How to read and interpret your Credit Information Report (CIR) - II

This week, we will cover the 2 most important aspects of your CIR which not only impact your CIBIL Score
but are also studied in detail by the lenders. These are:
1. Account Information
It contains the details of your credit facilities- the name of the lender(s), the type of credit facilities (home
loan, auto loan, credit card, etc.), account number(s), whether singly or jointly held, date of account
opening, date of the last payment, loan amount, current balance, and most importantly, a month on month
record of the latest 3 years of your payments towards your EMIs/ bills.
These details are integral to your ability to secure a loan. Debt-burden ratio, payment history, etc., which
we discussed last week are all derived from this section. It is important to understand and go through them
in detail before applying for any loan or credit card. In this section, always check the below details
carefully:
• Your account details
It contains details such as the lender’s name, account number, account type (is it a credit card, personal
loan, etc.), ownership (single/joint/guarantor), date the account was opened/ closed and the last date
when these details were reported to CIBIL. Ensure that the details reflected in the account are factually
correct.

 
• The status of the account
If your account has been written off/ settled/ suit filed, such cases may not be looked upon favourably by
lenders. It is always advisable to have a clean account status. It is very important to understand the
“Settled” and “Written off” terminologies. ‘Settled’ means a partial payment (in consent with the lender)
has been made against the total outstanding.
When payments against the outstanding loan / credit card amount have not been made for more than 180
days, the lender “writes off” the amount and reports this on your CIR. Any such status may affect your
credit eligibility adversely.
• Your DPD (Days Past Due) for every loan or credit card availed
The DPD indicates how many days a payment on that account is late by that month. Anything but “000” or
“STD” is considered negative by the lender. The types of asset classification in the DPD section are:
Standard (STD): Payments being made within 90 days
Special Mention Account (SMA): Special account created for reporting Standard Accounts moving toward
Sub-Standard
Sub-Standard (SUB): Payments being made after 90 days
Doubtful (DBT): The account has remained Sub-Standard for 12 months
Loss (LSS): An account where loss has been identified and remains uncollectible
“XXX” on your DPD for a certain account implies that information for these months has not been reported
to CIBIL by the banks. A number in the DPD column indicates that the payment is late by that many days.
“050”, for instance, means the payment is 50 days late. “000” means the payment is on time, so there is no
deviation or late payment.
2. Enquiry Information
This provides details of your loan applications. An ‘enquiry’ means that a credit institution has requested
your credit details from CIBIL. Lenders may tread with caution considering your multiple enquiries in a short
span of time, which shows a behaviour of seeking excessive credit.