Actually, the terms "hard" and "soft" pull are not even used in the FCRA in describing the rules for credit inquiries.
That is purely a credit reporting distinction based on how the inquiree justifiies and codes the inquiry. FICO does not score any credit inquiry with a code that is designated as a soft inquiiry.
Potential credtiors who are accessing your credit file simply to extend a non-solicited "promotional" offer for new credit is entitled, under the FCRA, to only receive your name and address. These are always scored in FICO as soft inquiries, as are any inquiries that you make to review your own CR.
The picture gets muddy for credit inquiries that you initiate for the purpose of obtaining new credit, or extending existing credit, or that an existing creditor may make to review your account. The FCRA does not mandate how such inquiries are coded. Sometimes the creditor will code it as a soft inquiry, in which event it is ignored totally by FICO scoring. IF they code it as hard inquiry, it will show in your CR for two years, but FICO only scores in for one year. Inquiries made simply for the purpose of reviewing an account in good standing, such as to evaluate a potential credit limit reduction, are almost invariably scored as soft pulls.
