UltraFICO Score: How Your Bank Account Can Help Your Credit
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The UltraFICO Score lets you add your bank account history to your credit profile. If you have little credit history, or you’re just short of qualifying, it could help. On May 20, 2026, FICO made a next-generation UltraFICO Score available, built with Plaid.
What is the UltraFICO Score?
It’s a FICO score that combines your traditional credit report data with cash-flow data from your bank accounts. It uses the same 300–850 scale lenders already know. Your bank data is only used if you give permission.
What it looks at
With your consent, the score can consider information from your checking and savings accounts, such as:
- How stable your balances are over time
- Whether you have regular deposits, like a paycheck
- Your spending patterns, and whether you tend to overdraw
FICO says bank data is connected through Plaid’s network of more than 12,000 financial institutions.
Who it can help
- People with thin credit files: young adults, new arrivals and people who avoid credit cards
- Borrowers just below a lender’s cutoff
- People who manage their bank accounts well but have past credit problems
It isn’t guaranteed to raise your score. FICO’s own analysis found that about 79% of non-prime applicants with a history of positive account balances saw higher scores, which means some didn’t. Low balances or frequent overdrafts could work against you.
Can you use it for a mortgage?
Lenders decide which scores they use. Most mortgage lending still relies on classic FICO scores, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are phasing in newer models, so ask your loan officer before counting on UltraFICO for a home loan. It may be more useful today for credit cards and personal loans at lenders that offer it.
How to get your traditional score ready too
UltraFICO builds on top of your regular credit report, so the basics still matter:
- Build positive history. Self reports monthly payments to all three bureaus.
- Remove errors. Dovly automates TransUnion disputes.
- Track all three reports with SmartCredit.
- Keep a healthy bank balance and avoid overdrafts, which helps if you ever opt in to UltraFICO.
Not sure where your score stands for a home loan? The Rate Update can pull the scores a mortgage lender will actually see.
Frequently asked questions
Is the UltraFICO Score free?
There’s no cost to consumers to opt in when a lender offers it. You share bank data only if you give permission.
Can UltraFICO lower my score?
Possibly. Low balances or frequent overdrafts may not help. FICO’s own data shows most, but not all, eligible applicants saw higher scores.
Do all lenders use UltraFICO?
No. Each lender chooses which scores it uses. Ask before you apply.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. Dan Frio | NMLS #246527 | PBT Bancorp | NMLS #257781. Mortgage products are originated by PBT Bancorp, NMLS #257781. Equal Housing Lender.
