Why run a soft pull first
ISC's AUS Soft Pull is also known as Soft Pull Plus, Power Profile Plus, or Early Assessment, depending on your platform. It is the same product under each name, and it supports AUS workflows where available.
A hard credit pull generates a hard inquiry on your borrower's report. That inquiry can trigger alerts to existing-relationship lenders, your borrower's bank or current servicer, even under HBPPA-related protections that took effect in early 2026. Running a soft pull first means you understand the complete credit picture before a hard inquiry is generated.
Zero score impact
Your borrower's credit score is not affected by a soft pull. They can engage with you at the earliest stage of homebuying without any concern about score impact.
No hard inquiry
No hard inquiry appears on the credit report. You can assess creditworthiness, build a rescore strategy, and have multiple conversations, all before the hard pull.
Pre-screen efficiently
Filter your pipeline for borrowers who meet your minimum score thresholds before spending the cost of a full tri-merge. Know who to work with before you commit.
Reduce pipeline disruptions
The later you pull hard credit, the less time any residual trigger lead window has to operate. Soft pull first, hard pull when you're ready to move, that's the right sequence.
Did you know? ISC soft pull reports can also include trended credit data, the same 24-month behavioral history available on tri-merge reports. Ask your ISC support team about adding trended data to your soft pull workflow.
Bureau options, choose what fits your workflow
Single Bureau
Pull from one bureau, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. This is cost-effective for initial screening of high-volume pipelines.
→ Best for: Initial lead screeningTwo Bureau
Pull from two bureaus for a broader credit picture. Useful for borderline borrowers where a single bureau may not show the complete picture.
→ Best for: Borderline borrowersThree Bureau Soft Tri-Merge
Full three-bureau soft pull with all available score data, the closest picture to a hard pull tri-merge without any credit impact. Ideal before a formal application.
→ Best for: Pre-application consultationsSoft pull as a pipeline pre-screening tool
ISC's soft pull prequal is a no-impact credit picture that lets you evaluate a borrower at the earliest stage of the conversation, before any hard pull cost is committed.
Before pulling a full tri-merge on every applicant in your pipeline, ISC's soft pull lets you:
- Filter out borrowers who don't meet your minimum score threshold before spending hard pull costs
- Identify which borrowers may currently meet qualifying thresholds vs. which may benefit from rescore work first
- Prioritize your time and attention on the borrowers most likely to close
- Build a credit consultation strategy before the first formal meeting
Soft pull and the HBPPA, what changed in 2026
The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (HBPPA) took effect in early 2026 and significantly restricted cold trigger lead practices. However, lenders with an existing relationship to your borrower, their current bank or mortgage servicer, can still contact them after a hard credit pull.
Running a soft pull first means:
- No hard inquiry is generated at the soft pull stage, which helps reduce trigger lead exposure
- You can assess the borrower's credit, develop a strategy, and build the relationship before any hard pull exposure
- When you do pull hard credit, your borrower is already committed to working with you, making any subsequent outreach from existing-relationship lenders far less effective
When to use a soft pull
- Initial borrower consultation before any formal application or commitment
- Prequalification letters issue a prequal without impacting the borrower's score
- Pipeline screening filter leads before committing hard pull costs
- Post-rescore verification check the updated score before re-running the hard pull
- Rate shopping borrowers let borrowers check their credit picture with multiple lenders without accumulating hard inquiries
- Borrowers not quite ready identify the gap and build a path to qualification without triggering a hard inquiry