The Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd, or CIBIL, makes CIBIL reports. These reports are like detailed records of a person’s credit history and how well they’ve paid back their debts. This report will have all the details regarding loans, credit cards, and ways people borrow money. It’s not just limited to that. Banks and other financial organizations rely on this report to assess whether an individual applying for a loan consistently earns income and manages their previous loans by making timely payments. 

You can also stay updated by running a CIBIL score check free online on the CIBIL score app or website. However, before learning much about CIBIL score check and its platforms, you should first understand how to read a CIBIL report. This write-up will offer a step-by-step guide to assist you in understanding this report thoroughly.

Step-By-Step Process to Read CIBIL Score

With these steps on how to read the CIBIL score, you can easily understand the process involved and run a free CIBIL score check free on the CIBIL score app

The CIBIL score:

The CIBIL score is calculated based on the data in your report’s Account Information and Enquire Information section. However, sometimes, when you run a CIBIL score check free, you might see your CIBIL score displayed as ‘NA’ (No Activity) or ‘NH’ (No History). If you see something like this, it indicates:

  • You don’t have a credit history.
  • You haven’t taken loans recently.
  • You don’t have any credit cards or any other credit exposure.

Personal Information:

The second section of your CIR presents your personal information. It includes your name, date of birth, gender, and other identifying details registered with CIBIL. These details are essential as they help the bank understand that the CIBIL report is yours. In this section, identifying information may include your PAN, passport, Aadhaar, driver’s license, voter ID, and other data lenders provide to the credit bureau. Once you run a CIBIL score check free and get the report, ensure that these details are up-to-date.  

Contact Information: 

The next section of your report contains your contact information. It includes your addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses shared by your lenders. Your report captures your current and historical contact details, including your permanent and current residential and office addresses. Retaining historical information allows lenders to track changes in your address, which can be critical for risk assessment and contact purposes.

Employment Information: 

This section is about your occupation and income, gleaned from the information you provided when opening a credit account or taking out a loan. This data reflects what lenders have on record, which helps them assess your ability to repay borrowed funds based on your income. Accurate reporting in this section is essential for lenders to make informed decisions regarding your creditworthiness.

Account Information: 

When you run the CIBIL score check free and receive the report, this section would be the most critical to check. This section provides a detailed history of your loans, credit cards, and repayment track record. This comprehensive table summarizes data lenders share and includes:

  • The lender’s name.
  • Type of credit facility.
  • Account number.
  • A month-on-month record of the last 36 months.
  • Outstanding balance.
  • Type of ownership.
  • Account opening date.
  • Date of the last payment.
  • Loan amount.
  • Days Past Due (DPD), indicating the number of days the payment has been overdue.

Accounts can have various statuses, and these statuses influence your credit score. They may include:

  • Standard (STD): If you settle the payment within 90 days.
  • Special Mention Account (SMA): A category for accounts transitioning from standard to sub-standard.
  • Sub-Standard (SUB): If you settle the payment after 90 days.
  • Doubtful (DBT): Accounts sub-standard for one year.
  • Loss (LSS): An account reflecting loss and deemed uncollectable.

Maintaining a ‘Standard’ status favours your credit score.

Red Box: Handling Disputed Details

When you get the report after running the CIBIL score check free, you might see a red box in the Account Information section. It occurs if there are disputed details. You will also get an alert message and the date of the dispute. With this, you can find out if your report has any issues and take the necessary steps to rectify them before approaching the bank. 

Inquiry Information: 

The final section of your CIR is the Inquiry Information section. It contains a record of recent inquiries made by lenders whenever you apply for a loan or credit facility. Each entry includes the lender’s name, application date, type of loan, and the requested loan amount. Lenders rely on this section to understand your recent credit-seeking behaviour and gauge your credit appetite.

Conclusion

In conclusion, your CIBIL report is essential, especially when approaching a bank for a loan. You should maintain a CIBIL score above 700 to get a loan. However, before approaching a bank, you can run a CIBIL score check free. Use the CIBIL score app or an online platform. With several online platforms offering this service, you can understand your eligibility for the loan. This guide on how to read the CIBIL score report will help you understand and find if there are any issues with your report.