In a move poised to reshape how mortgage lenders access credit data, FICO and Xactus have announced a landmark partnership under the new FICO® Mortgage Direct License Program. The deal makes Xactus—the fintech leader in verification solutions—the first provider to directly calculate and deliver FICO® Scores to lenders.

It’s a notable shift in a $12 trillion U.S. mortgage market that has long relied on a patchwork of intermediaries for credit data delivery. Under this new model, Xactus will provide FICO® Scores straight from the source, potentially reducing friction, costs, and opacity for lenders and borrowers alike.

Streamlining Credit Delivery (and Cutting Costs)

The Mortgage Direct License Program isn’t just a licensing play—it’s a structural overhaul of how credit scores flow through the industry. Traditionally, lenders rely on tri-merge reports (combining data from three bureaus) supplied by intermediaries, each adding its own layer of fees and turnaround times.

By allowing Xactus to calculate and distribute FICO® Scores directly, the program could help lenders save up to 50% on per-score fees. It also introduces flexible pricing models, giving institutions the ability to align score delivery costs with their specific business needs.

“This partnership will fundamentally reshape how FICO Scores are delivered and priced,” said Shelley Leonard, president of Xactus. “We’re proud to be first to introduce this innovation, expanding choice and flexibility for our customers in a competitive market.”

Why This Partnership Matters

FICO Scores remain the gold standard in mortgage underwriting—used in roughly 90% of U.S. lending decisions. Yet the process of accessing those scores hasn’t evolved much in decades.

The FICO–Xactus partnership signals an industry-wide move toward modernized, transparent, and tech-driven credit infrastructure, something regulators and lenders have long called for.

“Together, we’re empowering lenders to choose the pricing model that works best for their business,” said Julie May, vice president and general manager of B2B Scores at FICO. “This milestone accelerates our commitment to a more competitive and cost-efficient mortgage lending marketplace.”

For fintech observers, this aligns with a broader trend: the disintermediation of legacy data pipelines. By giving verification providers more direct access to the FICO ecosystem, the program brings the kind of vertical integration—and cost efficiency—that has transformed other sectors of financial services.

The Bigger Fintech Picture

The FICO–Xactus deal arrives amid growing fintech momentum to modernize mortgage workflows. Competitors such as Equifax and Experian have been investing in API-first credit delivery and analytics services, while digital mortgage platforms like Blend and ICE Mortgage Technology are automating underwriting end-to-end.

But FICO’s direct licensing model takes a different approach—attacking inefficiency at the data layer itself. By streamlining how FICO Scores reach lenders, the program could improve turnaround times and open the door for faster, AI-assisted credit decisioning in mortgage origination.

Once live, lenders will be able to access FICO® Scores through Xactus directly—potentially setting a precedent for others in the verification ecosystem to follow suit.

The Bottom Line

FICO and Xactus aren’t just tweaking pricing—they’re reimagining how mortgage credit scoring infrastructure operates. If successful, this initiative could signal the start of a leaner, more transparent credit ecosystem—one where lenders gain flexibility, borrowers benefit from efficiency, and the data supply chain gets its long-overdue upgrade.

As the partnership goes live, the mortgage industry may finally be stepping into its next digital era—one score at a time.