Soft credit checks may be conducted by various entities, including
- Local utility like FPL and Duke Energy
- Mobile Carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and other mobile data companies.
- Cable and Internet services like Spectrum and Comcast
- Landlords and Property Rental Management for initial applications as well as individuals, companies, and financial institutions, for different reasons.
Here's what a soft credit check typically does:
Verification of personal information: Soft credit checks are often used to verify your identity and ensure that the information you provided is accurate. For example, when you fill out a rental application or open a bank account, the bank or landlord may perform a soft credit check to confirm your identity.
Pre-approval assessments: When you apply for a loan or credit card, lenders may conduct a soft credit check to provide you with pre-approval offers. This allows them to assess your creditworthiness and determine the terms and conditions they can offer you without affecting your credit score. Pre-approval offers can be unsolicited by you through data harvesting companies that pay for you information. These offers do not mean you are approved, only that you meet the minimum requirements. You may receive pre-approval offers in your mail box, from your credit monitoring service, your bank and others who have limited access to your information.
Background checks: Soft credit checks may be used as part of background screening processes for employment purposes. Employers may review your credit report as one factor among many to evaluate your trustworthiness and financial responsibility.
Personal credit monitoring: Individuals can also perform soft credit checks on themselves through credit monitoring services. These checks help individuals keep track of their credit reports, monitor for any suspicious activity, and identify potential errors or inaccuracies.
It's important to note that while soft credit checks don't impact your credit score, they still leave a record on your credit report. However, only you and the entities that have permission to view your report (with legitimate reasons) can see these inquiries. Lenders and creditors reviewing your credit report for lending decisions typically rely on hard credit checks, which do impact your credit score.
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