CRIF High Mark credit score is provided by CRIF High Mark Credit Information Services Private Limited. The score is a result of a thorough analysis of one’s credit history.
As per RBI declaration, In India there exist four such companies which are certified to act as credit information companies. CRIF is one such company. The other three companies are TransUnion CIBIL, Equifax and Experian.
All the banks/credit institutions share borrowing and paying histories of individuals to CICs which prepare reports called credit information reports. Credit information report has a section where a score is presented which is called credit score.
The CRIF High Mark credit score is presented in the range of 300-900. If your score is 300, it is the lowest score. A score of 900 is the highest score.
What is CRIF as a company?
CRIF is a multinational company which provides varieties of services in credit solutions, analytics, processing, outsourcing services, and business information.
In India, it acts as CRIF High Mark Credit Information Services Private Limited. It is India’s only credit bureau that covers the vast majority of borrowers segment including MSME, Microfinance, Retail, and Commercial. Headquarter of the company is located in Mumbai.
How to read CRIF Credit Report?
Reading your credit report is easy because it is divided into segments and each section presents particular information about the individual. You can find below information about each section of the CRIF credit report.
1. Inquiry input information:
This is the first part of the report. This part mainly has basic information about the individual like his/her name, gender, contact number, identification, current address, etc. If you’re reading your report look at all the information and confirm it belongs to you.
2. CRIF HIGHMARK Score:
This is the second section of the report. In this section, your credit score is given.
3. Personal Information- Variations
In this section of the report, the information regarding variations in your personal information is shared. For example, variations in address, mobile numbers, name variations (Rahul Kumar vs. Kumar Rahul) are shown in this section.
4. Account Summary:
The information regarding a number of accounts (active/inactive), overdues, amount disbursed and the current balance is recorded in this section. This section also consists of information regarding inquiries made in the last 24 months and new accounts opened in the last 6 months.
5. Account Information:
In this section, the detail of accounts with types of credit is presented here. The information regarding active accounts, closed accounts, last paid date, amount outstanding is shared here. This section is the most important part of a credit information report which you must check very closely.
The remaining sections of the report are, inquiry done by lenders, comments and appendix.
Is there any algorithm to calculate the CRIF High Mark Credit Score?
There is no written formula to calculate your CRIF credit score. However, if you read the report you would find that there are some key elements that play an important role in calculating the credit score.
Those key elements are;
Payment history: An extremely influential element in score calculation
Age and type of credit: This is termed as a highly influential element for score calculation.
% of the credit limit used: Highly influential element.
Total balances/debt: Moderately influential element.
Recent credit behavior: Less influential element
Available credit: It is the least influential element in calculating the credit score.
Is the CRIF credit score different from other CICs scores?
Like other CICs, CRIF credit score is given after a thorough analysis of one’s past credit history and how good he/she has been in paying back credits. So, it is possible if you get your score from all CICs, the chances are they all might be different.
However, every CICs have their score ranges which have a clear classification of borrowers risk profiles.
For example, I have requested for credit scores from 3 CICs, TransUnion CIBIL, Experian and CRIF and I find myself under a low-risk profile category. Also, all the reports clearly show all my credit histories.
Do I need to check my score before applying for any credit?
Yes, I think you need to check your credit score before applying for a new credit card/loan because if it is not in a good range your application may be rejected.
A rejected application further downgrades your credit score. You need to choose increasing or to improve your score before applying for a new credit rather applying straight to a bank or financial institution for credit.
What is considered a good CRIF High Mark Credit Score?
The CRIF High Mark Credit Score range is 300-900. A score above 750 is considered a good score and the individual is classified under a low-risk profile borrower.
How can I maintain a good CRIF High Mark Credit Score?
If you have a good credit score you don’t need to do anything special to your score. However, be consistent in paying all your credits on time.
You need to understand it like that, as you care about your health, give equivalent importance to your financial health by maintaining a good credit score.
How to improve my CRIF high mark credit score?
If your credit score does not come under a low-risk profile borrower, you need to work on it immediately. It is important to improve it. You can follow below steps to get back to your good financial health.
1. Check your report first and confirm that all the information is correct and belongs to you. Any ambiguity in the report must be rectified immediately.
2. Check your credit history and assess why you have a bad score. If you’re not regular in paying back your debt, you need an immediate improvement here.
3. Are you utilizing your credit balance responsibly? How often you are knocking at your maximum credit limit? You need to improve here if you’re credit card limit is always exhausted. If you get some money make a habit to pay back your credit card dues.
4. Don’t make new inquiries to credit cards or new loans if you already own multiple credits. There are people who make such inquiries more often that have negative impact on their credit scores. However, many of them don’t know that it affects their credit scores.
How to check my credit score in India for free at CRIF High Mark?
As per RBI guidelines, all the CICs have to made available one credit report annually to borrowers. So you can get 4 credit reports a year. If you are concerned about your credit score and want to have it in a very good range you can request one report every quarter to one of the CICs.
This way you can get a new report each quarter and keep a close eye on your credit history. We have already shared you how to get your credit report from CIBIL and Experian.
You can follow the below guidelines to get your report from CRIF.
1. Login to https://cir.crifhighmark.com/Inquiry/B2C/B2CFFCRPortal.action
2. Click on “Get Your Free Credit Score Now” tab
3. A pop up appears on the screen
4. Write your email ID and click on “Get my Report” tab
5. An inquiry submission screen appears; fill up all the details to get your credit score and report.
