FICO's New Credit Model to De-Emphasize Med. Debt, Boosting Scores -- But Will Lenders Heed?

``FICO's move appears to be part of a wider trend in the industry. VantageScore, one of the main competitors to the FICO model, introduced "VantageScore 3.0" in March 2013 to exclude all paid collection accounts including paid medical accounts. "The real test of a model's capability is how it performs on each lender's unique portfolio," says Barrett Burns, president and CEO of VantageScore, which is owned by three credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. But VantageScore 3.0 has gained traction among the largest lenders, Burns adds, which could bode well for FICO.''