SoftQualify ℠
Pre-Qualify More Buyers. Spend Up to 70% Less.
Credit report costs are at record highs. SoftQualify gives you the full credit picture from a soft-pull report for up to 70% less than a tri-merge, with no FICO ® impact and no trigger leads.
Screen every prospect for a fraction of the cost and save the hard pull for closing.
- Up to 70% Lower Cost
- Zero FICO Score Impact
- No Trigger Leads
- Score Express ℠ Eligible
Qualify Earlier. Protect Your Borrowers.
A soft pull gives you the full credit picture you need, without starting the trigger lead clock or affecting your borrower's score.
No Score Impact
Soft inquiries don't affect FICO scores. Borrowers can be screened as many times as needed without any credit consequences.
No Trigger Leads Generated
Soft pulls don't generate credit bureau trigger lead lists, so competitors can't poach your borrowers the moment they check their credit.
Early Pipeline Qualification
Identify creditworthy borrowers at the very start of the funnel, before you spend time or money on a full tri-merge pull.
1, 2, or 3-Bureau Options
SoftQualify offers single, dual, or full tri-bureau soft pulls, giving you flexibility to match the level of detail each borrower situation requires.
Lower Your Credit Costs
Screen borrowers with a low-cost soft pull first. Only run the full tri-merge when you're confident in the borrower's qualification.
LOS Compatible
SoftQualify integrates with major loan origination systems so your team can order soft pulls directly from their existing workflow.
Same Thing — In mortgage industry usage, soft pull,soft inquiry, and soft credit check all refer to the same mechanism. Different names, same thing.
Side by Side
Soft pull vs. hard pull
Both return the same underlying credit data. They differ in how the inquiry is coded, what it costs, and what it exposes the borrower to.
| Attribute | Soft Pull | Hard Pull |
|---|---|---|
| Impact on FICO score | None | Typically 2-5+ points |
| Visible to other lenders | No | Yes, for 2 years |
| Triggers bureau lead lists | No | Yes |
| Repeatable borrower screening | Yes | No |
| Cost to lender | Up to 70% less | Full tri-merge |
| Borrower consent required | Yes | Yes |
| Used for | Pre-qualification, pricing, processing, conditional GSE underwriting | Required prior to closing |
In real-world practice, lenders pull a SoftQualify+ ℠ report to determine initial viability, submit it to a GSE for early assessment and conditional pricing, then process the loan through underwriting and verifications. Once closing becomes likely, the hard tri-merge is pulled to satisfy the GSE delivery requirement. Soft pulls support the work; the hard pull satisfies the delivery rule.
Two Versions
SoftQualify vs. SoftQualify+
SoftQualify comes in two versions. The choice depends on whether the file is staying internal or heading to a GSE.
| Feature | Lowest Cost SoftQualify Internal prequal & pricing | GSE-Ready SoftQualify+ Fannie / Freddie eligible |
|---|---|---|
| Soft inquiry, zero FICO impact | Included | Included |
| Full credit data (scores, tradelines, balances) | Included | Included |
| 1, 2, or 3-bureau options | Included | Included |
| Score Express rescoring eligible | Eligible | Eligible |
| 24-month trended credit data | Not included | Included |
| FNMA DU Early Assessment eligible | Not eligible | Eligible |
| Cost positioning | Lowest in soft-pull line | Trended-data premium |
Choose by file destination, not by sequencing. If the file is staying internal for pricing and screening, SoftQualify keeps costs at their lowest. If the file is GSE-bound for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, SoftQualify+ delivers the trended data the GSEs require.
Workflow Strategy
The closed-loan strategy: delay the hard tri-merge
One of the best strategies in modern mortgage origination is to use a SoftQualify+ report for initial pre-qualification, pricing, and processing, then delay the hard tri-merge until closing is imminent. Three things happen when the hard pull moves to the end of the workflow.
The cost moves to closing
Hard tri-merge fees are typically collected at closing as part of borrower-paid costs. Delaying the hard pull shifts that expense from a sunk per-prospect cost to a recoverable per-closed-loan cost. The economics of every non-closing prospect improve substantially. Additional closed-loan pricing models are available to further leverage this concept.
The hard pull serves as your Fannie Mae LQI solution
When the hard tri-merge is pulled closer to closing, that report itself can serve as LQI verification, eliminating the need for separate undisclosed debt monitoring or a refresh credit report. One report, two purposes.
The borrower's credit stays cleaner
Each hard inquiry contributes to a small FICO movement and stays visible for two years. Delaying the hard pull protects the borrower's credit profile through qualification, which can matter on borderline files where every point counts.
Realtor Workflows
SoftQualify as a referral-partner tool
Because the cost-per-screen is a fraction of a hard pull, loan officers can extend SoftQualify to their referral partners, typically Realtors, as a tool the Realtor deploys independently across all of their prospects, without the loan officer physically present.
How it works
The loan officer provides each Realtor partner with a persistent SmartPay link, one link the Realtor can promote across all their prospects, open houses, and listings. Prospects complete consent through SmartPay, pay the nominal report fee themselves, and receive their actual FICO and/or VantageScore ® values, the same scores the lender will use to qualify and price their loan. The full SoftQualify report lands in the loan officer's queue in seconds.
Open houses
The Realtor offers on-the-spot pre-qualification screening to walk-in prospects. The LO gets a fully-screened lead with credit data already in hand, not a "we met someone, can you call them?" handoff.
New home buyer seminars
Educational events become qualification events. Attendees can see their actual FICO scores in real time, a powerful attendance enticement, while the Realtor walks away with a list of pre-qualified, paid-up prospects.
Automated referral streams
When the qualification step is borrower-paid and self-serve, Realtors hand over fully-screened prospects with real credit data, not unscreened contact lists. Conversion rates from referral-to-application rise substantially.
Looking for a fully Realtor-branded prequalification experience? BestQualify ℠ is CTI's exclusive Realtor referral platform, prequalification pages branded to the Realtor and hosted on the Realtor's own website. A complementary path to the same goal: putting qualification in the Realtor's hands.
Score Models
A note on scores: FICO and VantageScore
Most credit reports, soft or hard, return FICO scores. SoftQualify delivers the FICO mortgage scores (Scores 2, 4, and 5) used in actual underwriting decisions.
With VantageScore now broadly available, many lenders order reports with both score sets, FICO for the mortgage decision, VantageScore as a comparison view, often bundled at no additional charge. CTI supports both. For mortgage purposes, the FICO mortgage scores remain the authoritative scoring model used by underwriters and GSEs.
Consumer-channel scores are not used or accepted in the mortgage industry
Apps and websites that show borrowers a "free credit score" (Credit Karma, NerdWallet, the bureaus' own consumer products) serve consumer-grade FICO or VantageScore models. Different model versions from the FICO mortgage scores lenders actually use.
No lender, no underwriter, and no GSE will substitute a consumer-app score for a real mortgage credit pull.
A consumer score of 740 on Credit Karma might be: 685 on a real mortgage pull
Workflow Integration
Order Soft Pulls From Your Existing Platform
SoftQualify works with your existing loan origination system and credit reporting portal. No new software to learn, no manual data entry, just a faster way to qualify borrowers.
- Order directly through your existing credit reporting portal or LOS
- Choose single, dual, or full tri-bureau soft pulls
- Borrowers can pay for reports directly through SmartPay, reducing your costs
- Fully eligible for Score Express rescoring if the borrower needs FICO improvement
- FNMA DU Early Assessment eligible via SoftQualify+ reports
- Integrates with MeridianLink and 80+ LOS platforms
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is a soft-pull credit inquiry?
A soft-pull credit inquiry retrieves a borrower's credit information without creating a hard inquiry on their credit file. This means the borrower's FICO score is not affected, making it ideal for pre-qualification, pricing, and initial processing.
How is SoftQualify different from a hard credit pull?
SoftQualify retrieves credit data using a soft inquiry that does not appear on the borrower's credit report or impact their score. A hard pull is recorded and can temporarily lower the score by a few points.
Does a soft credit check show up on a credit report?
Yes, but only on the borrower's own copy, not on the copies that other lenders see when they pull credit. Soft inquiries are visible to the consumer for transparency, but are invisible to lenders running future hard pulls. Even on the borrower's own report, soft inquiries are clearly labeled as non-scoring.
How long does a soft inquiry stay on a credit report?
Soft inquiries typically remain visible on the borrower's report for 12 to 24 months, then drop off automatically. Because they don't affect any credit score, they have no consequence during that window.
Can a soft pull be used for mortgage underwriting?
Yes. Soft pulls support pre-qualification, pricing, processing, and conditional GSE underwriting recommendations (via Fannie Mae's DU Early Assessment, for example). The constraint is at delivery: a hard tri-merge credit report must be obtained prior to closing to satisfy GSE delivery requirements. Soft pulls do the analytical work; the hard pull satisfies the delivery rule.
What's the difference between SoftQualify and SoftQualify+?
SoftQualify delivers full soft-pull credit data (scores, tradelines, balances, derogatory marks) without trended data, at the lowest cost in the soft-pull line. SoftQualify+ adds trended credit data (a 24-month historical view of credit behavior), which is required for files submitted to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac through their automated underwriting systems. Use SoftQualify for internal pre-qualification and pricing. Use SoftQualify+ when the file is GSE-bound.
Are VantageScore scores included with SoftQualify?
VantageScore can be ordered alongside the FICO mortgage scores. Many lenders include both for a more complete view of the borrower's credit profile.
Is SoftQualify the same as the free credit checks consumers see on Credit Karma or NerdWallet?
No. Consumer-facing free credit-check services typically display consumer-grade FICO or VantageScore models, different versions from the FICO mortgage scores used in actual underwriting. Consumer-channel scores often run significantly higher than mortgage scores on the same borrower, which can mislead prospects about what they actually qualify for. SoftQualify returns the FICO mortgage scores (Scores 2, 4, and 5) lenders and GSEs use in real decisions.
How much does SoftQualify cost compared to a hard tri-merge?
SoftQualify (without trended data) delivers up to 70% savings versus a traditional hard tri-merge. SoftQualify+ (with trended data) carries a higher cost than SoftQualify because trended data is significantly more expensive to source, but it remains substantially less expensive than a hard tri-merge, with the added benefit of GSE eligibility.
Is a soft credit check legal for mortgage pre-qualification?
Yes, when conducted with permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Borrower consent, written, digital, or recorded verbal, is required. SoftQualify is built around FCRA-compliant consent capture and audit trails.
Qualify More. Spend Less. Start With a Soft Pull.
SoftQualify is available to CTI members. Join 15,000+ mortgage professionals who protect their pipeline from the very first credit check.