Guide to Understanding Your CIBIL Report

In recent times, keeping track of your credit score has not only become more important but it has become easier as well. Today, you can learn about your credit score or your CIBIL score online easily and quickly in just a few minutes.

Credit information companies (CICs) are companies that collate the financial data of individuals and share it with banks and other financial institutions. These data pertain to individuals’ repayment histories, credit histories, income to debt ratios, etc. While India has four major CICs, TransUnion CIBIL is usually the one most individuals and institutions adhere to. 

After collating all the financial data related to an individual, TransUnion CIBIL generates a 3-digit credit score ranging between 300 to 900, with 900 being the highest score. These scores are referred to by banks and other financial institutions any time an individual approaches them for any form of credit, such as a loan or a credit card. The credit score can often be an important determinant of whether an individual will be granted credit or not and the kind of interest rate they will receive the credit at.

Along with the 3-digit credit score, CIBIL also releases a report pertaining to an individual, which contains the complete financial history of the individual. Understanding the CIBIL report is important since it determines how your credit score is calculated and what you can do to improve your score, if necessary.

How to Read Your CIBIL Report?

Understanding the CIBIL report is not very difficult once you understand the different sections it is divided into. Read on below if you have always wondered how to understand the CIBIL report.

• CIBIL Score - The CIBIL score is the overall score determined by your financial activities. It is pretty much a summary derived from details included in the ‘Enquiries’ and ‘Accounts’ sections of the CIBIL report. As mentioned previously, the score can range from 300 to 900 and scores above 765 are considered to be in the “green zone” and the individual is perceived to be a trustworthy borrower.
  
  It is also important to note that many people might have a CIBIL score that states ‘Not Available (NA)’ or ‘No History (NH)’. This is not a detail to worry about since it only means that the individual may not have enough of a credit history that can be scored or has not had any credit activity in the last few years.
  

• Personal Information - The personal information section relates to your personal details as collated by CIBIL from different lenders. It includes details such as your Permanent Account Number (PAN), driving license number, passport, and voter ID details. This section is usually helpful to banks and other financial institutions for verifying the individual’s details with the information provided to them.
  

• Contact Information - This section is the easiest while understanding the CIBIL report. It includes details of your residence, phone numbers, and email addresses. Both landline numbers and mobile numbers are included here. The category dedicated to address can include all your addresses, sub-categorised as residential or office address.

They are often also sub-categorised as temporary and permanent addresses. This is another section that helps lenders verify the information that the potential borrower has provided to them.

• Employment Information - Employment information is considered a vital factor in judging an individual’s creditworthiness and reliability in making repayments. CIBIL checks how many companies a person has worked at, how long they have worked there, and assess their income patterns as well. In many cases, potential borrowers are considered risky by lenders if they have changed too many jobs too frequently.
  
  

• Account Information - One of the most important sections while you understand credit reports, the Account Information section details an individual’s previous as well as current lines of credit, including credit cards and loans. This section is also the portion of the report that details how frequently and promptly the individual makes a repayment on these lines of credit. The bank account details of the individual are also detailed in this section.

Multiple columns are created, which contain details including the lender’s name, credit facility available, account number, ownership type, etc. These columns also include details on when the account was opened, the last payment date, the loan amount availed, its outstanding balance, etc. In case there are any dues, those will be mentioned in this section as well along with the number of days past the due date. For this last column, the most favourable value is either XXX or STD, whereas any other values have negative implications.

For instance, a value of 060 would suggest payment was late by 60 days. Other possible values in this column include:

• Red Box - This is not a mandatory part of a CIBIL report but is included when an individual has disputes mentioned as part of their report. The red box is placed above the ‘account details’ table and it states the fields wherein disputes are currently ongoing. Once the dispute has been resolved or closed, the red box will be removed from the report as well.
  
  

• Enquiry Information - This section relates to the enquiries made by the individual for loans or other lines of credit. Each time an individual makes an enquiry with a lender, their credit history and the enquiry is recorded. This section will include details of the loan, including the amount and date of application. The higher the number of entries in this section, the higher are the chances of being rejected by lenders. That is why it is best to make only one loan application after assessing the different amounts and terms offered by all the lenders. Narrowing down the search not only enables you to find the best lender suited for your needs but also ensures the number of enquiries in your CIBIL report remains low. 

- STD (Standard): Payments have been made within 90 days.

- SUB (Sub-standard): Payments have been made after 90 days.

- SMA (Special Mention Account): This suggests that the account has previously been assigned as STD but is moving towards SUB.

- DBT (Doubtful): In the last 12 months, the account has remained at the SUB status.

- LSS (Loss): A loss has been identified with this account but not recovered by the lender yet.

Common Terms You Need to Know While Analysing Your Credit Report

A major part of CIBIL report understanding comes from knowing the terms that are likely to appear in the report and what they signify. Read on below to learn more about these terms that can help you understand your credit report better.

• DPD (Dues Past Day): This signifies the number of days that have passed since the repayment’s due date. DPD should ideally be zero.
  

• CN (Control Number): Control number is a 9-digit number that acts as a reference to the report in case a person wants to contact CIBIL over any doubts in their report.
  

• Settlement Amount: The settlement amount refers to the amount decided upon by the lender and the borrower in case of a dispute in payment terms. The settlement amount is generally lower than the loan amount.
  

• Written Off Amount: The leftover amount from the total loan amount in cases of settlement between the borrower and lender is called the written off amount.
  

• NPA (Non-performing Asset): Any payments that are due from over 90 days are referred to as non-performing assets.
  

• Amount Overdue: The amount overdue refers to the payment due to any lender that has not been made in a timely fashion, including both loan installments and principal amount.
  

• High Credit: The high credit refers to the highest amount ever billed by the borrower with an overdraft or a credit card. The interest and the fees charged for this transaction are also included with the high credit.
  

• Written Off and Settled Status: The written off status and settled status section being populated suggests that the borrower and the lender agreed upon a settlement amount or the loan was restructured by the lender.

Conclusion

Understanding the CIBIL report is crucial to staying updated on your personal financial health. Since the score can often make a difference as to whether or not you are able to avail a loan, it is essential to keep an eye on it and take remedial action immediately if the score falls too low. A high score can help you avail the best personal loans through Bajaj Markets. You can avail up to Rs. 50 Lakhs at competitive interest rates, starting from as little as 10.49% per annum.