The Effect of Credit Inquiries on a Credit Rating
It is a well known fact that credit inquiries can have an adverse effect on a credit rating, but not all inquiries weigh equally. Moreover, some credit inquiries actually have no impact on the credit rating at all, while others have the potential to seriously weigh it down, even to the point of having the credit rating slip by a quite a few points. A credit rating is defined as the sum total of all bits and pieces of information that are contained in the credit record. As such, it is made up of any derogatory and also positive notations on the credit profile, late payments, public records like bankruptcies or repossessions, the number of open credit accounts, the ages of the various accounts, and also the number of inquiries from potential new creditors checking out the customer’s credit profile.
A credit inquiry occurs each time a consumer applies for new credit, such as a loan or credit card, but there are also other times that a business may make an inquiry into the consumer’s credit. For example, a person who opens a utility account usually has to undergo a credit check. Landlords will check a potential tenant’s credit profile before deciding to rent a property to her or him. In some cases, even employers pull the credit files on a prospective employee, especially if their company is involved in the financial field or engages in business that involves fiduciary duties to clients or high level of security requirements of various workers.
