FICO, a global analytics software leader, announced that Arvest Bank has successfully upgraded to FICO® Auto Score 10, giving the regional lender a more precise view of borrower risk and strengthening its auto lending underwriting capabilities.

With the upgrade, Arvest is using FICO's most predictive auto-specific credit score to sharpen distinctions in borrower risk across its portfolio. Unlike general-purpose credit scores, an auto-specific model is calibrated for a single lending category — vehicle loans — rather than for credit use across the board. The strategic move reflects the bank's proactive approach to modernizing credit risk decisioning throughout its auto lending business.

Early portfolio analysis shows that the new score is delivering sharper risk segmentation across Arvest's customer base, including greater differentiation among thin-file borrowers — applicants with limited credit histories. That segment has traditionally been difficult to evaluate, since scoring models have less historical data to work with when an applicant's credit file is sparse.

"The auto lending market is evolving too quickly to stand still on credit risk," said Reggie Branch, senior director of indirect lending at Arvest Bank. "Moving to FICO Auto Score 10 was a proactive investment to strengthen how we assess risk as borrower profiles continue to evolve. Our early analysis is already showing sharper differentiation across our portfolio, particularly among thin-file borrowers, giving our teams greater confidence in how we evaluate risk and make lending decisions."

Branch's role centers on indirect lending — a channel in which auto loans are originated through dealers rather than directly with consumers.

Transition Support and Early Findings

FICO worked closely with Arvest throughout the transition to FICO® Auto Score 10, providing implementation guidance, compliance resources, and technical support to integrate the score into the bank's existing credit decisioning processes. According to the announcement, Arvest's successful transition demonstrates how regional lenders can move proactively to the latest scoring technology while maintaining operational continuity.

Initial analysis of Arvest's portfolio has shown:

• Sharper differentiation across the broader portfolio, with some customers scoring higher as the updated model more accurately reflects stronger credit profiles
• Greater risk separation among thin-file borrowers, with FICO® Auto Score 10 identifying distinctions that were less apparent under the prior model
• A more granular view of borrower risk, helping Arvest's lending and risk teams more confidently evaluate applicants and inform approval and pricing decisions

Because this analysis is still in its early stages, the findings offer a preliminary rather than definitive picture of how the upgraded model is performing in the bank's live underwriting.

"The strength of FICO Auto Score 10 is its ability to separate risk with greater precision," said Shams Blanc, vice president, head of auto strategy and industry relations at FICO. "Arvest's early results demonstrate why that matters. Greater differentiation gives lenders a clearer view of borrower risk and greater confidence in their credit decisions. By proactively adopting FICO Auto Score 10, Arvest is demonstrating the kind of forward-thinking risk strategy that will increasingly define modern auto lending."

About FICO Auto Score 10

FICO® Auto Score 10 is the company's most powerful auto-specific score to date, built on recent credit data to deliver sharper risk separation where auto lenders need it most: mid-band and thin-file borrowers. The model outperforms prior versions in predicting defaults, especially for prime thin/new-to-credit and subprime segments, helping lenders approve more loans while avoiding costly charge-offs. It is designed for seamless adoption, retaining the trusted 250–900 score range, reason codes, and the compliance readiness lenders expect. Because that score range and those reason codes — the explanations identifying which factors most influenced a score — remain unchanged, lenders with workflows built around earlier versions can adopt the update within the same interpretive framework they already use.

More information about FICO is available on its official website. This report was originally published by Global FinTech Series.