility and choice [2] - The first model is a performance-based pricing structure, with a royalty fee of $4.95 per score, which represents a 50% reduction in average per-score fees for tri-merge resellers [3] - FICO develops software with analytics and digital decisioning technologies that support businesses in automating and enhancing decision-making across various regions [4]