Credit Check Policy

1. No automatic credit check

Updated Credit Tools is an educational and onboarding resource. We do not obtain a consumer report, business credit report, credit score, or other bureau file merely because you visit the site, create an onboarding request, contact support, or use a planning tool.

2. Separate authorization is required

If a future service involves obtaining credit information, we or an authorized service provider will present a separate, clear disclosure and request permission before any report is accessed. The disclosure should identify:

• The person or business whose credit information would be accessed.
• The purpose of the request.
• Whether the request may be a hard inquiry, soft inquiry, or business credit inquiry.
• The party obtaining the report and, where appropriate, the reporting agency or data provider.
• How to ask questions, decline, or withdraw permission before the request is made.

Consent to marketing, acceptance of the Terms of Service, and general onboarding consent are not substitutes for credit-check authorization.

3. Types of inquiries

Soft inquiry

A soft inquiry may be used for educational review, identity verification, account management, prequalification, or other permitted purposes. It generally does not affect a consumer credit score, but treatment can vary by bureau and scoring model.

Hard inquiry

A hard inquiry is commonly associated with an application for credit and may affect a consumer credit score. Updated Credit Tools will not represent a hard inquiry as harmless or obtain one through the public onboarding flow.

Business credit inquiry

Business credit information may be governed by different rules and may sometimes include information connected to owners or guarantors. Any personal guarantee or consumer-report access requires separate, appropriate disclosure and authorization.

4. Data boundaries

Public forms request business context and general planning preferences. Do not enter or email:

• Social Security, Social Insurance, tax identification, or government identification numbers.
• Bank usernames, passwords, one-time security codes, or complete account numbers.
• Full payment-card numbers or security codes.
• Complete credit reports, dispute packages, or identity documents unless a secure, specifically authorized process is provided.

If secure documentation is necessary in the future, instructions should identify the approved portal, permitted document types, purpose, and retention approach.

5. Permitted use of credit information

Any credit information lawfully obtained will be used only for the disclosed and authorized purpose, such as delivering a requested review, supporting an application, preventing fraud, or meeting a legal obligation. It will not be used for unrelated marketing or disclosed to unrelated parties without another legal basis or permission.

Access should be limited to personnel and service providers who need the information for the authorized purpose and who are subject to confidentiality and security obligations.

6. Decisions, accuracy, and disputes

Updated Credit Tools does not make lending or approval decisions through the public site. If a third-party lender or provider uses credit information, its criteria, notices, dispute process, and legal obligations apply.

You are responsible for reviewing your own records and reporting suspected inaccuracies through the appropriate credit reporting agency or information furnisher. We may provide general organization tools, but we do not guarantee removal of accurate information or a specific score change.

If a service ever takes adverse action based on a consumer report, required notices and information about relevant rights must be provided by the responsible party under applicable law.

7. Security and retention

Credit information, if collected through a future authorized service, should be protected with access controls, encryption where appropriate, monitoring, vendor safeguards, and secure deletion practices. It should be retained only as long as needed for the authorized purpose, legal requirements, dispute resolution, or security.

No system can guarantee absolute security. Suspected unauthorized access should be reported promptly to [email protected].

8. Declining or withdrawing authorization

You may decline a requested credit check. Before a report is accessed, you may withdraw authorization by contacting support and identifying the request. Withdrawal cannot reverse an inquiry already completed with valid authorization, but it may prevent future requests when legally and operationally possible.

Declining an optional credit check may limit a service that depends on the report, but it does not withdraw separate marketing choices or close an account unless you request those actions separately.

9. Contact

Questions about credit checks, authorization, or this policy can be sent to [email protected].