The Basics

Hard credit inquiries will automatically be removed from your credit report after two years. If you don't want to wait that long, you can take the following steps to remove them in a timely fashion.

Step 1: The first thing you are going to want to do is order your credit reports and check the inquiry section, which is generally near the bottom of the report. It is important to remember that soft inquiries , such as those that lead you to be pre-approved for offers or services will not affect your credit rating in most cases. As such are you going to want to focus on those inquiries by organizations that will actually grant you credit instead. You will ideally recognize the names of these organizations, but now and then you might come across those that are a mystery to you as well.

Step 2: Once you know what you are looking for, the next thing you are going to want to do is to find the address of each of the creditors. This information will be listed on an Experian credit report but not on Equifax or TransUnion. If the creditor doesn't show up on the Experience credit report but they do show up on the others the easiest way to get the address of the creditor is to call the credit bureau and ask for it. It is unlikely you will be able to get in touch with a live person from TransUnion, though Equifax list an 800 number on all of their reports.

Step 3: Once you have the address in hand, the next hing you will need to do is prepare a letter asking each creditor to remove their inquiry. The FCRA ensures that only authorized inquiries will show up your credit report which means in order to get them removed you need to challenge whether the creditor in question has authorization to pull your details. You should also send a letter to the credit bureau in question and ask that they remove the inquiry. The sample credit repair letter is below:

Date


Name
Address

(Credit Bureau Name/Creditor Name)
Address

Re: Unauthorized Credit Request

Dear (Credit Bureau Name/Creditor Name),

I recently received my (credit bureau name) credit report and I saw there was a credit inquiry from (Creditor Name) that I believe is unauthorized. I did not authorize this credit inquiry prior to it taking place which means it should not show up on my credit history. I am writing this letter to ask that you remove it from my file, as well as instigate an investigation into (Creditor Name) to determine the details behind this inquiry. When this inquiry has been completed I ask that you take the necessary steps to remove it from my file ASAP. Furthermore, I ask that you send me the documentation that will let me know that will let me know that this inquiry has been removed. If you find that this inquiry was authorized, I ask you that you send me proof of the authorization as well.

Thank you for your time.

(Signature)

(Include credit report in question)

Step 4: Sometimes the credit bureau or creditor will just remove the inquiry without doing a full inquiry, which should be your goal. Other times they will do their due diligence and return to you the documentation that you signed giving the creditor access to your credit report. When you receive this documentation, it is important that you read it over carefully and look for any ambiguity in the wording , possibly even taking it to a lawyer depending on how badly you want the inquiry removed.

If you find some wiggle room, be sure to write back to the bureau and argue your case. Alternatively, you may argue that the form was too difficult for the layman to understand. You can also threaten to contact the Banking Commission and file a complaint about the authorization form if it is not removed from your credit report.

Creditors will frequently ignore these requests which is why it is important to send every letter via Certified Mail and keep any receipts you receive. If the creditor does not respond in 30 days you can then call and demand action or take legal action. If they don't respond, whether or not you authorized the inquiry becomes functionally irrelevant because they have not responded to the dispute. Always hold your ground and demand that the inquiry be removed ASAP and make it clear that you will take the issue to the authorities if they do not comply. Keep in mind that every inquiry you have removed early will increase your credit score by several points.

Secret Inquiry Removal Strategies 

When I was removing my inquires, 2 out of 12 did not respond in the 30 day limit, and they were Credit bureaus not creditors, so I sent them the certified mail return receipts and proof and they had no choice but to remove the inquiries.

Why Send Certified Mail?

Because you will stand out and get attention, hardly anyone sends postal mail anymore. When removing over a dozen inquiries in a month, I used certified USPS mail and I send letters to the Credit Bureaus, creditor and creditor company OWNER, which can be found by doing some research into online corporate records.

Here is a little secret most people don't know Creditors almost always break the Fair Credit Acts because they are so vast and complex, it is nearly impossible to adhere to all the Acts, and most court actions end in favor of the Debtor, if the Debtor challenges them, shows up and uses the Consumer laws to their rightful advantage.

If you persistent and push your claim, you have a high chance of succeeding. But, most people DO NOT do this or they hire a credit agency to do it for them which is another viable option.