List of Top Credit Bureaus in India
If you’re looking for top Credit Bureaus in India, then you are at the right place. Today we are going to be talking about the list of top credit bureaus in India. But first, let’s know what the credit bureau is.
What is a Credit Bureau?
You see, whenever you want to open a new credit line, that is, take a new loan or credit card, the financial institution has to validate your profile, to find out your creditworthiness. In easier words, the bank or lender has to assess your profile and decide whether you are able to repay back your credit card dues (or the loan) on time, how much loan amount (or credit limit) you should be assigned, etc.
The easiest way for them to find out your creditworthiness is via credit bureaus. Credit bureaus are agencies that research and collect someone’s credit information and exchange it for a fee to creditors to decide whether to give or not give loans, credit cards, etc., to the person.
This research varies with different parameters such as your age, financial assets, annual income, and expenses, etc. The information can also contain more comprehensive data such as telephone and mobile phone bills, utility bills, etc. They get this information on the individual’s credit from various data providers, which comprises lending institutions, creditors, debt collection organizations, and lending institutions.
The individual who wants to see their credit score can also see this information from the credit bureau by paying a small fee or even for free in a few ways.
The first Credit Bureau was found in the late 19th century, and it was established in India in the year 2000. From 2000 to now, there are many global credit Bureaus that started their journey in India.
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Below is the List Of Top Credit Bureaus In India:
CIBIL
CIBIL is the most favored credit bureau in India. TransUnion Credit Information (India) Limited, mostly called CIBIL. Reserve Bank Of India is the first one who founded the credit information bureau in India. This agency is committed to keeping the data of all the individuals’ credit-related activities and the companies, which include loans and credit cards. Various financial institutions and the registered bank members regularly submit their information to CIBIL.
It is a credit information database, and it does take part in any lending decisions. According to research, it is said that CIBIL has data of 600 million+ Indians and 32 million business organizations, which are really huge.
Checking your CIBIL Score online is free and very easy. Check out my detailed post on How to check your CIBIL Score Online.
CRIF High Mark
CRIF High Mark is one of India’s credit rating agencies that gives seamless credit report services to every borrower. It is the only comprehensive credit bureau in India approved by the Reserve Bank of India to operate. It covers individuals and commercial borrowers, microfinance borrowers, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs), etc.
CRIF high mark scores individuals between a range of 300 to 850. According to CRIF, an individual’s score of 720+ is the highest, and 640 and below is the poorest. It offers credit reports and portfolio management reports to individuals. If you are a company, you can collect the performance score and credit reports from the CRIF High mark.
CRISIL
The Credit Rating Service Of India Limited, also known as CRISIL, is one of the leading global analytical agencies providing comprehensive credit reports for companies. By conducting thorough market research with several analytic factors, CRISIL provides ratings for the companies and businesses, and then it provides risk and policy advisories service to its clients.
CRISIL operates in India and many other countries such as the United Kingdom, the USA, China, Poland, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Argentina. Standard & Poor is the major stakeholder of the CRISIL, and it is one of the largest credit rating companies in the world.
Experian
Experian is SEBI recognized credit bureau, and it was established in the year 2006 but got the functional license to operate in the year 2010. It provides credit history reports to both individuals and companies as well. Any individual can get its credit history reports, which help get loans and various financial services as per his credit report.
The ratings for Experian starts from 300 and end at 900, where 900 is the highest rating for any individual. Experian is one of the cheapest credit bureaus in India. However, it takes up to 20+ days to get credit reports of any individuals, which is somehow not that great in this digital era.
With Experian’s help, the companies and the business can access customer acquisition reports, customer targeting, engagement reports, collection, and money recovery reports. They can also get access to their other data and analytics.
Equifax
Equifax is another largest credit bureaus worldwide. It was established in 1899 and started operating as a credit bureau in 2010 after getting the fully functional license. Equifax offers risk offers, credit scores, portfolio scores, and several other scores for individuals. The business and companies obtain risk management reports, credit fraud reports, industry diagnosis, and other reports.
It rates an individual from 1 to 999, where 1 is the lowest rating and 999 is the highest rating for an individual. Equifax has information about over 800 million+ individuals and 88+ million businesses worldwide.
Equifax directly sells fraud prevention and credit monitoring services to consumers. The reports which are provided by EQUIFAX are highly detailed. It shows each open and closed account which belongs to an individual and not only this but also shows if the payment was made on time or not.
ICRA
Last but not least, ICRA was formerly known as the Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency. It is an Indian Independent and professional credit rating and investment information agency. ICRA gives out the ranking of mutual funds, corporate governance ratings, and performance ratings to hospitals, construction companies, and real estate companies.
ICRA comprises leading financial institutions, commercial banks, and financial services companies that assess the relative credit risks connected with the debt institutions and instruments. It gives out ratings by thoroughly examining the weaknesses and strengths with liquidity and cash flow, marketing strategies, the previous record of debt servicing, hedging of risks and financial flexibility, etc.
Last Words:
So it was the list of the top credit bureaus of India. Each credit bureau rating might differentiate as they all have a different method of the scoring system. Even if you are going for any bureau, it is always recommended to maintain a good credit history to get different loans and credit cards without facing any problems.
I hope now all your doubts and confusions regarding various credit bureaus are over. If you have any further queries, don’t forget to drop down a comment below. I will be happy to help. Join our Finance Community FinTalks to participate in our financial discussions and get further help.
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Anuj is a passionate blogger from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Currently pursuing B.sc in Programming and Data Science from IIT Madras. Apart from being an avid learner and a tech enthusiast, he loves playing PC Games and likes to keep himself updated with the latest trends in the tech industry.