Can inquiries be removed?
It is very difficult to remove inquiries, as a valid inquiry from a creditor must provide some private information about you. Further, credit bureaus tend to regard disputes of inquiries as frivolous. However, yes, because a creditor must provide documentation showing you applied for credit with their company, if they do not provide proper verification then the item must be removed.
Inquiries can be removed. However, consumers need to understand there are two types of inquiries; soft and hard. Soft inquiries are used to review your credit and are usually associated with insurance, employment, a rental property, or utilities like gas, electric or a cellular telephone etc.. They do not affect your score. Hard inquiries occur when you apply for a personal or business loan, mortgage loan or credit card. In some cases each hard inquiry can lower your credit score by as much as 20 points. Many soft inquiries are mis-coded as hard inquiries, especially by collection agencies. Companies who do not correct miscoding (and the credit bureau who set up their account) can be held liable up to $2,500 in damages for causing a hard inquiry on your credit report without a permissible purpose.
