Tri-merge credit reports face an uncertain future as MBA says change is coming

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If FHFA moves away from the three-bureau requirement, loan officers could see changes in credit pulls, pricing conversations, and borrower documentation workflows.

Tri-merge credit reports may be headed for a major change, according to an Oct. 12, 2026 HousingWire report on comments from Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO Bob Broeksmit. HousingWire reported that Broeksmit said tri-merge “won’t be around for long” while the Federal Housing Finance Agency weighs options for mortgage credit reporting.

That matters because the mortgage credit report is not just a compliance checkbox. It affects borrower cost conversations, file set-up, automated underwriting inputs, credit supplement work, rescores, and the basic cadence of how a loan officer gets a borrower from preapproval to clear-to-close.

Key takeaways

• HousingWire reported that MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit said tri-merge credit reports “won’t be around for long.”
• FHFA is described as weighing options, but no final replacement structure or implementation timeline has been confirmed in the supplied source material.
• Any move away from tri-merge could affect credit-report ordering, borrower conversations, underwriting workflows, and lender vendor processes.
• Loan officers should not sell this as a done deal yet; the practical move is to watch for formal FHFA and GSE guidance before changing process.

Sources

• HousingWire — Bob Broeksmit says tri-merge ‘won’t be around for long’

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