 TITLE: What Happens When Hard Inquiries Are Removed From Your Credit Report? CONTENT: Further Credit Review\n---------------------\nIt's a common myth that pulling your own credit reports causes a hard inquiry and hurts your credit scores. The truth is, pulling your reports is considered a soft inquiry and doesn't affect your scores at all. In fact, pulling your credit reports is a crucial part of building and maintaining great credit scores. You can check your credit report and FICO® Score for free through Experian.\nWhen you regularly review your credit information, you can find areas for improvement and quickly address inaccuracies or signs of fraud. Monitoring your reports in this way can help you avoid unwanted surprises next time you apply for a credit card or loan. END