Number of inquiries was a factor in determining the score

VantageScore code numbers

Code numbers can differ by bureau and score version. The wording of the statement is what to match.

What puts this reason on your score

VantageScore's 4.0 user guide says up to four reasons come back in order of impact, and a fifth is added when the file has inquiries that didn't make the top four. VantageScore's explanation for code 84 says that in this case the drop was not significant.

The 3.0 statement says it outright: 'The number of inquiries was also a factor, but effect was not significant.' Treat it as a note. The top four codes are where your score is losing ground.

What to check on your credit report

• The dates of hard inquiries over the last two years
• Any inquiry you don't recognize

What you can do about it

• Leave it alone if the inquiries are yours. They age on their own.
• Dispute an inquiry only if you didn't apply.
• Spend your effort on the top four codes.

The free inquiry tracker can help with this step.

How soon a change can show

As the inquiries age, this note drops off. Equifax says inquiries tend to affect scores for about a year.

If you are applying for a mortgage

This code is no reason to delay a mortgage. A preapproval adds an inquiry of its own, and on VantageScore, mortgage inquiries within 14 days count as one.

Guides that go deeper

• How much does a hard inquiry lower your credit score?FICO says one more inquiry takes fewer than five points off for most people. What that figure leaves out, and the cases where a few points decide a loan.
• 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.
• 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.
• What your credit score reason codes are telling youReason codes list what held your score back the most, in order. What the common ones mean, which you can act on, and which to leave alone.