Rocket expands on VantageScore 4.0 pilot for agency, VA loans

Rocket Mortgage and Rocket Pro provided additional details this week on their rollout of VantageScore 4.0 in mortgage lending after officially announcing last week that they have started using VantageScore 4.0 alongside Classic FICO scores.

Heather Lovier, chief operating officer of Rocket Companies, told HousingWire that VantageScore 4.0 can currently be used for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loan products offered through Rocket Mortgage and Rocket Pro. This is line with guidance from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The company declined to disclose specific pricing adjustments tied to the use of VantageScore 4.0, although Lovier said Rocket is using updated pricing frameworks consistent with investor guidelines.

“VantageScore 4.0 is a model that’s functionally independent from existing models,” Lovier said. “While we don’t publicly disclose specific pricing methodologies and adjustments for any of our products, we are working with updated pricing frameworks when it is used, consistent with investor guidelines.”

Some lenders, including Rocket’s crosstown rival, United Wholesale Mortgage, reduced pricing by as much as 20 basis points when transitioning from Classic FICO to VantageScore 4.0. Rocket did not confirm whether it is applying similar adjustments.

Rocket said it is currently pulling both FICO and VantageScore credit scores for each mortgage application and plans to continue doing so during the pilot phase. The company said it has not yet determined when brokers may be able to utilize a single-score model or whether one score would take priority over another.

“By leveraging both scoring models in tandem, we are giving our clients the most opportunity to show they qualify for a loan,” Lovier said.

Rocket also declined to share current VantageScore 4.0 loan volume figures, saying the pilot remains in its early stages. The company said it is still collecting data to compare outcomes between Classic FICO and VantageScore 4.0.

Lovier said brokers have raised questions about the practical implications of adopting multiple credit scoring models simultaneously, particularly how the changes could affect borrower eligibility and homebuying opportunities.

“Any time there’s a major update to an existing standard — and in this case, one that’s been held for so long — there are bound to be lots of questions about real-world, practical impacts,” Lovier said.

Rocket’s rollout follows an April announcement from the FHFA to launch a pilot program for VantageScore 4.0 on loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, alongside plans to adopt FICO 10T and updated pricing tied to the new credit models.

FHFA Director Bill Pulte said lenders have already delivered roughly $10 million in VantageScore-based loans to Freddie Mac through the pilot. Separately, HUD said it plans to allow both FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans in the coming months.