A government change to allow rent payments to factor into credit score could help 7.7M Americans qualify for a mortgage

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · May 09, 2026 · 1050 words · By Realtor com

Financial Inclusion Credit Market Modernization Housing Accessibility

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What to know about Financial Inclusion

A government change to allow rent payments to factor into credit score could help 7.7M Americans qualify for a mortgage A government change could tip the scale for millions of “credit invisible” Americans and spur hundreds of billions in new mortgage…

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

In a rule change finalized last month, government-run mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said they would accept mortgages underwritten with a credit score model that takes on-time rental payments into account.

Common ground

VantageScore, the company behind the credit scoring system, estimates that including rental payment history allows about 7.7 million Americans to boost their credit score above 620, potentially making them eligible for traditional mortgages.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Financial Inclusion story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that California, Colorado, and New York have already enacted programs for rent reporting?
How does this story connect Financial Inclusion with Credit Market Modernization over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/09/real-estate/change-to-allow-rent-payments-factor-i…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified By Reference 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

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Claim 1: “California, Colorado, and New York have already enacted programs for rent reporting”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the enactment of rent reporting programs in California, Colorado, and New York.

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Claim 2: “VantageScore used this data to estimate that there’s a market opportunity of 2.1 million households and $777 billion in new mortgage volume”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “government-run mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said they would accept mortgages underwritten with a credit score model that takes on-time rental payments into account”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will allow the use of credit scores that include rental and utility payments.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), commonly known as Fannie Mae, is a United States government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) that has been a publicly traded company since 1968. Founded in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Mae

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In September 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that it would take over the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Fr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_takeover_of_Fannie_Mae…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), commonly known as Freddie Mac, is an American publicly traded, government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The FHLMC w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mac

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Pennsylvania-based mortgage lender Newrez... originated the first $10 million in loans using this data”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 5: “Young consumers’ average credit scores rise by 67 points”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a specific 67-point increase for young consumers.

info

Claim 6: “Last year, only about 13% of renters benefited from positive rental payment history in their credit reports”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions that millions of renters could benefit and that Esusu provides data, but the specific statistic that 'only about 13% of renters benefited' is not present in the provided text.

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web search NEUTRAL — This white paper evaluates the impact of incorporating verified, on‐time rental payment history into VantageScore 4.0 using a dataset of approximately 600,000 consumers provided by Esusu. The dataset …
https://multifamilyimpactcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025…

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web search NEUTRAL — More tenants are reporting their rent payment activity to build their credit history. Here's what to consider before enrolling, experts say.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/15/using-rent-payments-to-boost…

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web search NEUTRAL — Millions of American adult renters could become eligible for a mortgage by incorporating on-time rental payments into their credit reports, according to a comprehensive analysis of over 600,000 U.S. r…
https://www.vantagescore.com/resources/knowledge-center/posi…

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Claim 7: “Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner said it would follow with VantageScore usage “soon””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “Montana-based credit scoring mainstay FICO now also considers positive and negative rental payment history reported to the agencies in its FICO 10T”

CORROBORATED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference (Nypost) and multiple web search results stating FICO 10T considers both positive and negative rental payment history.

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web search NEUTRAL — FICO 10T also considers positive and negative rental payment history reported to the agencies. Since the pilot began, Freddie Mac has taken delivery of $10 million in loans and will securitize them so…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/real-estate/fannie-mae-and-fre…

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web search NEUTRAL — FICO 10T also factors in both positive and negative rental payment history when reported to credit bureaus.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/real-estate/trump-admin-makes-fa…

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web search NEUTRAL — Rent payments do not automatically build credit unless reported to credit bureaus by you or your landlord through a rent reporting service. Only newer credit scoring models, such as FICO 9, 10, and 10…
https://www.self.inc/blog/does-paying-rent-build-credit

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 9: “the company says this approach improves risk prediction by identifying up to 11% more defaults in the riskiest score ranges”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence mentions that VantageScore improves risk assessment and predictive models generally, but does not contain the specific statistic regarding '11% more defaults in the riskiest score ranges'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A credit score is a numerical expression based on a level analysis of a person's credit files, to represent the creditworthiness of an individual. A credit score is primarily based on a credit report,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_score

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A credit score is a number that provides a comparative estimate of an individual's creditworthiness based on an analysis of their credit report. It is an inexpensive and main alternative to other form…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_score_in_the_United_Sta…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — VantageScore is a consumer credit-scoring system in the United States, created through a joint venture of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). The model is managed and m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VantageScore

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “In a study VantageScore conducted on 600,000 people last year, it found that about 10% of the 77 million credit-relevant renters in the country would benefit from updating the credit score”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte... announced April 22 that they were expanding a pilot to allow mortgage lenders to use VantageScore ratings to assess borrower creditworthiness, in addition to or instead of traditional FICO scores”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by a Wikipedia entry stating William Pulte is the director of FHFA and a web search result explicitly mentioning the April 22 announcement regarding the VantageScore pilot.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William John Pulte (born May 28, 1988) is an American businessman who has served as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since 2025.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pulte

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is an independent federal agency in the United States created as the successor regulatory agency of the Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB), the Office of Fe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Housing_Finance_Agency

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “Fannie Mae provided $116 billion in liquidity to 385,000 households in the first quarter”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 13: “VantageScore is a scoring model developed by the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. They operate it through a joint venture called VantageScore Solutions LLC”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources explicitly state that VantageScore was created as a joint venture between Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and is operated by VantageScore Solutions LLC.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — VantageScore is a consumer credit-scoring system in the United States, created through a joint venture of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). The model is managed and m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VantageScore

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web search NEUTRAL — VantageScore is the leading credit score modeling and analytics company for innovation and financial inclusion. Learn more on how we are helping lenders make better lending decision and giving consume…
https://www.vantagescore.com/about/about-vantagescore

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web search NEUTRAL — Experian, Equifax, and Transunion saw a need for a universal scoring method with an emphasis on simplicity and consistency. With this in mind, they developed VantageScore®. [4].
https://www.marinerfinance.com/blog/what-is-vantagescore/

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Claim 14: “Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage announced April 29 it would begin accepting FICO and VantageScore”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 15: “Fannie and Freddie buy whole loans from mortgage lenders to package as securities for investors”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This is a fundamental operational fact about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac confirmed by multiple web sources and Wikipedia descriptions of their role in the secondary mortgage market.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 16: “VantageScore... estimates that including rental payment history allows about 7.7 million Americans to boost their credit score above 620”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web results confirm VantageScore conducted a study on rent data and that it helps millions become mortgage-worthy, the specific figure of '7.7 million Americans' is not explicitly repeated across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Vantage Point is a 2008 American political action thriller film directed by Pete Travis and written by Barry L. Levy. The story focuses on an assassination attempt on the President of the United State…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vantage_Point_(film)

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.