How to read your credit report
Your credit report is the full record behind the score: every loan and card, its status, and how you have paid month by month. You can get one free copy with score from each bureau every year. Reading it yourself, once a year, is the single most useful habit for keeping your credit healthy.
Get your free copy
Go to the bureau’s own website — CIBIL, Experian, Equifax or CRIF High Mark — and ask for the free annual report. You will verify your identity with PAN, mobile and a few questions. Do not pay a third-party site for what the bureau gives free.
The sections, in order
- Personal details — name, date of birth, PAN, addresses, phone numbers. Check for mistakes and for addresses you do not recognise.
- Score — with the date it was calculated.
- Account summary — how many accounts, total limits, total balances, and how many are overdue.
- Account details — one block per loan or card: lender, type, opened and closed dates, sanctioned amount or limit, current balance, and a month-by-month payment record showing days past due (DPD). "000" or "STD" means paid on time. Numbers show how many days late. "SUB", "DBT", "LSS" mark NPA stages. Words like "settled", "written off" or "restructured" are serious flags.
- Enquiries — every time a lender pulled your report, with the date and lender. Many recent enquiries are a warning sign to lenders.
What to look for
- Accounts you did not open — possible identity misuse. Dispute at once.
- A loan you closed still showing a balance — ask the lender for the closure letter and dispute.
- Wrong DPD entries — if you have proof of payment, dispute.
- Old addresses or a wrong PAN — correct them; they can cause reports to be merged with someone else’s.
- Enquiries you did not make.
Questions about credit reports
Is the report the same as the score?
No. The score is one number; the report is the full record it comes from. Lenders read both.
How often is it updated?
Lenders report monthly. A payment you make can take 30–45 days to appear.
Why does a closed account still show?
Closed accounts stay on the report for years as history. They should show a zero balance and a "closed" status.
What does "written off" mean?
The lender treated the balance as a loss after prolonged default. It is one of the most serious marks and stays for years.
Can I share my report with Orange Fincorp?
If you want it explained, yes — through a method we agree in writing, never through this website or email. We will walk through it with you; we cannot change anything on it.
Do all my loans appear?
Loans from regulated lenders should. Informal borrowing does not.
Is one bureau enough?
Not always; lenders may report to some bureaus and not others. Checking two gives a fuller picture.
Have a question? Ask us
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What we do here: we explain how credit reports and scores work and, if you have your own report, walk through it with you. We do not pull reports, monitor scores, or promise to repair or remove entries. See what we do.
