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Credit Advice
Topics addressed on July 4, 2012:
Checking your own report will not hurt your credit scores
Dear Experian,
Will checking my own credit report through Experian lower my score?
- MZN
Dear MZN,
Requesting a copy of your own credit report will not affect your credit scores. An inquiry will be added to your report as a record that you requested it. This type of inquiry is sometimes called a “soft” inquiry because it is shown only to you. Therefore, you can check your own credit report as often as you like with no affect on your credit scores.
Other “soft” inquiries include those for insurance or employment purposes, in order to make a prescreened offer of credit, and inquiries by creditors with which you already do business.
Inquiries shown to lenders, sometimes referred to as “hard” inquiries, result from your application for credit or other services. They are shared because they represent potential new debt that doesn’t yet appear in your credit report as an account.
That unknown debt represents potential risk, so “hard inquiries” can affect lending decisions and credit scores, although the impact is typically small and short-lived.
Thanks for asking.
- The "Ask Experian" team