Mortgage Checks Also Include Aliases
If you have been known by any other name, lenders will want to know this also, so they can reference you for any credit held in your previous name. If you have an account in another name it is likely the reference agency will be able to pick this up, so again its important to disclose everything from the start.
Does Getting Turned Down For A Mortgage Affect Your Credit Score
Choosing the right mortgage can be as tricky as finding the right home. You can shop around for the lowest closing costs and the best rate if you are willing to share your personal information with multiple lenders. Mortgage pre-qualification has no impact on your credit score, regardless of the number of lenders you contact. However, many people confuse pre-qualification with the pre-approval process, which can hurt your credit score.
Rule : Your Current Rate Shopping Period Is Limited To 30 Days
If you want to shop around for interest rates, you should only start the process when youre actually ready to open an account. The reason? Youre only protected by the FICO rate shopping period for a specified amount of time.
When a lender pulls your credit report, the score they receive will not factor in any related inquiries from the last 30 days. If youre rate shopping your third mortgage lender this month, they will see a score that doesnt factor in the other two mortgage applications. As long as its the same type of application activity and all within the last 30 days, your score is protected.
As long as its the same type of application activity and all within the last 30 days, your score is protected.
However, this doesnt apply to other credit product applications. If youre shopping for a mortgage lender, for instance, the FICO score they receive will factor in that new credit card application you submitted last week.
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Why Do Inquiries Affect Credit Scores
You might ask, why are credit inquiries a big deal? And if I have good credit, does it matter how often I apply for credit?
From a lenders standpoint:
Yes, it does matter.
Historically speaking, multiple credit inquiries within a short span of time are associated with greater risk. This can indicate financial trouble.
In fact:
According to MyFICO, individuals with six or more inquiries in a short span of time declare bankruptcy more often than people with fewer inquiries.
So when a lender reviews an applicants credit and sees that theyve applied for several new lines of credit within a few weeks or a few months, they might deny their request as a precaution.
Who Determines My Credit Score
You can check your credit score for free using a number of online providers. It should be noted that there are four different credit reporting bodies that operate in Australia and a credit score may vary depending on which credit reporting body has been used. For an accurate picture of your credit score you should check your credit score with more than one provider.
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Drawbacks Of Applying To Multiple Lenders
For a lender to approve your mortgage application and make an offer, it has to review your credit report. To do so, it makes a credit inquiry with the three major bureaus.
Credit analysts note that too many inquiries can lower your numerical . Most scoring models, such as FICO and VantageScore, make inquiries into your credit account. These models are closely guarded, so few people know the exact extent to which inquiries matter. Fair Isaac Corp. , the creator of the FICO model, states that multiple mortgage inquiries that occur within 30 days of one another do not affect your FICO score.
Another nefarious secret that many borrowers do not know is that credit bureaus make additional revenue by selling your information to mortgage lenders to which you have not applied. This is known in industry parlance as a trigger lead. Submitting a mortgage application triggers a credit pull, and mortgage companies pay the credit bureaus for lists of people whose credit was recently pulled by mortgage companies.
Knowing that these people seek mortgages, the companies’ salespeople call down the list and pitch their services. The more lenders you apply with, the more likely it is that your information will be sold as a trigger lead, which can lead to a barrage of sales calls.
Contact Multiple Lenders Now
Consumers typically dont think twice about shopping around for cars, or even basic household items. Dont be afraid to apply this same logic when it comes to shopping for a mortgage loan.
Applying for more than one mortgage at once allows you to compare costs, rates, program options and even test-drive lenders prior to committing to just one lender.
At the link below, get connected with multiple loan experts and start the shopping process today.
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How Do I Minimize Hard Inquiries
If you need a loan, theres probably no way to avoid a hard inquiry. But the score benefit you get from on-time payments will outweigh a short-term point loss from applications.
What you want to avoid is applying and getting turned down. Then you may still need a loan, but you’ll have a lower credit score.
Heres how to make the most of an application:
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Be as certain as you possibly can be that you meet the qualifications and will be approved. Some lenders offer pre-qualification, which typically does not involve a hard inquiry and can help you determine whether youre likely to qualify.
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Check terms before you apply, and be sure the loan is a good fit for you.
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Avoid applying for new credit for at least six months before you plan to make a large purchase that will require a loan a house or car, for example.
Two Types Of Credit Inquiries: Hard And Soft
There are two types of inquiries that can occur on your credit report hard inquires and soft inquiries.
Both types of inquires allow third parties to examine your credit, but only hard inquiries will pull your scores down.
Hard inquiries occur when a financial institution checks your credit report to make a lending decision. Hard inquiries are common when you apply for a mortgage, a car loan, or a credit card.
Soft inquiries occur when a person or entity checks your credit as part of a background check. Unlike hard inquiries, soft inquires will not negatively affect your credit scores.
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Do These Affect Credit Score
Because soft inquiries aren’t linked to a specific application for new credit, these inquiries have no effect on your credit score as they are never considered as a factor in credit scoring models. Soft inquiries are not disputable but are available for reference.
Soft inquiry:What you should do
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Ficos Rate Shopping Window: 45 Days
In FICOs scoring models, multiple credit inquiries within a 45-day window are treated as one shopping event, provided those inquiries are from mortgage, auto loan or student loan lenders.
For example, FICO can see you are rate shopping for a home loan, so they will count as one inquiry, as long as the applications all take place within their 45-day window.
Inquiries outside of the three categories mentioned above, such as credit card inquiries, are not protected, because consumers dont typically shop around for the best rate on a credit card. So, if you applied for a mortgage on Oct. 1 and applied at a second lender on Nov. 01, the two mortgage inquiries would count as one for the sake of credit score consideration, because they were within 45 days of each other.
Be mindful of your credit applications and only make an inquiry when necessary.
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Inquiries Are Minimally Important To Credit Scores
The reason any type of information in your credit report may factor into your credit score is its indication of credit risk. Taking on multiple new credit obligations in a short period of time indicates possible financial distress and elevated credit risk, which is why hard inquiries can impact your scores. That said, hard inquiries do not always impact your scores and are never the sole reason for a low score or being declined for credit.
When you compare the influence of inquiries with the influence of the other , you will see that the consideration of inquiries is the least important aspect of your credit reports. They just aren’t that important to your scores.
In credit scoring systems developed by FICO®, hard inquiries fall into a category called New Credit, which is the least influential category of its credit score metrics. This category, which includes more than just the consideration of hard inquiries, accounts for 10% of the points in your FICO® Scores. In VantageScore’s credit scores, hard inquiries are considered to be “less influential.” So even if you have a few inquiries on your credit reports, there are many other more important and influential aspects upon which to focus, such as paying your bills on time and avoiding too much credit card debt. Consumers do not have low scores simply because of credit inquiries.
How Multiple Credit Inquiries Affect Your Credit Score
Do you panic whenever a lender or landlord proposes pulling your credit report? If so, a lot of that anxiety may be overblown.
Too many credit inquiries in a short enough period of time will make a dent in your credit score, but this shouldnt deter you from rate shopping for the best offers.
Its ironic that so much attention gets focused on credit inquiries because they are such a tiny part of the FICO score, said Craig Watts, public affairs manager for the Fair Isaac Corporation .
We generalize by saying that typically no more than 10% of a FICO scores weight is determined by a persons taking on new credit, Watts said. But for most people, inquiries have little to no influence on their FICO scores.
To put that 10% into perspective, payment history, i.e. whether or not youve been paying your bills on time, makes up 35% of your credit score.
So, a credit inquiry is just a small nick in your credit report, but not all inquiries are created equal.
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Is It Bad To Apply For Multiple Mortgages
No, there is nothing wrong with applying for multiple mortgages. In fact, you should shop around for mortgages because finding the a reasonable mortgage could save you a substantial amount of money. Shopping around for a mortgage will not significantly impact your credit, as it only has a low impact.
What Is A Soft Credit Search
A soft search is basically a preliminary check that a lender may perform as an enquiry, rather than an application. This allows them to get some basic details about your credit history, with your permission, of course, on which to base their lending decision.
The lender doesnt always get full access to your entire credit history when carrying out this level of check, and most importantly, these searches are not visible to other prospective lenders who are granted access to your file. Only you can see them when you check your own credit history.
Many lenders will conduct a soft credit check for a mortgage application in the preliminary stages, typically to establish whether youre eligible for an agreement in principle. This will leave whats known as a soft footprint on your file, and these are nothing to worry about.
Soft footprints can remain on your account for up to 24 months, but you can have an unlimited number of them against your name without it impacting adversely on your score.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that not all lenders carry out soft searches as part of their application process and some will leave a hard footprint if you give them permission to carry out a credit check.
If youre unsure whether approaching a mortgage provider will have an adverse effect on your credit score, get in touch and the expert advisors we work with will offer their insight into your application before pairing you with the right lender.
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Vantagescores Rate Shopping Window: 14 Days
VantageScores logic is both more and less restrictive than FICOs logic.
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The window for VantageScore is 14 days versus 45 days for FICO. Omit, VantageScore models dont include category restrictions when considering the impact of multiple credit inquiries. Instead, all inquiries that occur in a 14-day window only impact your credit scores as a single credit application event.
So, if you apply for a credit card on Oct. 1, an auto loan on Oct. 2, a home loan on Oct. 5, and two more credit cards on Oct. 8, all five credit card inquiries would count as one inquiry for credit score consideration, because they were within 14 days of each other. However, applying for two mortgages a month apart, as in the previous example, would count as two separate inquiries on your VantageScore credit score. So if you want to cover both bases, try to limit your loan shopping to a two-week window if possible.
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How Hard Inquiries Impact Credit Score
Multiple hard inquiries may add up to numerous new accounts. Opening such accounts may mean you’re having trouble paying bills or are at risk of overspending. As a result, hard inquiries have a negative effect. Credit scoring models do consider the possibility that you’re rate shopping for the best loan deal available. Each hard inquiry projects you as a credit hungry consumer, thereby lowering your credit score. Such consumers are often viewed as risky by lenders, which either makes lenders reject your credit application or approve it at a higher interest rate.
When Submitting Multiple Mortgage Applications How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay On Your Credit Report
Hard inquiries stay on your credit report for 2 years from the date that the lender reviews your credit report. After the 2 year period, the hard inquiry will be automatically removed from your credit report. That said, experts have stated that even though it takes 2 years for a hard inquiry to be removed from your credit report, it no longer impacts your credit score after 12 months.
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Plan Before Shopping For A Loan
Before shopping for a loan, it’s always smart to proactively plan your finances.
First, learn whether the type of credit you’re applying for can have its hard inquiries treated as a single inquiry. If so, determine the applicable timeframe. Then you can plan your shopping period accordingly.
Second, you may also want to check your credit reports before getting quotes to understand what information is reported. Find out how to request a free credit report from Equifax.
If you’re worried about the effect that multiple hard inquiries may have on your credit reports, it may be tempting to accept an offer early rather than allow multiple hard inquiries on your credit. However, consider your individual situation carefully before cutting your shopping period short. In many cases, the impact hard inquiries have on your credit scores from shopping around will likely be minimal compared to the long-term benefits of finding a loan with a lower interest rate. The more informed you are about what happens when you apply for a loan, the better you can prepare for the process before you start shopping.
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