When shopping for certain mortgages, auto loans, or student loans, multiple inquiries made within a defined period may be treated as one event by some scoring models. The window and product rules vary.
The inquiry type matters
Credit card applications are generally not grouped the same way as eligible loan shopping.
Models use different windows
Consumers should not rely on one universal number of days across every score.
Quotes still deserve comparison
APR, fees, term, and total cost matter more than protecting a few score points from a useful loan comparison.
Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Credit Inquiries and Rate Shopping.