SAN FRANCISCO, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — VantageScore today announced that its newest credit-scoring model, VantageScore 4plus™, is now available for pilot by banks, fintechs and government lenders. Built using VantageScore’s pioneering and patented technology, VantageScore 4plus combines the power of alternative open banking data with traditional credit data to give lenders a substantial predictive lift of up to 10% compared to the industry leading VantageScore 4.0 credit score, which itself has up to an 8% lift over conventional scoring models. Available now for lenders to pilot, VantageScore 4plus is compatible with all major aggregator APIs and works for any credit report from Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. VantageScore 4plus uses the same scoring range as VantageScore 4.0 (300 to 850) and also has aligned score-to-odds ratios. As a result, most lenders will not need to adjust their credit/lending policies to use the new VantageScore 4plus credit score.

“At a time when delinquencies are reaching the highest levels we have seen in recent history, the need for a credit score that gives deeper insights into a member’s ability to pay back is critical,” said Yazel Pardo, Head of Credit Risk at Patelco Credit Union. “Through our testing of VantageScore 4plus, we’ve seen its ability to more accurately represent a consumer’s creditworthiness, helping Patelco increase its ability to lend to more members during these uncertain economic times.”

“The use of consumer-permissioned bank account data is a huge step forward in creating a credit score that is more predictive and reflective of a consumer’s full financial profile, helping them build their credit and gain access to mainstream financial products,” said Dara Duguay, CEO of Credit Builders Alliance. “We applaud VantageScore’s innovation and encourage greater usage of VantageScore 4plus among lenders.”

Key benefits of VantageScore 4plus include:

Advanced Predictive Power: The increased predictive power of VantageScore 4plus creates new opportunities for lenders to reduce the risk of opening new lines of credit while maintaining new lending growth with customers who would not have been approved for credit previously. This includes those who are not current account holders, are recent immigrants, or have avoided using credit products but demonstrate positive cash management behaviors.

Reduce Risk Among Prime Borrowers: With delinquencies increasing highest among prime borrowers, lenders more than ever need the latest advancements in credit scoring to help them accurately assess credit risk. By using bank data, VantageScore 4plus sees trends in consumer distress months before the credit file which is critical in the current economic uncertainty.

Financial Inclusion: With VantageScore 4plus, consumers can share a more complete view of their finances and their ability to effectively manage their financial obligations. This increases a person’s chances of being approved for mainstream loan products like credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, and auto loans. This is an important step towards helping people who have traditionally been underserved, or who are working to improve their financial health.

Real-Time Lending: Unlike other consumer-permissioned data solutions in the market, which have limited applicability for lending because of how long they take, VantageScore 4plus provides a credit score adjustment within seconds, helping lenders make real-time lending decisions.

Fraud Protection: In addition to its advanced predictive performance, the use of consumer-permissioned bank account data in VantageScore 4plus can add an extra layer of protection against fraudulent loans.

Easy Adoption for Lenders: VantageScore 4plus offers lenders the ability to more seamlessly utilize consumer-permissioned bank account information in their strategies versus using attributes which requires rebuilding models, credit policies and technology resources.

FCRA Compliance: VantageScore 4plus will be delivered through the three national credit reporting agencies and support fully FCRA compliant lending decisioning.

“By harnessing the power of alternative open banking data, VantageScore 4plus is ushering in a new era of consumer credit scoring that is transformational for lenders,” said Silvio Tavares, President and CEO, VantageScore. “As the fastest growing credit scoring company in the U.S., with over 42% growth in 2023 and 27 billion credit scores used per year, lenders are recognizing the innovation and predictive power of VantageScore credit scores.”

Beginning today, lenders and fintechs can work directly with VantageScore or any of the consumer credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to pilot and validate the predictive performance and financial inclusion impact of VantageScore 4plus. Through a pilot program that can be customized to lenders’ underwriting processes, lenders can gain a clear understanding of how many more consumers they could approve using this enhanced credit-scoring model.

To learn more about implementing VantageScore 4plus, lenders can visit https://vs4plus.vantagescore.com.

About VantageScore®
VantageScore is the fastest growing credit scoring company in the U.S., developing the industry’s most innovative, predictive, and inclusive credit score models. In 2023, usage of VantageScore increased by 42% to more than 27 billion credit scores. More than 3,400 institutions, including eight of the top 10 banks, use VantageScore credit scores to provide consumer credit products like credit cards, auto loans, personal loans and mortgages. By developing a credit scoring model that scores 33 million more people than traditional models, VantageScore delivers on its commitment to financial inclusion. With the FHFA mandating the use of VantageScore 4.0 for mortgages, the company is also ushering in a new era for mortgage lending and helping to close the racial homeownership gap.

VantageScore is an independently managed joint venture company of the three Nationwide Consumer Reporting Agencies (NCRAs)– Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.