Soft inquiry
Ask USMI can help explain this term and how it shows up in a mortgage question.
Definition
A soft inquiry is a credit inquiry typically recorded for account review, prequalification, or the consumer’s own report check. It is not the hard inquiry that follows a new-credit application.
In plain English
Some looks at a credit report are not new applications. Those are usually recorded as soft inquiries. This page does not say how any scoring model treats the event. Hard inquiry is the contrasting page.
Technical definition
CFPB’s credit-report heading is the official consumer file that records inquiries. Soft inquiry is the non-application form of that recorded event.
Why it matters
A prequalification pull and a full mortgage application are not the same inquiry type.
Sources reviewed
Mortgage key terms
Source reviewedSeptember 4, 2026
Cite as
Ask USMI about this term
Explore how this term relates to a loan cost or your next mortgage question.