Do inquiries affect a credit score?
• Inquiries placed on your credit report when you apply for new credit can impact your credit score. However, inquiries have a relatively small impact on your credit score. In a credit scoring model, there are stronger indicators of future payment performance, such as past payment history and use of credit. Inquiries are rarely, if ever, the only reason for poor credit scores. They only become significant if there are other issues already lowering your score, such as late payments or very high debt.
Inquiries placed on your credit report when you apply for new credit can impact your credit score. However, inquiries have a relatively small impact on your credit score. In a credit scoring model, there are stronger indicators of future payment performance, such as past payment history and use of credit. Inquiries are rarely, if ever, the only reason for poor credit scores. They become significant only if there are other issues already lowering your score, such as late payments or very high debt.
Careful study has shown that inquiries are an indicator of credit risk. Recent inquiries indicate a person may have outstanding accounts that are not yet part of the credit report. The more inquiries that appear on a borrower’s credit file, the more likely a borrower may not be able to pay his or her bills as agreed. However, inquiries have a relatively small impact on your credit score. In a credit scoring model, there are other, stronger indicators of future payment performance, such as past payment history and use of credit. These indicators can offset an inquiry. Inquiries are rarely, if ever, the only reason for poor credit scores or being declined. They only become significant if there are other issues, such as late payments or very high debt as compared to income you include on your credit application.
