Why does an identity check affect my score? :-(

[Anonymous]

We purchased a home security system a couple of weeks ago and ADT used my social security number to verify my ownership of the home. Two days later my Equifax Fico score dropped 16 points. Reason: I've been recently looking for credit. This is bs and FICO should be able to take into account why your credit is being pulled like it does in so many other ways. I know this type of thing happens with other forms of credit checks that have nothing to do with wanting to obtain credit as well. This should not be the case. FICO should not count these types of inquiries against you.

[MidnightVoice]

Ah, my favorite rant    It was when I added a second line to my Cingular phone plan and they did a hard pull that I really got annoyed. 

[Anonymous]

Are you SURE its because of ADT? Credit checks of that type never count as new credit, there MIGHT be something else going on that you need to look into. Like someone else seeking credit with you SS number?? Maybe??

[Anonymous]

I just learned today that when I transferred money from a Wells Fargo checking account to open another checking account last week and specificially asked whether there would be a credit check (and I had said that I didn't want one done) and I was told that there would be NO credit check, Wells Fargo ran one anyway -- a hard hit!  Any hard hit (standard variety credit check) affects your score!  And if you are trying to get a mortgage approval, don't count on it  that all hits within a 2 week period will be counted as if they were one hit.  That's not the way it happened when I was shopping for a mortgage.  My monitoring service shows that I have multiple hits that all counted as requests for my credit at each of the three credit bureaus during a 4 day time period for which I had only expected one hit to be counted by each of TU, EXP and EQ.