I was doing some phone shopping for the best refinance rate I could obtain. In preparation for my refinance, I had paid down/off credit cards in order to boost my FICO higher. Several lenders were able to give me a 'good faith estimate ' based on what I communicated my personal information to be ( i.e. FICO, income, DTI ratio, etc. ). One of the lenders I was talking with was Cardinal Financial. I was just about to formally proceed with another lender, when it was brought to my attention that Cardinal Financial had actually pulled my credit ( via XXXX )! At no time did I authorize either verbally or in writing, consent for them to pull my credit. Their illegal pull of my credit caused my XXXX to go down, added an inquiry to my credit report, and ultimately caused me to postpone my refinance. This was back in XX/XX/XXXX. They are 'trying ' to remove the inquiry from my credit, however, it has not been done to date. Rates have increased, so I will not be able to obtain the rate that I was going to lock in last month. By refinancing, I was going to reduce my rate and eliminate mortgage insurance which would have reduced my monthly payment as well as significant reduce the amount I paid over the life of the loan. Cardinal has apologized for 'the stress and frustration ' they have caused. What they did was unlawful and has caused me financial harm. There are regulatory requirements that lenders MUST follow, and obtaining a potential borrowers authorization to pull credit is one of them. I feel some type of restitution is warranted. 
Businesses need be penalized when they fail to follow state, federal, or regulatory laws. 
