I have been working for 2 years to repair my credit after some identity theft, and after a long illness. My scores are 681, 688, 640. They all mention the fact that their are many inquires. I actually have not requested my credit to be pulled in 2 years. However, I have about 15 inquires. In Jan.07, I placed something with agencies, to block 'soft' pulls. I wrote letter to everyone of these inquires. @ have been returned unable to validate address. I have also spoke with the companies I had phone numbers for. I seem to get the run around with many of them. I feel that any inquiry that I did not request should be taken off. Equfax tried to tell me, I had no choice, if the co. would not contact them. That they will be there for 2 years. I want to buy a house now. If these inquires were off, I'm sure my scores would hit 700. There are also many address's listed, that I never lived at. I disputed it, but it remains. I have had major credits cards for about 27 months, I have always been on time. One credit card ( Citi Bank,) shows nothing, no activity. I have used the card responsively for 27 months. I called citi bank 3 times, over the last 4 months, and it still is not showing my activity.
-------------------------------------
first offu
nless you sign off on a credit request. there will be no inquiry on your report
soft inquiries are not inquiries at all. they are people in the upper tier group that the bureaus sell to markting agencies. so there is no such animal as a soft inquiry showing up on ones report i would send a letter to the bureaus stating they have made many a grievious error reporting incorret address and not only do you dispute the incorrect addresses and inquiries but you plan to file a complaint the the attorney general of thier state and suit in the court of the county in which the operate. They must not only remove he errors but provide names addresses and phone numbers for each and every error or face punitive actions. the letter would be enclosed with a copy of the report with circles around each error. this should ellicit a response.
i would tell you to use the fraud alert letter but that would be releasing the bureaus from the course of action above by saying it is not thier fault. Each and every acccount, address, inquirie has to be filed with some compnay that the bureau has detailed information on, with a statement explaining how and why the bureau should allow them to report. NOT only that but since about 2004 each of these companies have to report a minimum of 500 accounts each month to quailfy.
So the bureaus DO know who put each and every detail on your report. http://www.oskie.com/free-credit-help-sample-form-letter-letters.htm
thhis page has about every kind of letter possible for credit help. I have assembled my most useful letter, the first being th dispute form with bureaus addresses.near the bottom of the page are 2 other sources of letters that might be of some use to you.
plus there is a link to the FTC complaint page.
---------------------------------
i would hit them in the mouth, gut and shins.
now as far as inquiris and the amount they affect your scoreif they are more than 1 year old. NONE. less than one year maybe 10 points for the totality of the inquiries you told me of.
the addresses hurt none. BUT are inflamitory if you try to buy something and the potential creditor wises to know why you have been here there and even everwhere. maybe even gitmo bay. heck i dont know.
almost every credit report comes with a disclaimer saying stuff like to many revolving accounts. too much owed, too many inqiries. this is just a set of pat bull... statments that really mean just that.
the only real way to tell if to read the report.
this is one of those from my 721 score
FICO SCORE *721* TOO MANY BANK OR NATIONAL REVOLVING ACCOUNTS / proportion LOAN BALANCES TO LOAN AMOUNTS IS TOO HIGH PROPORTION OF BALANCES TO CREDIT LIMITS, TOO HIGH ON BANK/OTHER REVOLVING ACCTS LENGTH OF TIME ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED and thats on a 721. means squat.

if you pay the account off each month it may show nothing more than the months the account has been open what do you mean by activity? and make sure any other cards or accounts show less than 79 balance to credit limit