Equifax Inc. has introduced Equifax Mortgage Score Select™, a new solution designed to provide mortgage lenders and brokers with greater flexibility and cost efficiency during loan origination.

The offering enables the mortgage industry to pull an Equifax mortgage credit file without a credit score or with a selected score, such as VantageScore® 4.0, Classic FICO®, or FICO® Score 10T when approved. This approach supports a dual-score environment while addressing operational needs.

Key features of the new solution

The solution addresses specific operational requirements for lenders:

• Flexible score selection: Lenders can choose which score accompanies the file or opt for no score at all.
• Cost-effective repulls: A second look at the mortgage credit file within 24 hours costs just $1, plus the cost of the selected score (if any).
• Single score per file: Each file has one accompanying score, ensuring clarity on which metric applies to the decision.

Strategic positioning for regulatory changes

This launch proactively positions lenders ahead of the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) acceptance of VantageScore 4.0 for eligible mortgage loans, effective January 1, 2027. It also ensures compliance with current secondary market requirements regarding score usage.

Joel Rickman, General Manager & SVP, U.S. Mortgage and Verification Services, stated that the tool helps lenders achieve two key objectives: cost-effectively gaining access to more data to support lending decisions and qualifying more borrowers based on expanded data sets.

What the numbers show

The pricing structure highlights a strategic focus on volume and efficiency rather than per-unit margin maximization. By setting the repull fee at $1, Equifax lowers the barrier for lenders to re-evaluate files within a short window. This low-cost mechanism encourages higher transaction volumes from lenders who might otherwise avoid re-checking data due to cost constraints. The ability to pull files without a score further broadens the addressable market by decoupling the data utility from the scoring model choice.

Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) launched two new intelligence solutions, Signal Score for Email and Signal Score for Device, to help businesses mitigate automated fraud in real time. These tools target e-commerce retailers, financial institutions, and telecommunication companies facing sophisticated threats like account takeovers and synthetic identity fraud.

Real-time risk assessment capabilities

The new solutions leverage Equifax's differentiated data to evaluate risk at the start of a transaction. Unlike traditional tools that rely on static global networks or lagging database files, these scores use proprietary, first-party sourced data and unique identity linkage. This approach connects digital session behaviors with trusted, real-world consumer profiles to detect tactics such as script-driven account farming and location spoofing.

How the solutions work

The two products function as follows:

• Signal Score for Email: Evaluates an email address in real time by assessing account age, history, and risk level to determine trustworthiness.
• Signal Score for Device: Analyzes the computer or phone used in a transaction by connecting device details, location data, and network information to validate the electronic instrument against the user.

Integration and operational impact

Both Signal Scores connect directly to existing fraud prevention or case management systems through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). This allows companies to enhance current fraud stacks without adding slow, extra steps for legitimate consumers. Businesses can deploy both tools together or select one to address specific data intelligence gaps.

Ajay Guru, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Identity & Fraud Services at Equifax, stated that businesses can no longer rely on static snapshots of customers to stop fraud. He emphasized that the new solutions deliver a trust score in real time, offering customers a better view of users to mitigate fraud more quickly.

What the Numbers Show

Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries and employs nearly 15,000 people worldwide. The company positions these new tools as a response to the limitations of traditional checks, which cannot see behind digital blind spots created by VPNs and emulators. By spotting high-risk users early, the solutions aim to reduce manual review costs while maintaining a faster experience for honest consumers.