Hard Inquiry

Hard inquiry, or hard credit check, refers to a lender or financial institution accessing an individual's credit report to evaluate their creditworthiness when they apply for credit. Once a hard inquiry is made, the action may cause an impact on the lender’s credit report and result in a lower credit score. Hard inquiries remain on an individual's credit report for a certain period, typically around two years. But their impact on the credit score diminishes over time, and they have a more significant influence shortly after they are made.