Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.
Co-Founder of SoloSuit George Simons, JD/MBA
George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.
Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.
Summary:
To remove CBCInnovis from your credit report, dispute any inaccuracies with credit bureaus. Validate
questionable inquiries, and request removal for unauthorized entries.
Have you applied for a loan or line of credit in the recent past? If so, you may see CBCInnovis on your credit
report. They are a credit reporting agency that helps banks, lenders, and other financial institutions vet
applicants.
When you apply for a mortgage or loan, CBCInnovis gains access to your credit report, gathers crucial information,
and gives the data to the lender you approached. CBCInnovis recently merged with Factual Data, and you may see the
entry on your credit report as either CBCInnovis or Factual Data. Other services they offer include:
Identity verification
Fraud prevention
ID authentication
Skip tracing data
Having several entries by CBCInnovis on your credit report can harm your credit score. You should also confirm that
the entries genuinely came from a recent activity from you and not a case of identity theft. To assist you with the
process, we'll inform you of your consumer rights, how a CBCInnovis entry affects your credit score, and how to
remove and improve it.
How do I know when a debt collector violates my consumer rights?
The Fair Credit Reporting
Act is the federal law that governs how CBCInnovis collects and reports information about consumers. The law
covers how a consumer's sensitive credit information is acquired, the period it is kept, and how it is shared. The Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau and the Fair Trade Commission oversee and enforce these laws.
According to FCRA laws, you have a right to:
Receive one free credit report annually
Be informed when your credit information is used against you
Verify the information that the CBCInnovis reported is accurate
Dispute with CBCInnovis on an entry that is incomplete or inaccurate
Have outdated negative information removed from your report
Sue for damages when CBCInnovis violates the law
Report to FTC, CFPB, or your attorney general's office if CBCInnovis violates any laws. You can also sue them if you
have overwhelming evidence that CBCInnovis violated the law. The penalty for each violation carries a fine of
between $100 to $1000 and any attorney's fees you might incur.
How does an inquiry from CBCInnovis affect my credit score?
Several CBCInnovis or Factual Data inquiries negatively affect your credit score, causing lenders to question your
ability to pay a new loan. These financial institutions will assess your level of financial responsibility from the
inquiries made. There are two types of credit inquiry: hard inquiry and soft inquiry. Let us discuss each in detail.
Hard inquiries decrease your credit score
Hard inquiry or hard pulls occurs when you request significant financial assistance or a new line of credit. For
example, if you apply for a new credit card, the card company will request CBCInnovis to pull your credit file, and
you will see a hard inquiry by CBCInnovis on your credit report instead of the card company.
These inquiries should not take you by surprise because companies should request permission to perform a hard
inquiry. Common hard inquiries include:
Mortgage application
Car loan or other loan application
Phone or utility application
Credit card applications
Rental application
According to Fair Isaac
Corporation (FICO), a hard inquiry can lower your credit score by 5–10 points. Several inquiries for
different lines of credit cumulatively lower your score further. If you are rate shopping for a mortgage, student
loan, or auto loan, FICO recommends you perform rate-shopping within a 14–30 day period so that it is recorded as a
single inquiry.
Hard Inquiries remain on your credit report for 1 to 2 years, depending on the credit company. But it lowers your
credit score in the first 12 months only.
Soft inquiries don't affect your score
Soft inquiries or soft pulls occur when companies view your credit file as a background check and pre-approval for a
credit offer. Most soft inquiries occur without your permission, although some companies may inform you. Examples of
soft inquiries include:
Insurance quotes
Employer credit checks
Preapproved credit card and loans offers
Credit limit increases
Credit monitoring services
Soft inquiries do not affect your credit score as they are not indicative of a serious financial commitment.
How can I eliminate CBCInnovis from my credit report?
Removing a genuine hard inquiry you consented to may be impossible. Hard inquiries are a legal and mandatory process
for any significant credit application. You can successfully request for a CBCInnovis hard inquiry removal from your
credit report if you:
Have not applied for a new line of credit or loan
Did not consent to a hard inquiry
Suspect you are a victim of identity theft
Begin the process by requesting your credit report from the three credit bureaus. Thoroughly review each report and
highlight the questionable hard inquiries you want to dispute. Next, send, upload, or email a dispute letter with
the highlighted pages to TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.
Once the credit bureaus receive your dispute letter, they will investigate and remove the inquiry within 30 days if
the evidence supports your claims. To support your case further, you can contact CBCInnovis to get more information
about the hard inquiry and attach it to the dispute letter.
How can I improve my credit score after CBCInnovis' hard inquiry?
As stated earlier, CBCInnovis' hard inquiry negatively affects your credit score, reducing your chances of getting
financial assistance in the future. To prevent your score from plummeting further, you can take the following steps
to stabilize and improve your score:
Take time before applying for a new loan: Wait for at least six months before making a new application. At the
same time, check if the old inquiries have dropped.
Validate pending debt and pay off: Send a
Debt Validation Letter to confirm the debt on your credit report is rightfully yours. After the creditor
verifies the debt, request a pay-for-delete agreement. The creditor will remove the debt from your credit report
once you pay.
Make credit line payments on time and do not allow delayed payments to go beyond 30 days, or they will be
included on your credit report.
Avoid new credit cards and keep old credit card accounts: New credit cards inquiry lowers your score further.
Closing old accounts usually raise red flags from lenders.
Consider negotiating a debt settlement
With the assistance of SoloSettle, you can take proactive steps to try
and negotiate a settlement with the debt collector where you wind up only paying a portion of the amount
owed.
Debt collectors, including those retained by or affiliated with CBCInnovis, may be amenable to negotiating a
settlement for an amount less than what you owe when you engage in proactive and productive communication with them.
Here are some recommended steps to try and settle your debt:
If you are sued by a debt collector, make sure to file an Answer to the debt collection lawsuit. This is
important because ignoring the debt collection lawsuit can lead to a default judgment, which can impair your
ability to engage in productive settlement negotiations.
Calculate how much you can afford to pay toward the amount owed by using the following settlement formula:
Amount available to settle = (monthly income – monthly costs) + savings)
Contact the debt collector to engage in settlement talks.
Convey your reasonable settlement either via a phone call or through a debt settlement letter. Make sure your
opening offer is less than the maximum amount you can pay.
Be prepared to go through multiple rounds of negotiating with the debt collector.
If you are able to reach a debt settlement agreement, make sure to get the terms in writing. Once the terms are
in writing, sign the agreement and make the agreed-upon payment.
To learn more about these tips and others that may assist you on your journey to settle your debt, watch the
following interview with a consumer rights attorney, John Skiba, where he shares the best tips for negotiating debt
settlement with collectors:
What if I've been sued for debt?
If you’ve been sued for debt, don’t ignore it. File a written
Answer in the case before your state’s deadline to block a default judgment. Without the threat of a default
judgment hanging over your head, you’ll be in a better position to negotiate with creditors and debt collectors to
settle your debt (often for less than the original amount owed) and avoid going to court altogether.
Filing an Answer is only the first step to resolving a debt lawsuit. Be sure to attend scheduled hearings and trials
and show up for your court date. Alternatively, use tools like SoloSettle to negotiate and settle beforehand.
Some creditors, banks, and lenders have an internal collections department. If they come after you for a debt, Solosuit can still help you respond and resolve the debt. Here’s a list of guides on how to resolve debt with different creditors.
If the thought of going to court stresses you out, you’re not alone. Many Americans who are sued for credit card debt utilize a Motion to Compel Arbitration to push their case out of court and into arbitration.
Below are some resources on how to use an arbitration clause to your advantage and win a debt lawsuit.
Do you keep getting calls from an unknown number, only to realize that it’s a debt collector on the other line? If you’ve been called by any of the following numbers, chances are you have collectors coming after you, and we’ll tell you how to stop them.
Knowing your rights makes it easier to stand up for your rights. Below, we’ve compiled all our articles on federal debt collection laws that protect you from unfair practices.
We’ve created a specialized guide on how to find debt relief in all 50 states, complete with steps to take to find relief, state-specific resources, and more.
Debt collection laws vary by state, so we have compiled a guide to each state’s debt collection laws to make it easier for you to stand up for your rights—no matter where you live.
Don’t have time to go to your local courthouse to check the status of your case? We’ve created a guide on how to check the status of your case in every state, complete with online search tools and court directories.
Forgot to respond to your debt lawsuit? The judge may have ordered a default judgment against you, and with a default judgment, debt collectors can garnish your wages. Here are our guides on how to stop wage garnishment in all 50 states.
Debt settlement is one of the most effective ways to resolve a debt and save money. We’ve created a guide on how to settle your debt in all 50 states. Find out how to settle in your state with a simple click and explore other debt settlement resources below.
Not sure how to negotiate a debt settlement with a debt collector? We are creating guides to help you know how to start the settlement conversation and increase your chances of coming to an agreement with every debt collector.
We give a factual review of the following debt consolidation, debt settlement, and loan organizations and companies to help you make an informed decision before you take on a debt.
You can represent yourself in court. Save yourself the time and cost of finding an attorney, and use the following resources to understand legal definitions better and how they may apply to your case.