DataX on your credit report: what this inquiry means

Who DataX is

DataX, Ltd. collects and sells payment history on payday and installment loans, subprime credit cards and other specialty loans. Equifax owns it outright.

Is it a hard or soft inquiry?

A DataX check is recorded in DataX's own file. FICO and VantageScore credit scores, which are built from Equifax, Experian or TransUnion data, don't count it as a hard inquiry.

Why it showed up on your report

A payday, installment or subprime card lender checked DataX while reviewing your application.

How to check that you authorized it

1. Order your free DataX report.
2. Match each lender on it to a loan application or an online form you filled out.
3. Ask any unfamiliar lender, in writing, what permissible purpose it had.

How to reach DataX

Request one free report every 12 months through DataX's annual report page, by phone or by mail. The CFPB says DataX accepts freeze requests by mail.

Guides that go deeper

• Specialty consumer reports: ChexSystems, tenant screening and moreBanks, landlords, insurers, and utilities often check reports you've never seen. Who keeps them, how to get yours free, and how to fix errors in them.
• Prequalifying for a personal loan: what the soft pull shows and hidesPrequalifying for a personal loan uses a soft pull that doesn't touch your FICO Score. What the offer shows, what can change, and when the hard pull lands.
• Removing hard inquiries you didn't authorize, the legitimate wayAn inquiry you never authorized can be disputed, and one from fraud can be blocked. One you did authorize can't. How to sort them and fix each kind.
• Hard vs. soft inquiries: which credit checks count against youA hard inquiry comes from a credit application and can trim your score. A soft one never does. A table of the common checks, gray zones included.