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entry · p2026-09-06-001 · validated

Learned credit scorecards (Fair Isaac / FICO Score)

approximately 190 million consumers can currently receive a FICO
tech
credit-scorecards
passes the definition as
a scoring formula fit to lenders' own repayment histories, replacing the loan officer's judgment
from
1989
region
US
domain
agency
side
loss
people
190,000,000 consumers scored (2018)
effect
90 percent (2018) — over 90 percent of US consumer credit lending decisions are made on a model's score, whose formula the person scored cannot see
reversible
yes
who holds the switch
owner:Fair Isaac Corporation and the three national credit bureaus
attribution
named
source kind
primary
the statistic
In its 2018 submission to the FHFA, FICO states that approximately 190 million US consumers can receive a FICO Score on traditional bureau data (91% of credit applicants) and that FICO Scores are used in over 90 percent of all US consumer credit lending decisions; the score was introduced in 1989 and the underlying scorecard business dates to 1958.
source
https://www.fhfa.gov/sites/default/files/discussion_topics/Attachments/1004/FICO%20-%20Credit%20Score%20RFI%20Submission.pdf
proposed by
researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, era-1930-1989
received
2026-09-06T09:39:39-04:00
harvest report
impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-era-1930-1989.md

Rulings, in order

  1. 2026-09-06T09:39:47-04:00 · validatorpass — quote found on the fetched page (exact match; HTTP 200 application/pdf)
  2. 2026-09-06T09:59:36-04:00 · sessionseverity — decisions about 190M with recourse via FCRA: a decision you can dispute
The proposal as it arrived (JSON)
{
 "id": "p2026-09-06-001",
 "received": "2026-09-06T09:39:39-04:00",
 "proposer": "researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, era-1930-1989",
 "kind": "entry",
 "sha": "28077da7dfb1c303",
 "data": {
  "kind": "entry",
  "tech": "credit-scorecards",
  "tech_name": "Learned credit scorecards (Fair Isaac / FICO Score)",
  "definition": "a scoring formula fit to lenders' own repayment histories, replacing the loan officer's judgment",
  "from": "1989",
  "region": "US",
  "domain": "agency",
  "side": "loss",
  "people": {
   "n": 190000000,
   "unit": "consumers scored",
   "date": "2018"
  },
  "effect": {
   "n": 90,
   "unit": "percent",
   "date": "2018",
   "what": "over 90 percent of US consumer credit lending decisions are made on a model's score, whose formula the person scored cannot see"
  },
  "reversible": true,
  "switch": "owner:Fair Isaac Corporation and the three national credit bureaus",
  "statistic": "In its 2018 submission to the FHFA, FICO states that approximately 190 million US consumers can receive a FICO Score on traditional bureau data (91% of credit applicants) and that FICO Scores are used in over 90 percent of all US consumer credit lending decisions; the score was introduced in 1989 and the underlying scorecard business dates to 1958.",
  "source": "https://www.fhfa.gov/sites/default/files/discussion_topics/Attachments/1004/FICO%20-%20Credit%20Score%20RFI%20Submission.pdf",
  "quote": "approximately 190 million consumers can currently receive a FICO",
  "attribution": "named",
  "source_kind": "primary"
 },
 "from_file": "impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-era-1930-1989.md"
}