Soft Pull Companies listed on Credit Report Question

[Anonymous]

I was looking at my annual credit reports; mainly to see if Von Maur had soft pulled me at all this year, they had not.

On my Experian, I noticed an SP from Bluestem Brands which confused me at first. Apparently, they are the parent of Fingerhut. However, since my Fingerhut account is issued by WEBBank I assumed they would be pulling me, not Fingerhut's parent company?

On Transunion Gettington a sister company of Fingerhut had SP'd my credit as well. I guess Fingerhut is all over the place when it comes to SP's?

I know I am the only one who can see these but I found it odd and wondered if it had happened to anyone else.

SYNCB/Wal-Mart SP'd me on Transunion which makes no sense to me since I do not have a Wal-Mart card. (They could not be attempting to pre-approve me)

[RobertEG]

Are any listed as inquiry code PRM?

The FCRA has a special provision that permits a creditor with whom you have not initiated any request for credit to submit screening criteria to a CRA and receive back a listing of consumer names and addresses of those found whose files currently meet the specified criteria.

They can then make firm offers for credit to only those consumers, without sending out broad solicitations to consumers who definately will not meet their qualifications.  See FCRA 604(c).

The creditor gets no account specific consumer information based on such promotional inquiries; they get only a listing of names and addresses.

Under the FCRA, such promotional inquiries cannot be shown in any credit report that is provided to others (i.e., it must be coded as "soft").

[Anonymous]

That is interesting I thought since I was under 21 banks could not attempt to preapprove me.

[RobertEG]

Yes, if your credit file contains a date of birth that shows you are under the age of 21, then promotional inquiries are only permitted if you have first consented to the pull.  

[Anonymous]

I assume since I applied with Webbank Fingerhut, then that gives all of Fingerhuts affiliates the permission to sp?

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I assume since I applied with Webbank Fingerhut, then that gives all of Fingerhuts affiliates the permission to sp?

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Well, as per RobertEG's explanation earlier, almost any creditor has the right to do a SP of your report, if they are requesting a list of people who meet their own criteria for extending an offer of credit (and you meet those particular criteria).  Such a credit pull does not allow the creditor to see the details of your report, but it does appear on your list of soft inquiries (visible to you but not others).  So in that sense the creditor is doing an SP and he does not need to be someone who is a current or past creditor.

In your question immediately above, when you say "SP" do you mean a soft pull that would allow the creditor to see all the details of your report (except of course soft inquiries)?  

And although you say above that you have applied to Fingerhut, I think your actual relationship with them is stronger, right?  You actually have an account with them, right?

[Anonymous]

I 

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
I assume since I applied with Webbank Fingerhut, then that gives all of Fingerhuts affiliates the permission to sp?

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Well, as per RobertEG's explanation earlier, almost any creditor has the right to do a SP of your report, if they are requesting a list of people who meet their own criteria for extending an offer of credit (and you meet those particular criteria).  Such a credit pull does not allow the creditor to see the details of your report, but it does appear on your list of soft inquiries (visible to you but not others).  So in that sense the creditor is doing an SP and he does not need to be someone who is a current or past creditor.

In your question immediately above, when you say "SP" do you mean a soft pull that would allow the creditor to see all the details of your report (except of course soft inquiries)?  

And although you say above that you have applied to Fingerhut, I think your actual relationship with them is stronger, right?  You actually have an account with them, right?

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I do have an account with them. It was in the list of inquiries only I can see on my annual report under soft pull