Credit score tiers
Why 680 can be worth more than the next tier up.
680 is not universally the most important score. It becomes especially valuable in scenarios where a mortgage-insurance drop or a program debt-ratio rule sits there.
Why that can outweigh a nearby pricing step
A conventional LLPA step can be modest on its own. A mortgage-insurance change is a separate monthly component. In DC and Nevada, verified state-program DTI rules also change at 680; USDA manual ratio waivers use 680 with required compensating factors. Those are different benefits and are never added into one score.
When 680 is not the tier that matters most
FHA’s 580 minimum, a lender’s conventional 620 minimum, an assistance program’s score minimum, or a lower co-borrower’s representative score can matter more. The card ranks those doors ahead of insurance and pricing when they apply.
Rates as of
Example: $400,000 home · 5% down ($20,000) ChangeDone
The rate a lender quoted you at your current score (ideally with no points).
25 points to go. A Score Express rescore can often get you there in a day or two, at no cost to you.
Estimated principal, interest and mortgage insurance only. Property taxes, homeowners insurance and HOA dues are not included.
Estimated. Rates start from Freddie Mac’s average for excellent credit and 20% down, which we treat as the best tier; lower tiers add the published price adjustment.
In most states, insurers also use your credit to price homeowners insurance; a stronger score can lower that cost too.
About these numbers
Calibration. We treat Freddie Mac’s average rate for excellent credit and 20% down (its survey profile) as the best tier, 780 and above. That is our modeling assumption, not Freddie Mac’s. The differences between tiers come from the published Fannie Mae grid.
Down payment and price adjustments. The adjustments are largest between about 75% and 85% loan-to-value, so a larger down payment does not always mean a lower rate.
Estimates. Monthly payments are estimates for the example shown, not a rate quote or a decision about your loan. How we turn the price adjustment into an interest rate is still provisional.
Major tiers are heavier. State markers come only from verified, current program rules. 620 is the conventional minimum at most lenders; lenders and mortgage insurers set it, and Fannie Mae’s automated underwriting no longer publishes a minimum.
Rescore results. Three in four rescores requested to raise the score moved it up at least one tier. Counted by file, not attempt. Rescores recorded as requests to raise the score, September 2024 to September 2026.
Sources. Fannie Mae LLPA matrix 9 September 2026; Enact fixed monthly MI card updated 17 Jul 2025; Freddie Mac PMMS 2026-09-17. Rate/P&I translation is provisional. Nothing entered here leaves this browser.
See also Disclosures and sources.
| Your tier (640–659) | Next tier (660–679) | Best tier (780+) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| More home for the same payment provisional | $400,000the example home | +$2,487more home, same principal and interest | +$16,619more home, same principal and interest |
From 655 to 680:
| Mortgage insurance | $117/mo less Enact fixed monthly card: 1.33% → 0.96%, 30% coverage. |
|---|---|
| Principal & interest | $32/mo lower provisional Estimated P&I. Starting rate: 6.95% Freddie Mac PMMS, a national average for borrowers with excellent credit and 20% down, taken as the 780+ band at 80% LTV; each score band adds its published pricing difference from that profile, converted to rate at 0.25 points of rate per pricing point (the midpoint of the 0.17 to 0.33 range in three lender rate sheets dated 23 Sep 2026). Not a rate quote. |
5 points to the next tier (660), where pricing improves again. How buyers get across: a loan officer checks the file; a Score Express rescore updates or corrects information on the file, usually within a day or two, at no cost to you, fast enough to matter while you are under contract. An average Score Express change is +23.5 points. From 655 that lands near 679, in the 660–679 tier. An average, not a prediction; your loan officer sees what your file allows.
Three in four rescores requested to raise the score moved it up at least one tier. Counted by file, not attempt. Rescores recorded as requests to raise the score, September 2024 to September 2026.
- Loan / LTV
- $380,000 · 95.0% LTV
- Debt-ratio ceiling that applies
- Program-specific: Choose a loan program or a verified state assistance rule to show a specific published DTI ceiling. FHA manual underwriting changes at 580; USDA manual ratio waivers start at 680.
estimate Reference illustration: moving a ceiling from 43% to 50% adds about $88,000 of P&I-only principal capacity on $100,000 of income at 6.95%, before taxes, insurance and lender overlays.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac waive these adjustments for some first-time buyers under an area income limit. A loan officer can tell you whether that applies to you.