Navigating Through Unpredictable Lending Challenges

About this episode

Emmaline Aliff discusses FICO's new Mortgage Direct Licensing program with Matt Orlando, exploring its implications for lenders and borrowers.

Emmaline Aliff of Equifax sits down with Matt Orlando, Chief Experience Officer at Informative Research, to unpack one of the most talked-about developments in mortgage lending: FICO’s new Mortgage Direct Licensing program and what it could mean for lenders, credit providers, and borrowers. In this episode: What is FICO’s Mortgage Direct Licensing program? FICO’s Mortgage Direct Licensing program allows lenders and technology providers to license FICO scores directly, rather than receiving them solely through traditional credit reporting agencies. The program is still new, and its full impact on the mortgage ecosystem has yet to be determined. How could FICO Direct Licensing impact mortgage lenders? Lenders are still evaluating how the program will affect their overall cost of credit each month and whether it will increase expenses across the loan lifecycle. What risks does Direct Licensing introduce into the mortgage market? The program introduces risk across multiple layers of the ecosystem. Credit reporting agencies may now be asked to generate scores—something they have not historically done. Lenders must assess the reliability of these scores, while the broader mortgage…

People in this episode

Host: Emmaline Aliff

Guest: Matt Orlando

Topics covered

• mortgage lending
• FICO scores
• lending challenges
• credit reporting
• borrower impact
• lender expenses

Keywords

• FICO
• mortgage lending
• credit providers
• lenders
• Direct Licensing
• credit reporting agencies
• borrower costs
• mortgage ecosystem

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Equifax, Informative Research

Products: FICO

More episodes of Market Pulse

• Understanding the K-Shaped Economy in 2026 · May 7, 2026 · 39 min
• Auto Market Trends: Affordability, EVs & What’s Next · March 26, 2026 · 44 min
• TriMerge vs. Single Credit Reports: What’s at Stake? · March 12, 2026 · 31 min
• A Lender’s Case for VantageScore · February 5, 2026 · 27 min
• What’s Next for Mortgage Lending, with Freddie Mac · January 20, 2026 · 33 min
• Modernizing the Mortgage Journey: A Deeper Look · January 20, 2026 · 32 min