How to read a CIBIL Report? Know important terms

  • Published on: 5 Apr 2024
How to read a CIBIL Report? Know important terms

If you know how to find a CIBIL report and read it, you can easily assess your financial standing. When you download and read a credit report, it helps you understand your credit health and take the right steps to boost your creditworthiness.

A CIBIL report is a detailed file of the account holders’ financial history and repayment transactions. This includes records of loans taken, information on current and past credit card accounts, repayment defaults, etc. 

Know how to read a CIBIL report, key terms you must understand in a credit report and more. 

Also Read: Check Cibil Score With a Pan Card

How to Read a CIBIL Report? 

Here are the details included in your CIBIL report and their meaning.   

CIBIL Score

The first section of the report is your credit/CIBIL score, which is a three-digit numerical representation of your creditworthiness, ranging between 300 and 900. To calculate this number, credit bureaus assess the following factors: 

  • Repayment history 
  • Credit mix
  • Credit utilisation ratio
  • Outstanding credit
  • Length of your credit history
  • Recent credit enquiries

Personal Information

The second section of the report includes your personal details, such as: 

  • Name 
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • PAN card number 
  • Permanent and residential address 

You must verify all this information to ensure there is no discrepancy when financial institutions send your report. 

Contact Information

This section contains all your present and past records of contact details, such as: 

  • Phone number
  • Landline number
  • Email address

Employment Information

This section contains information about your employment type, income and gross income. 

Account Information

This is the most crucial section of your report, containing all your open and closed account details. This section includes:

  • Issuer/ lender’s name
  • Account type
  • Account number 
  • Ownership information 
  • Credit limit
  • Pending dues
  • Interest rates
  • Outstanding balance
  • EMI amount 
  • Tenure, etc. 

Financial institutions provide this information to credit bureaus periodically. In case you find any discrepancy in this section, you can raise a dispute for rectification. 

Yellow Box

This box in the ‘Account Information’ section gives you an update on the raised dispute. Once your dispute gets resolved, the box will disappear from the updated report. 

Enquiry Information

When you apply for a new credit, financial institutions make an enquiry to check your credit score. This section shows a record of such enquiries. 

Also Read: Importance of Credit Rating and How to Check

Some Common Terms to Know 

To read a credit report and understand it, here are some essential terminologies that you must know. 

Term Meaning 
Amount OverdueUnpaid amount to the financial institution  
Credit UtilisationPercentage of credit limit used 
Credit Limit The maximum withdrawal limit for a credit card 
Collateral Asset pledged as security 
CN (Control Number) A 9-digit number for your dispute raised
Sanctioned Amount Total loan amount  
Written Off AmountOutstanding amount after loan settlement

How to Download a CIBIL Report

You can download one free report annually on the CIBIL website by clicking on the ‘Get Your Free CIBIL Score & Report’ tab. Enter your details and select ‘Accept and Continue’ to download your free report. If you want to get your report periodically, you can opt for a subscription.

Checking your report not only helps you keep a tab on your financial health but also allows you to spot errors and raise disputes if necessary. Since most lenders and credit card issuers require a CIBIL score of 750 or above, doing this will help you easily achieve that. 

However, if your score isn’t high enough and you need instant funds, you can apply for a Fibe Instant Personal Loan and get up to ₹5 Lakhs instead. At Fibe, we employ an alternative scoring mechanism that allows us to provide financial assistance even to those new to credit.

What’s more, you can choose from a flexible tenure of up to 36 months and enjoy 100% digital application for a comfortable experience. So download our Personal Loan App or register on our website to apply now. 

FAQs on Reading CIBIL Report

How do you analyse a credit report?

Here are the steps to follow to analyse your credit report.

  • Step 1: Understand the common terms 
  • Step 2: Verify your personal and contact information 
  • Step 3: Check the number of accounts and their details 
  • Step 4: Review your credit history and take note of any missing or incorrect information
  • Step 5: Raise a dispute if there are any errors 

What is shown in the CIBIL report?

A CIBIL report contains all your financial and personal information, such as: 

  • Total CIBIL score
  • Personal details like date of birth, address and identification details 
  • Contact information like phone number and email ID 
  • Employment information
  • Account information
  • Enquiry information

How can I check my detailed CIBIL report?

You can download your free CIBIL report on their official website and check the required information. 

Which credit report is accurate?

The report generated by TransUnion CIBIL is the most popular one used by most lenders.

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