What’s changing May 1 in credit scores — and what it means for you.

Are credit scores changing for everyone on May 1?

There is no universal change to your credit score happening on a single date.

What is changing is how certain mortgage lenders are allowed to evaluate credit when working with loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This is a targeted update inside the mortgage system — not a reset of how all credit works.

What is actually being updated?

For years, most conforming mortgage loans have relied on older credit scoring models. That is now expanding. Lenders will be able to use:

• FICO Score 10T
• VantageScore 4.0

These are newer models designed to reflect more recent patterns in how people use credit.

Why are these new scoring models being introduced?

The short answer: the system is catching up.

Older scoring models were built in a very different credit environment — before widespread credit card usage patterns, modern repayment behavior, and large-scale data availability. Newer models aim to evaluate behavior more consistently, reflect longer-term trends, and improve how risk is measured.

This is less about changing people — and more about changing how existing behavior is interpreted.

What is different about these newer models?

The biggest shift is how behavior over time is evaluated. Instead of looking at a single snapshot, newer models may consider how balances change across billing cycles, whether debt is increasing or decreasing, and patterns in repayment behavior. This is often referred to as “trended data.”

For someone carrying stable or improving balances, that can be viewed differently than someone whose debt is increasing.

If you want to understand how utilization is calculated and reported, What Is Credit Utilization? covers exactly that.

Does this affect your credit score right now?

Your everyday credit score — through apps, credit cards, or general monitoring tools — is not changing overnight because of this.

Why are people saying this is a major change?

Because it sounds bigger than it is. “Credit scores are changing May 1” is a simple headline. The reality is more specific: the mortgage industry is expanding which scoring models it can use. That’s a structural update — not a universal event.

What kind of borrowers could see a difference?

When these models are used, differences tend to show up in how behavior is interpreted. For example:

• Someone steadily paying down debt may look stronger
• Someone increasing balances may look riskier
• Someone with limited credit history may be evaluated differently

This doesn’t guarantee a better or worse outcome. It changes how the same information is read. Your credit profile is still built on the same foundation — Feeding Instructions covers what that foundation actually looks like.

Will all lenders start using these models immediately?

Lenders adopt changes at different speeds, test new models before fully switching, and may continue using older models alongside newer ones. So it’s normal to see different results across lenders and different scores depending on the model used.

If you’re applying for a mortgage and something looks different than expected, Credit Check & Inquiry can help you understand what happened.

Is anything being removed or erased from your credit report?

This is not a cleanup or forgiveness event. Nothing is being deleted, reset, or rewritten. Your credit history remains exactly as it is. The data in your credit file still comes from what is reported over time — Understanding Your Credit Report explains how that works.

What does this mean if you’re not applying for a mortgage?

Very little, right now. If you’re not applying for a mortgage and not interacting with lenders using these newer models, you may not notice anything at all.

What does this mean long-term?

This is part of a broader shift. The credit system evolves slowly but consistently. Changes like this show how behavior is being measured more precisely, how lenders are refining risk evaluation, and how different scoring models can coexist. Over time, updates like this can shape how credit is evaluated more broadly — but they don’t happen all at once.

If something changes and you’re trying to understand it, My Credit Score Changed is a good place to start.