Xactus on your credit report: what this inquiry means

Who Xactus is

Xactus, LLC delivers TransUnion, Equifax and Experian credit reports to lenders and mortgage companies. It took the Xactus name in February 2022 after a string of mergers that combined Credit Plus, Universal Credit Services, CIS Credit Solutions, Avantus, DataFacts Lending Solutions and SharperLending. That history is why an inquiry from the same company can carry different names on reports from different years. Xactus says it gets reports directly from the bureaus and keeps no consumer credit database of its own.

Is it a hard or soft inquiry?

Xactus's own consumer FAQ draws the line by purpose. A pull because you applied for credit is hard, stays on the report for two years and counts in FICO Scores for one. A pull with no application behind it, such as a prescreened offer, is soft and doesn't affect your scores.

Why it showed up on your report

One of Xactus's lender clients requested your report for a financial transaction, most often a mortgage or refinance. Xactus says to contact it to learn the lender's name.

Why it can show more than once

A merged order leaves one Xactus entry at each bureau that supplied data. If two lenders you compared both order through Xactus, you'll see two Xactus entries per bureau, and FICO treats mortgage inquiries within its shopping window as one.

How to check that you authorized it

1. Note every name in the legacy list. An old Credit Plus or Universal Credit Services entry is the same company line, not a stranger.
2. Match the inquiry date to a loan application or rate quote.
3. Call Xactus at 877-224-8107 and ask which lender requested your report on that date.

How to reach Xactus

Call 877-224-8107 or use the contact form linked from Xactus's consumer FAQ to ask for a free copy of a report one of its clients requested. Disputes about that copy go to the Xactus Consumer Disputes Department at the same number. For your current file, use AnnualCreditReport.com.

Guides that go deeper

• How mortgage preapproval shows up on your creditA mortgage preapproval usually means a hard pull from all three bureaus. Why one lender shows up three times, how shopping is scored, and what to avoid.
• Rate shopping for a loan without wrecking your credit scoreFICO counts mortgage, auto and student loan inquiries made within 14 to 45 days as one. The three rules, a worked timeline, and what isn't covered.
• 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.