Sach ya Afwaah?CIBIL beliefs. How many are true?

RBI has registered four credit bureaus: TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. A lender can check any of them, so your record matters at all four.

Checking your own score is a soft enquiry and does not lower it. Only the enquiries lenders make when you apply for a loan or card are counted.

Under RBI rules, each credit bureau must give you one free full credit report once a year. With four bureaus, you can check your record four times a year.

RBI requires credit bureaus to alert you by SMS or email when your report is accessed, wherever your mobile number or email is on record. An alert you did not expect is worth checking.

Most No Cost EMI purchases are a loan from a bank or NBFC. They can appear on your credit report, and a missed EMI can hurt it.

If the minimum due is paid by the due date, the card is not reported as late. But interest keeps running on the rest, so pay the total due whenever you can.

Credit bureaus do not score your income. Your score comes from how you repay: on-time EMIs, card usage, enquiries and loan history.

Each person has a separate credit record. A spouse’s record affects yours only through a joint loan, or if you are a co-applicant or guarantor on their loan.

“Settled” tells future lenders that the earlier lender accepted less than the full amount. “Closed” after full repayment keeps your record strong.

Under RBI rules, a complaint not resolved within 30 days of filing earns compensation of ₹100 per day, credited to your bank account.

The TransUnion CIBIL score is shown on a scale of 300 to 900. Each bureau calculates its own score, so your numbers can differ from bureau to bureau.

RBI rules require lenders to send you an SMS or email when they report a default or late payment on your loan to a credit bureau. It gives you a chance to act early.

Since 1 January 2025, RBI requires lenders to report credit information every 15 days — on the 15th and the last day of each month. Good and bad changes both show faster now.

With no credit history there is nothing to score — the report shows no history instead of a high score. A small card or loan repaid on time builds a record lenders can see.

Closed accounts stay in your credit history. A card you used well and closed keeps showing good repayment; one closed with dues keeps showing those too.

A debit card spends your own money from your bank account. It is not credit, so it is not reported to credit bureaus.

Gold loans from banks and NBFCs are loans like any other and are usually reported to credit bureaus. Repaying on time helps your record; delays can hurt it.

A credit bureau only keeps and shares your credit record. The approval decision is always made by the bank or NBFC, using its own policy.

In a joint loan every borrower is responsible for the full EMI, so a missed payment can show on each one’s credit report.

A fully repaid loan stays in your history as “Closed”. Years of on-time EMIs keep working in your favour even after the loan ends.