How to Remove Aged Credit Inquiries From a Credit Report

Credit inquiries are recorded every time a potential lender views your credit report. Although inquiries are a necessary evil, too many of them can drop your credit score. Multiple inquiries, especially during a short time period, show new credit grantors that you are looking to take on more credit. Most of the time, hard credit inquiries will drop off a credit report after two years. If aged inquiries are still lurking on your credit file, take steps to have them removed.

Instructions

Instructions

1

Order your credit reports from each of the major credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each American consumer is eligible to receive one free credit report each year from each of the three bureaus. If you have not yet ordered a credit report for the year, request the free one. Otherwise, credit reports can be purchased directly from the bureaus for a minimal charge.

2

Look over your credit reports from the three reporting bureaus and determine which inquiries you want removed. Inquiries nearing the two-year limitation will drop off on their own shortly. If any inquiries older than two years remain, mark those for further investigation.

3

Record the addresses of each lender that made an old unwanted inquiry. The addresses may not appear on all of your credit reports, but by cross-referencing the three reports you should be able to find the information you need. If no address is listed, call the credit bureau to ask for the lender's mailing address.

4

Write letters to each of the inquiring lenders. The letter should explain that the inquiry is more than two years old. Mention that the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that only authorized inquiries be reported on a credit file and they should drop from the report two years from the date of the inquiry. Mail your letters via certified mail with return receipt.