Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has opened an antitrust investigation into Fair Isaac Corporation, the company behind the widely used FICO credit score, demanding internal documents and other nonpublic information as state enforcers examine whether the company has used its position in the credit-scoring market to suppress competition and raise costs.
The attorney general’s office said it issued a Civil Investigative Demand to FICO on July 1, seeking records related to pricing, licensing agreements, communications about competitors, exclusionary contracts, market-share analyses and documents produced in existing federal antitrust litigation. The probe is examining whether FICO violated the Florida Antitrust Act through alleged monopolistic conduct, including product bundling, predatory pricing and restrictive agreements with credit bureaus.
The investigation adds fresh pressure on one of the most influential companies in U.S. consumer finance. FICO scores are used by lenders to assess borrower risk in mortgage, auto, credit card and other lending decisions. Florida officials said the company’s dominance gives it unusual power over a key part of the credit system, with potential costs passed on to consumers seeking loans.
“Floridians deserve fair access to credit—not a system controlled by one company that repeatedly jacks up prices and blocks competition,” Uthmeier said in announcing the subpoena.
Read more: FICO Loses Bid to Dismiss Antitrust Claims Over Credit-Scoring Market
The inquiry comes amid broader scrutiny of FICO’s pricing practices. Industry critics and plaintiffs in related litigation have alleged that the company has sharply increased the cost of credit scores used in mortgage lending, with some reports saying prices rose from less than $1 to as much as $10 per score.
FICO has previously defended the value and reliability of its scoring products, arguing that its models help lenders make consistent and predictive credit decisions. The company has also promoted newer scoring models, including FICO Score 10T, as part of ongoing changes in mortgage credit assessment.
Source: Global competition Review
RMAi-Certified Debt Buyer
The exchange for the debt economy