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FICO changes could lower 40 million credit scores

The change in how FICO is measured could make it more expensive for millions of Americans to borrow.

FICO changes could lower 40 million credit scores
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The Fair Isaac Corporation is changing how it calculates the most widely used credit score, the FICO score. Overall, about 110 million people will see their scores change, with about 40 million scores falling under the new method, which could go into effect this summer.

“Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal spoke with Dorothy Kelly, who teaches personal finance at the University of Virginia, about the announcement.

“The big change is it’s going to not look at your balances for one month,” Kelly said. “It’s going to look at your balances over 24 months.”

This new model is designed to give lenders more insight into how consumers are managing their credit and debt, which is at record highs.

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