Your credit questions, answered
What Money readers are asking about their credit scores.
Mike Kohrt
Hometown: Davie, Fla
Question: "What kind of inquiries into my credit report will hurt me?"
Answer: The only inquiries that affect your score are those that happen as a result of your applying for credit -- a.k.a. "hard" inquiries -- over the past 12 months. So that you aren't punished for shopping around, mortgage and car loan inquiries made within the most recent 30 days are not figured into the calculations, and any within a 14-day period before that count as one inquiry.
According to FICO, a single inquiry shouldn't dent your score; two, on an otherwise solid report, might shave off five points or so.
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