Does Wells Fargo Use FICO (Fair Isaac Corp) Score 9?

Wells Fargo does use FICO Score 9, but the adoption is product‑by‑product and not yet universal; the bank began rolling out FICO 9 in early 2022 for most consumer credit cards, personal loans and auto loans, so those applications now benefit from the model's paid‑collections‑ignored and medical‑debt‑de‑emphasized features,

many mortgage, home‑equity and business‑loan decisions still rely on older FICO versions pending a full phase‑in.

Wells Fargo applies FICO 9 to several of its newer consumer and business credit products, though legacy loans may still run older versions. Below are the offerings most likely to use the FICO 9 model:

• Wells Fargo Reflect® credit card - launched with FICO 9 as the default scoring model.
• Wells Fargo Active Cash® credit card - uses FICO 9 for new applications and periodic re‑evaluations.
• Wells Fargo personal loans - recent intake pipelines have switched to FICO 9, especially for borrowers with recent credit activity.
• Wells Fargo auto loans - new auto financing applications are scored with FICO 9, reflecting the model's emphasis on recent payment behavior.
• Wells Fargo small‑business loans - business credit lines opened after 2022 may be evaluated with FICO 9, aligning with the bank's broader rollout strategy.

Wells Fargo may show the exact FICO version in its online portal, in the decision‑email disclosure, or through a direct inquiry.

1. Log into your Wells Fargo online account.
   
   Navigate to the credit‑score page; the 'Score Model' line often reads 'FICO Score 9' or another version.
2. Open the email or letter that accompanied any recent loan or credit‑card decision.
   
   Look for a section titled 'Credit Score Disclosure' - it sometimes lists the model used.
3. Call the Wells Fargo customer‑service number on the back of your card.
   
   Provide the pull date and product name; the representative can confirm which FICO version was applied.
4. If the representative cannot tell you, request a formal credit‑score disclosure in writing.
   
   Note: the CFPB‑mandated disclosure may omit the model, so this step might still leave the version unclear.

These four actions give you the most reliable ways to determine which FICO version Wells Fargo pulled for a specific inquiry.

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• Wells Fargo still runs legacy underwriting platforms designed for FICO 8, and overhauling them requires significant time and cost.
• The bank's risk team may trust the long‑standing performance data of older models for certain products, such as auto or personal loans, where FICO 9 histories are thin.
• State‑level compliance rules can slow adoption, so Wells Fargo might rely on older FICO versions in jurisdictions with tighter regulations.
• The national rollout schedule for FICO 9 began in 2024 and won't be complete until around 2026, meaning many Wells Fargo processing centers have not yet switched.
• Existing vendor contracts with credit bureaus often lock in a specific score version; renegotiating for FICO 9 may not be on the immediate agenda.

Paid collections usually disappear from a Wells Fargo decision when the bank pulls a FICO Score 9, because FICO 9 ignores any collection that is marked paid. If Wells Fargo is still using an older FICO version, those paid collections can still lower the score and could trigger a denial.

Because the rollout of FICO 9 began in early 2023 and is still staggered across products, your application may be evaluated with either model. When FICO 9 is in effect, a cleared collection no longer drags your score, boosting approval odds; if an older model applies, the same collection remains a negative factor and may be reviewed manually. For more on how FICO 9 treats paid collections, see FICO's official explanation of Score 9 changes.

Under FICO 9, Wells Fargo generally treats medical debt far less harshly than under older models. Paid medical collections are removed from the score, and any remaining unpaid medical balances receive a lower weighting, so they often do not tip a borderline applicant into denial.

• Paid medical collections are ignored, so they rarely cause a denial.
• Unpaid medical accounts stay on the report but count less, meaning a moderate balance may not push a borderline score below the cutoff.
• If Wells Fargo has not yet migrated to FICO 9 for a particular product, the older model's heavier penalty still applies (see '5 reasons Wells Fargo might still use older FICO models').
• Because the FICO 9 rollout is phased, some borrowers receive the medical‑de‑emphasis today while others will see the old impact until their product switches (see 'when FICO 9 rollout timing affects your Wells Fargo application').

If Wells Fargo hasn't finished switching the relevant loan or credit‑card line to FICO 9 yet, the timing of the rollout can determine which version of your score the bank actually sees, and that can swing an approval one way or the other. The bank typically phases in FICO 9 by product and geography, so an application submitted during the transition may be scored with an older model that still penalizes paid collections or medical debt.

When the older model is used, a paid collection that FICO 9 would ignore still drags your score down, potentially causing a denial that would not occur under the newer algorithm. Conversely, once the line has migrated to FICO 9, the same collection disappears from the scoring formula, often lifting the score enough to meet Wells Fargo's threshold.

Because the rollout schedule is not publicly announced, the safest approach is to monitor your credit before applying, wait a few weeks after a major credit‑changing event, and consider re‑applying if you learn that the product has already adopted FICO 9. This timing awareness directly ties into the strategies covered in the next section on improving your Wells Fargo approval under FICO 9.

Wells Fargo hasn't confirmed a full rollout of FICO 9, but if the bank does use that version, the score's unique features let you boost approval by targeting the factors it values most.

1. Resolve paid collections quickly. FICO 9 ignores collections that are marked 'paid,' so contacting creditors to settle and have the status updated can lift your score dramatically.
2. Minimize medical debt exposure. The model down‑weights medical balances, especially if they're under $500 or recently paid; pay off or negotiate these bills before a pull.
3. Keep credit‑card utilization below 10 %. Utilization remains a core driver; lower it well before the application to show strong risk management.
4. Avoid new hard inquiries for at least 30 days. FICO 9 still penalizes fresh inquiries, so delay any non‑essential credit applications.
5. Strengthen payment‑history trends. The score looks at 24‑month payment patterns; set up automatic payments to ensure no missed or late payments in the recent past.
6. Correct any reporting errors. Dispute inaccurate entries on your credit reports; clean data improves the trended analysis FICO 9 uses.
7. Ask Wells Fargo to pull the latest FICO 9 score. If you suspect they'll use that version, request a fresh pull rather than relying on a cached older score.

Follow these steps and you'll be positioned for a better chance of approval - whether Wells Fargo sticks with FICO 8 today or eventually shifts to FICO 9.

Wells Fargo may reject your application because the pulled FICO Score 9 falls below its internal threshold, but you can request a review.

First, obtain the credit report that generated the score. Contact the credit bureau listed in the denial letter, ask for the full file and confirm which FICO version was used. If the report shows a FICO 9, note paid collections or medical debt that should be down‑weighted under FICO Score 9 rules.

Appeal checklist

• Write a concise appeal letter to the Wells Fargo underwriting desk, reference the denial code and include your report excerpt.
• Highlight any inaccuracies (e.g., incorrectly reported late payments) and attach supporting documentation.
• Request that the lender re‑run the score using a newer FICO model if your report shows a pre‑9 version.
• If the denial was due to a specific score cutoff, ask for a manual under‑writer review that considers the paid‑collection and medical‑debt adjustments unique to FICO 9.
• Provide proof of recent positive credit activity (on‑time payments, reduced balances) to demonstrate improved risk.
• Follow up within 7 - 10 business days via phone, citing your written appeal and asking for a timeline on the decision.

Wells Fargo's response will either confirm the original decision, supply a revised score, or grant a conditional approval based on the new information. If the outcome remains unfavorable, you can move on to the next section on improving your chances under FICO 9.

Lenders add overlays when they deliberately boost the mortgage FICO score above the raw bureau number, usually to meet program thresholds or to reward a strong overall profile. An overlay might add 20‑30 points to a FICO Score 2 from Experian, or a similar cushion to a FICO Score 4 from Equifax, even though the consumer's official report shows a lower figure. The practice is common with FHA, VA, and USDA loans, where the underwriting rules permit a fixed 'margin' to compensate for the models' conservative bias. Because the overlay is not reflected in the credit‑bureau file, the borrower sees a higher mortgage FICO score on the lender's portal than on any free‑FICO check.

Lenders apply manual score adjustments when they recalculate the mortgage FICO score using human judgement instead of the automated algorithm. A loan officer may subtract points for a recent late payment that hasn't yet appeared on the Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion reports, or they may raise the score if they verify that high credit utilization is temporary. These tweaks typically affect the FICO Score 5 from TransUnion and the FICO Score 4 from Equifax, and they rely on the lender's internal policy rather than the bureau's static model. The result is a mortgage FICO score that can differ noticeably from the consumer's free‑FICO view, and the adjustment may vary each time the loan file is reviewed. Understanding lender score overlays

FICO Score 9 may play a role in how Wells Fargo evaluates business and commercial loans, but the bank has not announced a universal switch for these products.

Current disclosures suggest that most commercial underwriting still leans on legacy scoring models (often FICO 8) or internal risk algorithms, while a selective rollout of FICO 9 could appear in certain middle‑market lines as the bank completes its phased adoption.

When Wells Fargo does apply FICO 9, its hallmark features - paid collections ignored and medical debt de‑emphasized - could improve approval odds for businesses with historic collection accounts or healthcare‑related expenses. The impact is most noticeable for borrowers whose credit file contains older paid collections; those scores may rise enough to meet the bank's threshold for a small‑business line of credit.

For the latest details on the scoring model, see the official FICO Score 9 overview. This nuance sets the stage for the next section on how timing of the FICO 9 rollout may affect your application.