Whether you are applying for a new credit card or a home loan, hard inquiries are constantly present when attempting to build credit. Although hard inquires are one of the most common items found on a credit report, there is still much mystery surrounding their effect on a credit score. In todays “Fact or Fiction” we will be taking a deep dive into hard inquiries to shed light on some of the most common misconceptions and answer some of your most asked questions!
What Is A Hard Inquiry?
It is a common misconception that in any instance that there is a request to pull your credit, a hard inquiry will be listed on your report. A hard inquiry will only occur when you inquire for financing with a lender directly. This does not apply when you are inquiring for pre approval or pulling your credit for informational purposes and is considered a soft inquiry. Unlike hard inquiries, a soft inquiry will not appear on your report and does not impact your credit score.
-Soft Inquiries-
Soft inquiries are a little different from hard inquiries; while they do show up on your credit report, they are strictly for your personal reference and have no impact on your credit score. Soft inquiries are not visible to lenders as they are strictly made for informational and pre approval purposes and are only seen by the consumer. Soft inquiries will fall off of your report in anywhere from 12-24 months depending on their type!
How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay On A Report?
Hard inquiries differ from other items on your report when it comes down to their expiration date. A hard inquiry will usually stay on your report for about 2 years but only affects your score for about 12 months! Hard inquiries are meant to serve as a timeline of when and how often you have applied for credit and can mean different things to different lenders. Multiple hard inquiries can portray a sense desperation to a lender as it shows that you have attempted to apply and were denied by multiple lenders. In some cases, like when inquiring for a home loan, there is a short window where multiple inquiries will count as a one!
How Much Do Hard Inquiries Hurt My Score?
There are many misconceptions about just how much a hard inquiry is “worth” when it comes down to affecting your score. It isn’t a case of “One hard inquiry amounts to 5 points and if I have 10 hard inquiries, that means I’ll drop 50 points”. Hard inquiries do not necessarily have a dedicated point value and their potency really falls to how healthy your credit score is prior. Someone with a long positive payment history and multiple open accounts with low credit utilization will not be as heavily affected by hard inquiries as someone who is new to building credit.
Can I Dispute Hard Inquiries?
Unlike other items on your report that can be disputed due to infractions in their listed information, legitimate hard inquiries are difficult to remove. If a hard inquiry is pulled from your report without your knowledge, you do have the right to request its removal. This also applies in the instance of identity theft as the application is not legitimate to your inquiry.
Do you have hard inquiries on your report that were made without your knowledge? Do you have questions about your credit report or credit questions in general? f you would like to speak with one of our attorneys or credit advisors and complete a free consultation please give Credit Law Center a call at 1-800-994-3070 we would be happy to help.
-Disputing Inquiries Made By Car Dealerships-
Disputing multiple inquiries made by an auto dealership is a rough area for many consumers. When submitting a loan application at a dealership, they will often inquire with multiple lenders to attempt to get the best financing opportunity for the consumer. This practice is referred to as shotgunning and is common in every auto dealership and when signing a car loan application, is essentially giving the dealer permissible purpose to make multiple credit pulls. Depending on the FICO score used, similar to shopping for a home loan, there is often a window where the multiple inquiries will only count as a single inquiry on the report. The FICO score used will depend on which lender is being inquired with.
