Moneybox

Unfortunately, Trump’s Housing Guy Has a Point

FICO’s monopoly on mortgages is finally loosening. Homebuyers aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit.

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Oct 27, 2026 5:45 AM

Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images and Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

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To me , the Fair Isaac Corporation might be the most boring company in America. Everyone knows more or less what the company does: Issue a score that tells lenders how good it thinks you are with money. But I’d bet that a good chunk of us don’t realize it’s an actual company.

FICO probably prefers it that way.…