FICO changes could lower 40 million credit scores
The Fair Isaac Corporation is changing how it calculates the most widely used credit score, the FICO score. Overall, about 110 million people will see their scores change, with about 40 million scores falling under the new method, which could go into effect this summer.
“Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal spoke with Dorothy Kelly, who teaches personal finance at the University of Virginia, about the announcement.
“The big change is it’s going to not look at your balances for one month,” Kelly said. “It’s going to look at your balances over 24 months.”
This new model is designed to give lenders more insight into how consumers are managing their credit and debt, which is at record highs.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
