What is Sears/CBNA?
Sears/CBNA is a credit report code that stands for Sears/Citibank North America.
Sears/CBNA may be on your credit report as a hard inquiry. This usually happens when you apply for a Sears Mastercard issued by Citibank.
The Sears Gold MasterCard is a rewards credit card that gives Sears customers 12 months financing and reward points for purchases at Sears.
What is a hard inquiry?
A hard inquiry occurs any time you apply for new credit and the lender or creditor runs a credit check. It can be for a mortgage, apartment, car loan, credit card, insurance policy, cell phone, and sometimes even a job application.
Hard inquiries will typically only drop your credit score by a few points. However, if you have too many, especially in a short period of time, they can really start to add up and do some damage.
What is a soft inquiry?
A soft inquiry occurs when a creditor checks your credit history without your permission. This could be a lender with whom you’ve talked to for a pre-approval quote but haven’t actually applied for a loan. Sometimes a soft inquiry might even be pulled by an existing creditor just checking on your current credit situation.
Soft inquiries do not have an impact on your credit scores.
How long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report?
Whether you get approved for the Sears credit card makes no difference. The hard inquiry will remain on your credit report for up to 2 years. Each time you make an inquiry, it is recorded by one or all of the three major credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Unauthorized Inquiries
If you don’t recognize the inquiry, or you are sure you didn’t make the inquiry, contact Citibank and ask them why an inquiry was made. The creditor’s name should be listed under the hard inquiry section on your credit report.
Can Sears/CBNA be removed from my credit report?
Lexington Law specializes in removing inquiries and other negative marks on your credit report. They have over 18 years of experience and have removed over 7 million negative items for their clients in 2020 alone.
They can also help you dispute (and possibly remove) the following items:
- late payments
- collections
- charge offs
- foreclosures
- repossessions
- bankruptcies
Get Your Inquiries Removed Today!
If you’re struggling with bad credit, consider speaking with a credit repair specialist at Lexington Law.
You can give them a call at (800) 220-0084 for a free credit consultation. They have paralegals standing by waiting to take your call.
