Credit inquiries are a record on a credit report that a lists anytime you or a creditor obtains a copy of a credit report. Soft inquiries are those inquiries that were initiated by a creditor for promotional purposes and do not count against your credit score. Hard inquiries, on the other hand, are those inquires that you initiate and those may count against your credit score. If you find any credit inquiry inaccuracies, there are ways to remove them and raise your credit score.
Step 1
Get your credit reports from all three credit bureaus. You can get a free credit report from each credit bureau every 12 months from AnnualCreditReport.com, or you can order a credit report from each of the credit bureau's website. It is important to get a credit report from each credit bureau, as a credit report from one may not list the inquiries present from another.
Step 2
Check the inquiries on each credit report. Look through all the hard inquiries to determine any that you do not remember authorizing.
Step 3
Get the addresses for each company that made the inquiry. Experian makes this easy by listing these addresses for you right on the credit report; however, Transunion and Equifax do not. If you need an address for a Transunion or Equifax inquiry, you may need get the address by calling the credit bureau.
Step 4
Write a letter to the creditors. This letter should ask the creditor politely to remove the inquiry. You should also point out that the Fair Credit Reporting Act only allows someone access to a credit report if it is authorized and state you did not give them the authorization.
Step 5
Wait for the inquiry to be removed. The creditor has 30 days to investigate your inquiry dispute. At the end of this time period, they will notify you of the results of their investigation in writing. They will either furnish proof that you did authorize the inquiry or will remove the inquiry from your report.
Tips and Warnings
- Send the letters by certified mail and use the return receipt requested option so you have an official documentation of when your letters were sent. Inquiries are usually the most detrimental to your credit score if you already have existing issues like late payments, a limited history with credit or a large amount of debt, says Lisa Madigan, the attorney general of Illinois. If you have a high credit score, however, inquiries may not carry as much weight in regard to your credit score. Many creditors may agree to delete inquiries as a courtesy or because they don't want to have to bother with verifying your authorization.
- If the creditor responds within 30 days and provides proof that you did authorize the inquiry, it may not be able to be removed.
Things You'll Need
- Credit reports from all three credit bureaus
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