Guide More Borrowers to Approval With These 3 Credit Score Tools

It’s no secret that credit scores can make or break a borrower’s mortgage eligibility. In 2024, over 80% of new mortgage loan debt was issued to borrowers with credit scores of 720 or above. Meanwhile, less than 4% went to subprime applicants with scores below 620.

In a lending landscape where every point counts, guiding your applicants toward stronger creditworthiness can be a key differentiator. Not only can it help you close more loans, but it can also position you as a reliable resource for aspiring homebuyers.

So, how can you help more applicants go from declined to approved? In this article, we’ll explain why credit is so important in 2025. After that, we’ll outline how you can use three different credit score improvement tools to support your applicants from prequalification to closing

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Why Credit Score Improvement Matters More Than Ever in 2025

As inflation continues to squeeze American’s budgets, housing affordability remains a top challenge for aspiring homebuyers. According to the National Association of Home Builders, nearly 60% of people can’t comfortably afford a $300,000 home, which is below the average home price of $361,263.

While many people feel priced out of the market, those who can afford to buy a home are still quite rate-sensitive. These cost-conscious homebuyers understandably want to get the most affordable mortgage possible.

One of the most effective ways to lower borrowers’ mortgage rates and monthly payments is to help them raise their credit scores before they submit their formal applications. Even a small boost in their scores can shave hundreds to thousands of dollars off the total cost of their mortgage loans.

What Are Certified Credit’s Score Improvement Tools?

At Certified Credit, we understand how powerful credit score improvement can be for borrowers and lenders alike. That’s why we offer several solutions through strategic partnerships.

Our leading credit score improvement tools currently include:

#1 ScoreNavigator

ScoreNavigator is a cutting-edge credit score management platform that gives you access to a plethora of powerful tools, from insightful simulators to personalized action plans. In turn, it can help you coach your applicants into stronger creditworthiness with confidence.

ScoreNavigator’s top features include:

Mortgage Action Plan (MAP) – MAP generates detailed, personalized plans to help applicants strengthen their credit scores. It does so by identifying the most pressing areas for improvement and suggesting strategic recommendations to help them achieve mortgage readiness.
Target Score Simulator – The Target Score Simulator calculates the fastest path an applicant should follow to achieve their desired credit score, whether that’s paying down a high credit card balance or resolving an outstanding collections account. It also pinpoints the best day to pull your applicant’s credit to ensure their score reflects the greatest possible improvement.
Money Simulator – When funds are limited, every payment has an opportunity cost. ScoreNavigator’s Money Simulator can help applicants maximize the use of their available funds by highlighting the best accounts to pay down first. This data-driven approach can help them get the greatest score improvement per dollar.
Manual Simulator – The Manual Simulator allows lenders and borrowers to test a wide range of hypothetical credit behavior, from opening a new line of credit to canceling an open credit card account. These personalized insights can help applicants make more informed decisions leading up to their home purchase.

By implementing these advanced solutions early on in your lending process, you can help more applicants qualify for their loans and secure affordable rates and terms.

#2 FICO® Score Mortgage Simulator

The FICO Score Mortgage Simulator, our latest credit score improvement solution, was built specifically for mortgage professionals by FICO analytic scientists. It’s the only simulator that uses FICO score algorithms, enabling you to see how various actions may impact borrowers’ FICO® 2, 4, and 5 credit scores (the ones most commonly used in mortgage lending).

Some notable capabilities of FICO Score Mortgage Simulator include:

Model-specific simulations – Rather than forecasting how a certain action may impact an applicant’s generic credit score, this simulator estimates its precise impact on specific FICO credit scoring models. Currently, these models include FICO 2 (Experian), FICO 4 (TransUnion), and FICO 5 (Equifax).
Variety of simulation scenarios – FICO Score Mortgage Simulator allows you to model a wide range of credit behaviors, including:
- Paying down or paying off revolving credit balances
- Removing third-party collection accounts
- Upgrading derogatory tradelines to “paid”
- Modifying the status of delinquent accounts
- Removing disputed credit information
- Increasing account balance sizes
- Deleting accounts

By the end of this year, FICO Score Mortgage Simulator will be able to map out how the passage of time impacts applicants’ scores and craft personalized action plans. By 2026, it will also be able to simulate the removal of historical delinquencies and the addition of various accounts, as well as how all of these actions will impact FICO 10T.

Supports smarter decision-making – By clearly displaying projected credit score changes before any action is taken, FICO Score Mortgage Simulator empowers you and your applicants to weigh the pros and cons of various credit management strategies. For example, you can see if it’s more beneficial to pay off a high-utilization credit card or remove an outdated collection.
Faster approvals – With the help of FICO Score Mortgage Simulator, you can quickly determine which score improvement strategy is most likely to push an applicant’s score over a key threshold, enabling them to qualify for a loan, reduce their private mortgage insurance (PMI) requirements, or access a better interest rate.
Future-proof precision – If you’ve been keeping up with the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) announcements, you already know that Classic FICO is on its way out. In its place, FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 will soon be the go-to credit scoring models for mortgage loans. FICO Score Mortgage Simulator is unveiling its FICO 10T simulations in 2026, so you can rest assured that it will still provide timely, relevant insights once these credit scoring changes officially take effect.

Read More: New Changes Coming to Credit Scoring Models & Credit Reporting

#3 Rapid Rescore

While not a simulation tool, Rapid Rescore also plays an important role in the credit score improvement process. This solution enables you to integrate your applicants’ latest credit score improvements into their scores within a few days, rather than waiting for a new reporting cycle.

With Rapid Rescore, you can help your applicants secure better rates while they pursue tight bidding and closing deadlines. In turn, you can ensure all the hard work they put in reflects in their score when it matters most.

Read More: Rapid Rescores vs. Credit Supplements: What’s the Difference?When to Use These Credit Score Improvement Tools

Now that you understand how these three tools work, you may be wondering how to integrate them into your workflows to maximize their impact. Here are four powerful use cases:

Advise non-qualifying prequalification applicants – Many people may apply for prequalification with you, only to find out that their credit scores are insufficient. Rather than letting these leads fall through the cracks, you can nurture them into loyal borrowers by offering personalized credit improvement support.
Entice rate shoppers with your unique score improvement offerings – Even applicants with strong credit scores may shop around with various lenders to see which one can offer them the best rate. By offering customized credit coaching, you can sharpen your competitive edge and stand out to these discerning rate shoppers.
Re-engage old leads to spark more business – If you’ve turned away on-the-cusp applicants in the past, you can reach out to these leads again and highlight your new credit score improvement offerings. Helping these rejected leads improve their scores may win back their business and help them finally move the needle on their home purchase.
Strengthen your retention rates by assisting your existing borrowers – When your current borrowers start shopping around for new loan products, from HELOCs to refinances, you need to act fast to retain their business. Along with reaching out at the ideal time (with the help of a tool like Cascade Alerts), you can garner greater loyalty from these borrowers by highlighting your credit score improvement support during your product pitches.

Say “Yes” to More Applicants With Certified Credit

As you can see, the right credit simulation tools can help you transform your applicants’ creditworthiness over time. By playing a proactive role in their credit score improvement process, you can set your business apart, boost your borrower retention, and bolster your bottom line.

Along with ScoreNavigator, FICO Score Mortgage Simulator, and Rapid Rescore, we offer many other game-changing solutions at Certified Credit. Our current offerings include: