Hard Inquiry

Banking & Credit

A hard inquiry (or hard pull) is a credit check made when you apply for new credit — credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, apartments. It drops your FICO score by about 5-10 points temporarily and stays on your report for 2 years (though impact fades quickly). Multiple hard inquiries within a short window for the same loan type (mortgage, auto, student) are bundled as one for scoring purposes — typically within 14-45 days depending on the model. Avoid applying for multiple credit cards in quick succession; lenders interpret it as financial distress.