i've been reading up on how to get inquiries removed, but the threads lack continuity and tend to go off subject. so, for the record - what is the best way to remove inquiries from the three bureaus? if you know, please break it down to bureau and method used. my husband and i each have 7-9 in the last two years (on equifax)...tu and exp each only have 2-3 so i am not as worried about those. and no, not all those on equifax were permissable. thanks
EQ: (easy, no wait) Call them, tell them that you noticed some things on your report that aren't right. You don't have to give a reason, just say you didn't authorize them. They usually delete within a couple of days. Ex: (up to 30 day wait) Call them and tell them that you suspect fraud on your account and that you'd like to be transferred to the Special Services Department. Tell them that you suspect fraud (they will probably want you to state this a little more definitely by saying that there was fraud, don't be squeamish, tell them that there was fraud, if there was. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the US and they want to be seen as playing their part in stomping out this crime) and you don't recognize any of the inquiries. They have to put them under dispute. Within 30 days watch them drop like flies. TU: They are a lot harder. It's pretty much hit and miss with them. In general, they don't remover inquiries, bus sometimes you get lucky.
ok, one additional question about equifax in my area...it is serviced by csc credit services - same guidelines apply?
Don't forget that if you claim ID fraud, you will end up with fraud alerts on all 3 reports. I personally don't advise claiming something that isn't true. 2 to 3 inq's in 2 years is not a problem.
Make sure you get a number of opinions before you do anything Jen. Asserting ID Theft to a CRA could be disasterous. It may have it's benefits too but you need the WHOLE story before deciding. .
since the FCRA states that CRAs must be as accurate as possible (i know its not the exact phrase)...if there are inaccurate inquiries, one would think they are required to investigate???
Well, I'd begin with the impermissables. There, you can go directly to the DF and demand proof of PP. When you get to the next batch, this will allow the CRA's to "conclude" that since she has already had "inappropriate" inqs. on her report maybe these are also "inappropriate". You'll need to widdle these down one by one but nailing about 60% of em shouldn't be too hard. Any inq. older than a year probably doesn't affect you at all, score wise that is. Study up on No PP letters and stuff. BTW - Asserting ID Theft with a CRA might cause them to throw all kinds of "hawk alerts" on your file causing a big hassle in the future when asking for credit. .
actually you kinda led into my next question - which is how long do you really think an inquiry affects your score? privacyguard says six months; as a lender, my company doesn't require me to even take them into consideration (unless their score is low). my thought would be six months, because if you did get new credit it should be showing on your report within six months of the inquiry. let me know your thoughts on this.
Inq's will affect a score for 1 year. From FairIsaac: Your score takes into account: ■How many new accounts you have. The score looks at how many new accounts there are by type of account (for example, how many newly opened credit cards you have). It also may look at how many of your accounts are new accounts. ■How long it has been since you opened a new account. Again, the score looks at this by type of account. ■How many recent requests for credit you have made, as indicated by inquiries to the credit reporting agencies. Inquiries remain on your credit report for two years, although FICO scores only consider inquiries from the last 12 months. The scores have been carefully designed to count only those inquiries that truly impact credit riskâ??see page 14 for details. ■Length of time since credit report inquiries were made by lenders. ■Whether you have a good recent credit history, following past payment problems. Re-establishing credit and making payments on time after a period of late payment behavior will help to raise a score over time. history if you have had problems. Opening new accounts responsibly and paying them off on time will raise your score in the long term. ■Note that itâ??s OK to request and check your own credit report and your own FICO score. This wonâ??t affect your score, as long as you order your credit report directly from the credit reporting agency or through an organization authorized to provide credit reports to consumers, like the myFICO service. For more information, see page 14. And from Equifax: 4. Inquiries The following inquiries are "hard" or voluntary inquiries and were generated because you authorized the companies listed to request a copy of your credit report. Credit Scores are calculated using only inquiries from the last 12 months; however, Equifax stores and displays inquiries on file for 24 months. Additionally, your credit score is not lowered by the several inquiries that are generated by your shopping for the best auto loan or mortgage rates.
Re: Re: inquiries I second that. Don't even mention the word "fraud" unless you are sure there is, in fact, fraud. Are you planning of applying for a credit soon? If no, why would you be worried about the inquiries? In other words (re-phrased): "If it ain't broken (or you don't need it), don't fix it" ... If you do need to clear them up, read http://demospace.net/vgcredit/reference.asp to find out more about the PP. HTH
Re: Re: Re: inquiries You should be able to have "HAWK and FRAUD ALERTS" removed because they are NOT "YOUR" CONSUMER STATEMENT---UNLESS you really want them...
Re: Re: Re: inquiries am i planning on applying for credit? i'm indecisive. hubby & i filed ch7 5 yrs ago and since then we have pretty much been anti-credit (save and pay cash for cars, etc). HOWEVER, my scores are only 650-680 and i know the only reason my score is low is due to no cards/auto loans - only an almost paid for mortgage. we do want to buy a new house next year and want our scores to be in the optimal range - which means diversifying our credit file, and unfortunately getting more inquiries on top of what is showing. i guess too that i am a little leary of applying for credit and getting turned down, or getting approved but w/outrageous rates & fees. i'd rather pay cash.
Re: Re: Re: Re: inquiries So, check out when the inquiries will expire (12 months from the date reported). Most of them could drop until next year when you need a higher score.
Re: Re: Re: Re: inquiries I DON'T PAY FEES (except if I get airline mileage)...BUT I PAY NOTHING ABOVE 5.90% and it is going soon...NEXT is 4.90% You can always pay before the bill even generates ON-LINE (with MOST major cards) I STAY AWAY FROM CASH!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: inquiries EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO DO! get one card, pay it off each month...but i don't want some jacked up rate or fees - i'd rather pay cash than subject myself to that. i just don't want to add a bunch of inquiries to what is already there trying to get the best deal.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: inquiries If you pay it off each month, the only fee could be if the card has an yearly fee. If you pay it off each month, you don't care about the rates. The rates are used when you make the minimum payment only.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: inquiries your right it shouldn't matter fees/rate if i plan on paying if off each month...but for some odd reason, i can't accept bad terms. thanks to those who replied - definitely some food for thought.
