Credit glossary
FICO Score 10T
A FICO version that adds trended data, reading 24 months or more of balance and payment history instead of a single monthly snapshot.
FICO says FICO 10T looks at the previous 24 months or longer, so it can tell a borrower who pays balances down from one who carries them. A one-time paydown therefore counts for less than it would under FICO 8. FHFA lists 10T as approved for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans but not currently eligible for delivery, with no adoption date announced.
FHA is moving faster. HUD's Mortgagee Letter 2026-11 lets lenders use FICO 10T or VantageScore 4.0 alongside Classic FICO for case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027. FICO said in July 2026 that more than 70 mortgage lenders had joined its 10T program. If you're buying in 2027, keep balances low for many months before you apply, since one good statement carries less weight.
Guides that go deeper
- FICO 8, 9, 10 and 10T: which version lenders actually useYou have dozens of FICO Scores. What changed in FICO 8, 9, 10 and 10T, which lenders use each, and how to learn which one you'll face.
- Trended data: when your balance history starts to countFICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 read about two years of balance history, not one month. How far back each looks, who uses them, and what it changes for you.
- What changed in credit scoring in 2025 and 2026, with datesVantageScore 4.0 for mortgages, FHA's new score rules, Fannie Mae's dropped 620 floor, BNPL scores and the medical debt rule, each dated and sourced.
Sources
- FICO Introduces New FICO Score 10 Suite, FICO
- Credit Scores, Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Mortgagee Letter 2026-11: Updated Minimum Decision Credit Score Methodology for the Implementation of Alternative Credit Scores, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- FICO Score 10T Adoption Momentum Surpasses 70 Mortgage Lenders, FICO
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