Who Is Factual Data on My Credit Report (And What to Do About It)

Factual Data is a mortgage credit reporting company, part of CoreLogic, that pulls and merges your credit data from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion into a single “tri-merge” report for mortgage lenders. If Factual Data shows up on your credit report, it is almost always because you applied for a home loan, a refinance, or in some cases a rental, and the lender hired Factual Data to run the credit check on its behalf. The inquiry appears under Factual Data’s name rather than your lender’s, which is why it catches people off guard.

If you did apply for a mortgage recently, the entry is normal. If you did not, it needs attention.

What Does Factual Data Actually Do?

Factual Data is what the FCRA calls a reseller. It does not maintain its own database of your payment history or calculate your credit score. It buys your data from the three national bureaus, merges it into one document, and sells that merged report to the mortgage lender.

Mortgage lenders use resellers because underwriting requires a combined view of all three bureaus rather than three separate reports. Other companies in the same business include CoreLogic Credco, Credit Plus, and LexisNexis. Factual Data also provides related verification services used during the loan process.

The practical consequence: the lender is reading a Factual Data document, but most of the underlying information came from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. That matters when you go to fix an error, because where the error originated determines who has to correct it.

Is a Factual Data Inquiry Bad for My Credit?

Usually not much, and sometimes not at all.

• A hard inquiry, which happens when you formally apply, typically costs a small number of points and stays on your report for up to two years. The scoring impact generally fades within a few months.
• A soft inquiry, which is common for prequalification, does not affect your score at all.
• Rate shopping is protected. Multiple mortgage inquiries within roughly a 14 to 45 day window are treated as a single inquiry for scoring purposes, so seeing several Factual Data entries while comparing lenders is not the problem it looks like.

So if you see two or three Factual Data entries from the weeks you were shopping for a mortgage, that is expected behavior, not damage.

What If I Never Applied for a Mortgage?

Then treat it seriously. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681b, a company needs a permissible purpose to pull your credit, and for a mortgage that means your authorization or a credit transaction you initiated. An inquiry with neither can be a violation, and it can also be the first visible sign that someone is using your identity to apply for credit.

Before you dispute, check the obvious explanations:

• Did you apply for a mortgage, refinance, or home equity loan in the past two years?
• Did you submit a rental application, since some landlords use these services?
• Did a broker submit your file to multiple lenders on your behalf?
• Did you complete a prequalification you have since forgotten?

If none of those fit, move to the fraud steps below.

How Do You Dispute a Factual Data Entry?

Because Factual Data is a reseller, the FCRA has a specific procedure that most articles skip, and knowing it saves you weeks.

Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, when you notify a reseller of a dispute, it must within five business days determine whether the item is inaccurate because of something the reseller itself did. If the error is the reseller’s own, it must correct or delete the information within 20 days of the notice. If the error came from the underlying bureau instead, the reseller must pass the dispute, along with everything you provided, to each consumer reporting agency that supplied the information.

So the practical sequence is:

1. Request your report from Factual Data directly. If its report was used to take adverse action against you, such as a denial, you are entitled to a free copy.
2. Identify what is wrong and where it came from. A merge error, a duplicated account, or the wrong person’s data pulled into your file is likely the reseller’s doing. A wrong balance or a late payment that also appears on your Equifax report came from the bureau.
3. Dispute with Factual Data in writing, identifying the specific entry and attaching documentation.
4. Dispute with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion as well for anything that originates with them. This is the step people miss, and it is usually the one that actually fixes the file.
5. Send everything certified mail and keep copies with dates.
6. Tell your loan officer. Many lenders can request a rapid rescore once an item is corrected, which is far faster than waiting for the next reporting cycle.

What If the Inquiry Was Identity Theft?

If you never authorized any mortgage application, act on the assumption that someone is applying for credit in your name:

• Report it at IdentityTheft.gov and keep the identity theft report
• Freeze your credit at all three bureaus, which is free and blocks new accounts
• Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, free every week, and look for other unfamiliar inquiries or accounts
• Use the identity theft block under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2, which requires a bureau to block fraudulent information within four business days of a complete request

What If Nobody Will Correct It?

An unauthorized pull or an uncorrected merge error can be an FCRA violation, and resellers are consumer reporting agencies subject to the same liability as the big three. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681n, a willful violation allows actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, plus possible punitive damages, and § 1681o covers negligent violations.

The stakes are higher than a few score points when a mortgage is involved. If a merged report error caused a denial, a higher rate, or a lost closing, those losses can be actual damages. The FCRA also shifts attorney’s fees to the company that broke the law. Keep your denial letter and the version of the report showing the error. Our Mississippi consumer protection lawyers handle mortgage reporting errors, including reseller cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Factual Data on my credit report?

Almost always because you applied for a mortgage, refinance, or rental and the lender hired Factual Data to pull and merge your credit. The inquiry appears under its name instead of the lender’s.

Does a Factual Data inquiry hurt my credit score?

A hard inquiry typically costs a small number of points and fades within months. Soft inquiries do not affect your score, and multiple mortgage inquiries in a short window count as one.

Can I remove a Factual Data inquiry?

If you authorized the mortgage application, the inquiry is accurate and generally stays up to two years. If you never authorized it, dispute it as unauthorized and treat it as possible identity theft.

Do I dispute with Factual Data or with the credit bureaus?

Often both. Merge errors created by the reseller are its responsibility, but errors that originated with Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion have to be corrected at the bureau.

Can I get a free copy of the Factual Data report?

Yes, if that report was used to take adverse action against you, such as a mortgage denial. You can request it directly from the company.

Track Down Where the Error Started

The name on the inquiry is rarely the whole story. Factual Data assembled the report, but most of what the lender read came from the three national bureaus, so fixing your file usually means disputing in two places at once. Pull your reports, figure out where each error originated, and dispute in writing with documentation.

If an unauthorized pull or an uncorrected error cost you a home loan, contact Ware Law Firm to review your reports and your options under the FCRA.