The Credit File Contradiction: Why Is Each Different?

At MBA Annual 2025, leaders from TransUnion^®, Equifax and Experian — Satyan Merchant, Joel Rickman and Michele Bodda, respectively — joined the What’s Next? podcast to candidly discuss the future of mortgage credit. In conversation with HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins, they share perspectives on:

• Why credit files differ across bureaus — and why that matters
• The growing role of alternative data — from rental history to buy now, pay later (BNPL)
• How lender choice and VantageScore^® adoption will reshape the market
• The debate over tri-merge versus bi-merge — and what’s at stake for consumers and lenders

This conversation goes beyond headlines to explore innovation, regulation and the practical steps lenders need to take now to prepare for 2026. Listen to the full episode now.