Does Refinancing Hurt Your Credit Score? The Truth About

Mortgage Q&A: Does refinancing hurt your credit score?

Consumers always seem to be overly concerned about their credit scores and what impact certain actions may have on them; perhaps this is a result of all that clever marketing on behalf of the credit score creators and distributors.

When it comes to refinancing, your credit score probably wont be negatively impacted unless perhaps youre a serial refinancer.

When you refinance your mortgage, the bank or mortgage lender will pull your credit report and youll be hit with a credit inquiry as a result.

The credit inquiry alone wont necessarily lower your credit score, but if youre constantly refinancing and/or applying for other forms of new credit, the inquiries could add up to a point where theyre deemed unhealthy.

You Could See a Credit Score Ding When Refinancing

As a result, your credit score could see a bit of a ding, though it probably wouldnt be anything substantial unless youve been applying anywhere and everywhere for new credit. By a ding, I mean 5-10 points or so. Of course, its impossible to say how much your credit score will drop, or if it will at all, because each credit profile is unique.

Put simply, those with deeper credit histories will be less affected by any credit harm related to the refinance inquiry, while those with limited credit history may be see a bigger impact. Think of throwing a rock in an ocean vs. a pond, respectively. The ripples will be a lot bigger in the pond.

Also keep in mind that shopping for a refinance in a short period of time (say a month) may result in a large number of credit pulls, but it will only count as one credit hit because the credit bureaus now know the routine when it comes to shopping for a mortgage.

This differs from shopping for multiple credit cards in a short period of time, which could hurt your credit score more because youre applying for different products with different issuers.  Even if you shop for a mortgage refinance with different lenders, its for the same single purpose, so you shouldnt be hit more than once.

Another potential negative to refinancing is that youd lose the credit history benefit of the old mortgage account, as it would be paid off via the new refinance.

So if your prior mortgage had been with you for say 10 years or more, that account would become inactive once you refinanced, which could cost you a few points in the credit department.

Remember, older, more established tradelines are your credit scores best asset, so wiping them all out by replacing them with new lines of credit could do you harm in the short-term.

Cash Out Refinance Means More Debt, Lower Credit Score

Also consider the impact of a refinance that results in a larger loan balance, such as a cash-out refinance.

The larger loan balance will increase your credit utilization, meaning youd be using more of your total available credit, which could push your credit score lower. In short, the more credit youve got outstanding, the higher a risk you present to creditors.

But all in all, a refinance should have a compelling enough reason behind it to eclipse any credit score concerns, so focus on why youre refinancing first before worrying about your credit score.

Read more: When to refinance a home mortgage.