Mortgages definitely use credit scores — they just don’t only use credit scores. Without that data point they would have a hard time evaluating if you’re a good borrower. They can independently evaluate if you could pay your mortgage but not that you actually will.

I specified FICO scores. Mortgage lenders might also use their own credit scores, or credit scores from a different data analytics company.

Either way, a score is just a heuristic to avoid wasting underwriter’s time combing through someone’s finances. Once you pass whatever score hurdle a mortgage lender has set, you still have to pass the manual review.

Scores are an input into the decision on what rate you pay and probably an input into underwriting, but they're not the sole input.

Car loans, though, I think are almost entire driven by scores.