Soft Credit Inquiry
A credit check that doesn't affect a credit score, typically used for pre-qualification or a lender's own account review rather than a full loan application.
Soft inquiries are common during pre-qualification, allowing a lender to estimate likely approval odds and terms without the credit-score impact of a hard inquiry, which is why comparing multiple pre-qualified offers is generally low-risk to a credit profile.
Only when a business moves forward with a full application does a lender typically convert to a hard inquiry, so understanding which stage a lender is checking at is useful before authorizing a credit pull.
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