Credit report
Short answer
Your credit report is the full file behind the score: every account with its limit and balance, the month-by-month DPD grid, and every inquiry. The score is one number computed *from* it. Each RBI-licensed bureau must give you one free full report every year — and reading it is how errors, stale accounts and identity misuse actually get caught.
What it means
The report is what a lender actually opens when you apply. Score first, then straight into the account list and DPD grid. Under an RBI direction, every licensed bureau must provide one free full report per calendar year — CIBIL's is here, and Experian, Equifax and CRIF each have their own page.
The common mistake
Checking the score and stopping. The score moves last — an error drags it for months before you notice. The report is where a wrong entry is visible the month it appears, while it is still one dispute away from fixed.
The subtlety worth knowing
Unknown inquiries are the early-warning system for identity misuse: someone applying in your name shows up as a hard inquiry before any account exists. Spot one, and you can dispute and freeze the damage before it becomes a loan you never took.
Related
All figures on this page are indicative and dated. Rates and fees differ by bank and change over time. Always verify with your bank's official schedule of charges.
Frequently asked questions
Score checking apps show my score free - why pull the report?
Because the errors live in the report, not the number. An app showing 780 will not show the closed card still reporting open, or the inquiry you never made. The score tells you whether to worry; the report tells you what to fix.
The four bureaus show different scores. Which is real?
All of them. Each bureau computes its own score from the data lenders reported to it, and lenders do not all report to all four identically. Small gaps are normal; a large gap usually means one bureau has an error - pull that report and find it.
Sources
The regulation and official pages this page is checked against. If one of them disagrees with us, it wins.
- Free Annual Credit Report to Individuals — Reserve Bank of India
- Free CIBIL Score and Report — TransUnion CIBIL
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Written and checked by the CardSamajh editorial desk · Last reviewed: · How we check this