 TITLE: How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report? CONTENT: How Do Hard Inquiries Affect Shopping for Loans?\n------------------------------------------------\nWhen you're shopping around for the best rates on a mortgage, auto loan or other large loan, you may apply with several lenders, which will cause a separate hard inquiry from each one to appear on your credit report. But that doesn't mean your credit score will plummet, as most credit scoring models weigh multiple inquiries for mortgage or auto loans as one inquiry if they are made within a certain time period (14 to 45 days, depending on the scoring model). In fact, the newest scoring models from FICO® and VantageScore® completely ignore multiple inquiries for mortgage and auto loans within a short period of time. So you can shop for that dream car or home without worrying about your credit scores.\nHowever, multiple hard inquiries for other types of credit, such as credit cards or even personal loans, aren't treated the same way, and may cause lenders to suspect you're having financial difficulties. Applying for a credit card, an auto loan, a home equity loan and a personal loan within the span of a month, for instance, could be a signal you're in need of money or are taking on too much new debt too fast, and pose a risk to lenders that you won't be able to pay it all back.\nIf you're making a major purchase, you shouldn't necessarily let the fear of hard inquiries stop you from shopping around for the lowest interest rates. However, you should take steps to ensure that hard inquiries don't negatively affect your credit. END