SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 12, 2026--
Members of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka (FHLBank Topeka) can now pledge mortgage collateral using VantageScore 4.0 credit scores, effective immediately. This enables the 637 member banks and institutions of FHLBank Topeka to use the VantageScore 4.0 model to score an additional 1.9 million consumers in the region.
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“The modernization of mortgage underwriting is here. VantageScore 4.0 adoption is already improving access to housing finance for creditworthy consumers,” said Anthony Hutchinson, EVP and Head of Public Affairs at VantageScore. “The Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka’s decision to accept VantageScore 4.0 for mortgage collateral will offer lenders industry-leading, cost-effective innovation to expand homeownership possibilities in the heart of our country.”
FHLBank Topeka joins other government-sponsored mortgage entities that now accept VantageScore 4.0 for mortgages, including:
In April 2026, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates the Federal Home Loan Bank System and government-sponsored enterprises, announced that adoption of VantageScore 4.0 had begun for mortgage loans originated under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. VantageScore estimates that using the VantageScore 4.0 credit score model will result in approximately 33 million more consumers nationwide having access to a credit score that may help them obtain a mortgage. This includes an estimated 1.9 million consumers within the FHLB Topeka footprint, which comprises Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
To learn more about implementing VantageScore 4.0 for mortgages, visit our Mortgage Resource Center.
About VantageScore ®
VantageScore is the fastest-growing credit scoring company in the U.S., and is known for the industry’s most innovative, predictive and inclusive credit score models. In 2024, usage of VantageScore increased by 55% to hit 42 billion credit scores. More than 3,700 institutions, including nine of the top 10 U.S. banks, use VantageScore credit scores and digital tools to provide consumer credit products or generate greater insights into consumer behavior. The VantageScore 4.0 credit scoring model scores 33 million more people than traditional models. With the FHFA allowing the immediate use of VantageScore 4.0 for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guaranteed mortgages, the company is also ushering in a new era for mortgage lending.
VantageScore is an independent joint venture company owned by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka Now Accepts VantageScore 4.0 for Mortgages
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV’s recovery from lung surgery has progressed so normally that the Vatican on Friday stopped providing morning updates confirming he had woken up and had breakfast, even as questions swirled about what his cancer means for the the future of his young pontificate.
In the near term, Vatican officials were gaming out possible scenarios for Leo to recite the traditional Sunday noontime Angelus prayer. Vatican media personnel were seen at the Gemelli hospital laying cables for a possible live broadcast, as past popes have done when hospitalized.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said a recitation of the noontime prayer on Sunday from the hospital was a possibility, but would depend on Leo’s post-operative recovery. Such appearances have often served as a welcome confirmation of a hospitalized pope's well-being for the 1.4-billion strong Catholic faithful and others.
Parolin said he remained concerned about the pope, but indicated that was also a function of his surprise at learning that Leo needed surgery. Parolin, who was considered a leading contender in the conclave that elected Leo and was recently passed over as dean of the College of Cardinals, surprised some by suggesting that the pontificate itself might need to be adjusted.
“We can’t make any type of predictions,” Parolin said Thursday on the sidelines of a diplomatic event, according to the LaPresse and ANSA news agencies. “The question now is when he will return, under what circumstances he will return, and what the doctors say. And based on all these factors, the pope will then adjust his pontificate, if it needs to be adjusted,” he was quoted as saying.
The 71-year-old Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
On Thursday, the American pope resumed working from his hospital room and met with his chief of staff, while continuing with respiratory physiotherapy. His doctors said tests showed his lung had recovered well from surgery, that other post-operative tests were in the norm and that overall his recovery was proceeding as expected.
Doctors are still awaiting the results of tests to understand the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether any further treatment is necessary.
Meanwhile, the Vatican on Friday released photos of some get-well notes that had been sent to Leo from patients at Gemelli's pediatric oncology ward, located on the 10th floor, where popes past have often visited during their own hospitalizations.
One, from 7-year-old Angelo, told Leo that he had been on the 10th floor for 36 days. “My mother and I pray for you every night. Get well soon," he wrote, with little hearts at the bottom.
Giorgia, a university-aged student, wrote to Leo in his native English, saying she had long loved learning and practicing the language.
“When I heard on the news about you and your situation, I felt it a thousand times harder, because in some ways we're going through the same thing, and it made me feel closer to you,” she wrote. “I pray to God that we both heal and I ask you to pray for me, too.”
Associated Press visual journalist Trisha Thomas contributed to this report.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
A woman holds photos of Pope Leo XIV as she prays at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The moon rises behind the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Leo XIV is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he's expected to be operated to remove a lung nodule. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
