Inquiries

That's why you often are asked to explain recent inquiries when you apply for a mortgage.

The phrase "too many inquiries" is tossed around a lot, but really is a very minor factor. It refers to recent inquiries and may mean as few as two or three in the past month. The older the inquiry, the less important it is.

Your creditors only see inquiries from credit transactions you initiate. Inquiries resulting from preapproved credit offers aren't provided to creditors and don't affect your creditworthiness.

However, if you accept the offer, the creditor can again review your credit history. The resulting inquiry will be provided to creditors because you then have applied for credit.

Still, inquiries almost never cause you to be declined unless there are other significant issues with your credit history.

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