How To Get Hard Inquiries Removed

You Can Remove Credit Inquiries from Your Credit Report. If you have ever requested a loan or credit card, it is likely that you were the subject of a credit inquiry. The lender will usually request financial information when you apply for credit, or borrow funds. Credit inquiries are the most common way to do this. Too many credit inquiries can lead to a negative credit report. It's crucial to understand how credit inquiries work and what you can do to get rid of inaccurate or unauthorized inquiries. What is a Credit Inquiry? Credit inquiries are when banks, lenders, and other financial institutions review your credit reports before offering credit cards or loans to you. Other situations where credit inquiries may be required include A bank, lender, or other credit-issuing institution reviewing your credit report before you are approved for an apartment lease; a landlord, property management, or cell phone company looking at your credit history before you are offered a contract. A potential employer who is interested in your credit status before offering you employment. Hot Tip. While you might need to approve credit checks, you do not have to. Advertisement There are many types of credit inquiries. Hard credit inquiries can play a major role in the credit underwriting process. However, soft credit inquiries are used more often for marketing purposes than they are during the loan approval or credit application process. Because some inquiries could have a negative impact on your credit score and credit report, it's crucial to know the difference between soft and hard credit inquiries. Hard Credit Inquiries. A hard credit inquiry, also known as "hard pull", is when an entity or company has a business reason to investigate your credit. The lender or creditor will want to know if you are reliable enough to pay back the money. The lender will receive a credit report that includes information about your credit history and other details such as what credit you have (mortgages and auto loans) and how much you owe. Hard credit inquiries are common among creditors and lenders. There are many entities and organizations that can check your credit history before approving a transaction.  Credit Soft inquiries are often used by creditors to market to prospective customers. A credit card company might send an offer to people with certain credit characteristics. For instance, they may wish to target customers who have a high credit score or a specific threshold. Soft credit inquiries may be used by credit aggregating companies to assist borrowers in finding a loan. Soft credit inquiries are typically required by these platforms. You may have to provide soft credit information to a lender or creditor in order for them not only to verify your identity but also verify your credit history. Soft credit inquiries include checking your credit reports and credit scores. You can check your credit score and report free of charge by using Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, or Credit Sesame. Consumers will receive their credit reports free of charge from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, once a year. If you go to annualcreditreport.com.the free report will be there. Tip: A soft credit inquiry can be obtained without authorization.Inquiries of this kind won't affect your credit score, even though they will appear on your credit reports. Comparing Hard and Soft Credit Inquiries. While creditors can pull your credit reports and report to determine whether you are in good standing, they have key differences. A hard credit inquiry may contain different information than a soft credit inquiry. A creditor or another entity conducting a soft credit inquiry for marketing or promotional purposes may only have access to a portion of your report. A hard credit inquiry is required to obtain your complete credit file. Hard credit inquiries may also have negative effects on credit scores by decreasing your score. Soft inquiries can still be noted on credit reports, but they do not lower credit scores or show up on credit reports. A lender or creditor must have your permission before they can conduct hard inquiries. You can usually dispute a hard credit inquiry that was done without you knowing or consenting. How Credit inquiries can hurt your credit score Credit inquiries could have a negative impact on your credit report. A hard credit inquiry, for example, could have a negative impact on your credit report and can even lower your credit score. Because borrowers who recently applied for new loans or additional credit may be considered more likely to default on their loan, this is due to the fact that they are often seen as higher-risk borrowers. If you have large credit card balances or loans, this is especially true. Hot Tip: Hard credit inquiries will not be removed from your credit reports for more than 2 years. Negative information can remain on credit reports for as long as 7-10 years in some cases. It would be best to use yourself as a cosigner for a loan application or credit request of another individual. Your credit score and credit history could be negatively affected in this situation. Because you accept full responsibility for any borrowers who fail to repay the loan funds, as co-signers, this is possible. Application form for a loan. However, being a cosigner can have a negative impact on your credit rating and credit history.  The information regarding the loan/account will show up in both your credit reports. It is important that you verify the financial responsibility of your cosigner and ensure they make their payments in a timely manner. Is it possible to remove inquiries from your credit report? Credit inquiries, when compared with other factors that can impact your credit score (such as missed or late payments), are not the most important to be removed. There are still good reasons to dispute and eventually remove a credit inquiry. If you do not recognize credit inquiries on your credit reports, it could be a sign that you have been the victim of identity theft. It would be important in this instance to have the information deleted, particularly if it has a negative effect on your credit score. Be aware that you cannot dispute hard credit inquiries made without your consent. If you have submitted a credit application and it has been listed on your credit report, then you won't likely be able to remove that credit inquiry. There are two options for disputing an item. You can send a letter by certified mail to your creditor to address the dispute directly. Point out which inquiries (or questions) you did not authorize in your letter. Then ask that they be deleted. Contact the three major credit bureaus in which the inquiry was found. It is possible for a specific inquiry to show up only on one or two of your credit reports, as not all creditors and lenders report the same information. Ensure that you keep copies of all correspondence and supporting documentation you sent to creditors and credit bureaus in any event. You will need specific information when you submit a dispute regarding your credit report. This credit inquiry letter template can help you to organize all correspondence with a particular creditor.

Re: Unauthorized Credit Investigation Dear Sir/Madam (or the name and address of an individual, if it is known): Recently I obtained a copy of my credit report.

. Your company made a credit inquiry. The following inquiry was not authorized and I wish to dispute this inquiry. This inquiry is having a negative effect on my ability to obtain credit and loan applications and I would like it removed from my credit file. I have posted this letter by certified mail and I require your immediate attention. I would appreciate any documentation you have regarding the cancellation of your credit inquiry. If you discover that I have not given authorization for this credit inquiry and I'm wrong, please send me documentation. We appreciate your prompt help. Sincerely,

You can also include a copy of the page on your credit report where the incorrect/unauthorized inquiry shows up. These documents can be used as proof in your dispute. You can also prevent an unauthorized credit inquiry from ever taking place. This will ensure that you don't need to delete an unauthorized inquiry later. A credit freeze can make your credit reports inaccessible for lenders and creditors. Credit freezes or security freezes lock up your credit reports. Creditors or lenders will be unable to see your credit reports. A credit freeze is a good way to prevent identity thieves and hackers from opening credit accounts or applying for loans under your name. Hot Tip! A credit freeze can restrict your ability to get credit. Temporarily (or permanently) you can lift credit freezes. There are programs that can be used to put a credit freeze in place at all three major credit bureaus. Last Thoughts: Good credit is vital if you are to receive the highest interest rates for loans or credit cards, and in certain cases even to be approved. It is important that your credit reports are accurate and up-to-date. This can be done by reviewing your credit reports and credit scores regularly. Although checking your credit report and making other inquiries about your credit won't affect your credit score negatively, hard inquiries can. Keep this in mind when applying for credit or loans. Only apply for those that will allow you to make large purchases. Also, ensure that your finances are in order. It is also sensible to apply only for credit when it is needed. This means that you should only apply for credit when it is necessary. When applying for credit cards, the best thing to do is review and compare different cards.