I don't know if anyone here knows the answer to this, or if it's one of those dark secrets lurking within the credit bureau's policy books, but, when reports are frozen, generally only institutions you have a relationship with can soft pull them. So, if I have a Chase card, Chase can soft pull my reports.
My question is, how does this relationship get established? Is it when they hard pull during the initial app (when reports aren't frozen), or does the relationship also get established when they report your account history?
For example, let's say I have no relationship with Chase at all. I unfreeze all 3 reports, app for a card with them and am approved. They choose to hard pull EX and EQ but not TU. After approval, I freeze them. After account establishment, I know they can soft pull reports as they maintain the account, and as statements cycle, they report the history.
Are they able to soft pull TU in this case, if they never pulled them while unfrozen? Does submitting a report open the gate for them?
I just ask because of some data points with people requesting SP CLIs with Chase and if they aren't immediately approved, some have been asked to unfreeze TU to get an approval. I wonder if that's because they couldn't SP TU because they never HPed them when the card was applied for, or if they can but still have something in their software from the HP CLI days that checks for a freeze.
Just curious, that's all. Thanks.
Yes they can. It isnt like this creditor only pulled EQ but will show up on all your CRA reports when they post your account info. They have access to all 3. It isnt they only report to the CRA they pulled. Imagine if that happened. Folks would be kinda irked if they only report to 1 CRA!
@CreditMarathoner wrote:
I just ask because of some data points with people requesting SP CLIs with Chase and if they aren't immediately approved, some have been asked to unfreeze TU to get an approval. I wonder if that's because they couldn't SP TU because they never HPed them when the card was applied for, or if they can but still have something in their software from the HP CLI days that checks for a freeze.
Just curious, that's all. Thanks.
I think it's a case of Chase wanting to HP TU to get approval because of the CLI amount or another reason related to that persons credit history. For instance FNBO will only SP approve limits up to 25k on the Evergreen card, after that they will HP you for any more increases regardless of any other circumstance. In my experience so far, no creditor has been SPing reports that they didn't obtain during the initial application/approval process. For me FNBO only pulled my EX report during my application and they only SP EX now and they show me my EX FICO Bankcard 9 score in the app with the statement that it is the same score they use to manage my account. Since I know they only SP EX this makes sense.
Yes they may report the account to all 3 bureaus but oddly enough even though sometimes they pull multiple reports for the approval they usually only SP one bureau regularly for ongoing account activities. I say "usually" because I do see sporadic SPs on all my reports from Cap1 but they did HP all 3 to start with. Also Citi never pulled EQ during either of my approvals for them but I see "promotional" SP inquiries on my EQ report from them.
8/8/25