Like most things in life, credit scores can be frustrating if you don't understand how they work. Did you know there could be errors on your credit report that are damaging your score? Or that not ...

There's a common misconception that any credit check lowers your credit score and hurts your ability to get approved for loans and new lines of credit, but this is only sometimes true. There are ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Thomas J. Brock is a CFA and CPA with more than 20 years of experience in various areas ...

Some businesses may be running credit checks on you without you ever knowing or approving it. That's what happened to Richard Glassman, and he found out a medical business ran a "sort inquiry" on his ...

Hard and soft inquiries influence borrowing options. Hard inquiries appear on your credit report for years. Soft inquiries remain private and do not impact your credit score or loan approval. AI Quick ...

Part of achieving financial success involves understanding financial jargon. Finance dictionaries, and even financial education, are not always readily available, so we are here to help! Each month, ...

When we talk about credit scores, inquiries almost feel like an afterthought. Inquiries, or new credit, only contribute about 10 percent to your FICO score, so it’s easy to assume they aren’t a big ...

Note to readers: Visit our Coronavirus Information Center for more information about how the response to the outbreak affects your student debt, and other forms of financial hardship. Your credit ...

When you apply for a loan, credit card, or apartment, you'll likely see references to "hard inquiries" and "soft inquiries" to your credit report. The differences may seem negligible as a consumer ...