How Does Refinancing Hurt your Credit?According to credit bureaus, the financial companies that produce the well-known credit scores, your FICO credit score gets affected in different ways by mortgage refinancing.But compared to changes caused by the way you handle your mortgage payments for the duration of the note these impacts would be small and short-lived.Too much Mortgage Refinancing is not GoodIf you are refinancing or applying for new credit related to your mortgage then does refinancing hurt your credit score?
It is not advisable to pull your credit score too many times over a short period, and from too many different potential creditors.In fact, if you don’t honor a credit contract or if you are having too many inquiries on your credit report then FICO might penalize you.And every time when you refinance, your credit score is pulled, if you have too many credit score requests in a relatively short period of time it will have a negative impact on your credit score.There are multiple credit inquiries in a short period of time when you are rate shopping for a refinance on your current mortgage.The way multiple inquiries are treated on your credit scores for certain kinds of debt, like the mortgages or student loans changed in 2009 because of the change in the FICO and other credit scoring systems.FICO recommends submitting all of your applications within a 30- to 45-day period when you are shopping around.In its newest scoring model, all of the inquiries during that period are treated as just one “credit pull,” by FICO minimizing the impact on your credit score, even if when you are not accepting a new loan.However, some lenders still prefer to use older FICO scoring models, hence the limit of inquiries is restricted at times to a 14-day period.Older Debt is BetterWhen you refinance an existing loan, the older mortgage accounts are paid off.
So there is a possibility of you missing out on some credit benefits when you replace a long-standing payment history on one debt.Compared to the new or irregular debts, the older, established, and consistent debts are considered more valuable.
If you are making payments for the same asset with newer debts without that steady payment history then refinancing does hurt your credit.Cash-out Refinances Don’t HelpYour credit score will have an adverse impact because of cash-out refinanceThe first impact is when you replace your old debt with a new loan.
The second is that the assumption that a larger loan balance could increase your credit utilization ratio, which makes up 30% of your FICO credit score.Generally speaking, when your credit file is larger and the impact on your overall debt levels is smaller, then a mortgage refinance will have less impact.When you know your credit score perfectly, then you can give the scores to lenders while lender shopping, so each lender does not have to run your credit.After identifying the lender you would like to work with, let them run your credit and complete your refinance.When you have one lender running your credit and refinance your home it should not adversely affect your credit score.ConclusionWhen you refinance too often or apply too frequently for credit-related to your mortgage, then it takes a toll on your credit score.
Always limit your inquiries to a two-week window when you are rate shopping.Compared to a newer debt, an older debt that has a steady payment history is better for you.
