Credit scoring is the marketing story of the week. FHA's Mortgagee Letter 2026-11 adds VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T alongside Classic FICO for case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027, while keeping the existing minimum decision credit score thresholds of 500, 580 and 620. Lenders are moving on their own timelines too: National Mortgage Professional reports that UWM is extending VantageScore eligibility to select non-agency loans, and that eLEND is lowering credit score floors on select FHA cash-out refinances and conventional loans through year-end. FHA's office hours on alternative credit scores run November 16 through 20. None of this guarantees a different answer for any one borrower, since a newer model can score a file higher or lower, but it is a dated, specific reason to reopen conversations with the people you had to tell "not yet."
The rate backdrop helps the timing. Bankrate's 30-year fixed reads 7.26% today, the bottom of its 30-day window and 31 bps under the October 12 high of 7.57%, though still above the 90-day low of 6.67%. Bankrate has FHA at 7.13%. On a $400K loan, today's 30-year payment is about $2,731 a month, about $85 less than at the October high. So the "not yet" borrower who comes back early next year is not walking into a higher payment than the one that stopped them, as long as rates hold near here.
The tactical move is a two-step nurture rather than a pitch. Step one this week: a short, plain-English note explaining what is changing and what is not (minimums stay put; the new models apply to case numbers from January 1), with an offer of a no-pressure credit review. Step two in early December: a follow-up to the people who replied, with one or two specific things they can do before the new year. Keep the promise honest. You are offering a fresh look and a plan, not an approval.
pull every 2026 lead you paused or declined for credit, tag them "credit-not-yet" in your CRM, and schedule the first note for Thursday so it lands before Friday's jobs report.