​How Does Credit Score Help with Loan Approval?

As you must be aware, a credit score and CIR (credit information report) is a crucial need by any financial institution or banking institution where you apply for an extended credit line. This score of yours is contained in your report which is an important and comprehensive document consisting of details linked with your present and previous credit activity. The better your past credit record, the higher would be your credit score. 

So, overall, credit score and CIR shows your credit rating in the potential eyes of a bank or financial institution. To elaborate more, your credit score and CIR report provide financial lenders and banks with a quick idea about how reliable you are in meeting your debt liabilities. Depending on your score, many institutions determine whether to accept your credit card or loan application. Financial institutions have a standard credit score need of 750 when assessing your credit application because it means that you have stayed a low-risk consumer who has demonstrated an excellent track record of repaying the loans timely. You stand the chance of getting credit approval with a score equaling 750 and above. In contrast, if you hold a low credit score, financial institutions are reluctant to endow you with any credit option and mostly turn down your credit card or loan application. 

Financial institutions already hold this info as they report each credit-linked transaction to the CIBIL bureau on a monthly basis. This info involves your past repayment record in reference to your credit cards and loans, overall available credit balance, prevailing loans, etc. All these are factored in when computing your credit score for the CIBIL bureau. The major parameter that makes your score is your past repayment record and your current repayment habit. Even a single delayed or missed repayment can negatively affect your score. So, ensure to maintain a good credit score, which you can do so by conducting credit score check on a periodic basis. For this, you just need to fetch your credit report from the concerned credit bureau on a periodic basis. Alternatively, you may also consider fetching your credit report from online lending platforms. 

What happens when you place an application for any loan?

As mentioned previously, a credit score check is conducted by financial institutions before providing you with the loan. Read on to know the stepwise process followed to place a credit application. 

∙       Firstly, you require filling out your loan application form. You must fetch the form online from your respective financial institution’s site or you can even physically approach the nearest bank branch. 

∙       After you have filled out the details, you require submitting the form to your bank’s loan department. 

∙       Now, the financial institution will connect with the CIBIL and check out your past financial records via CIR and CIBIL credit score. 

∙       A low score and poor past repayment record will instantly result in loan rejection. 

∙       A high credit score rating may qualify you for the credit application depending on the documents that you have submitted. 

∙       Non-eligibility results in application rejection.

∙       Post-eligibility is met, the financial institution, then decides to disburse the loan proceeds in your name. Note that in the case of a gold loan, lenders tend to go by the “gold rate today” approach to determine the proceeds that they can provide you as loan. For a personal loan, the proceeds approved depend on your credit score, repayment potential and income earned in a month. 

What do the financial institutions check while providing the loan?

To start with, a financial institution or bank would look through your credit report to determine the below-listed information. 

∙       Financial institution scans your account section present on your report to review if there are any written-off cases mentioned in the CIR. 

∙       Next, the financial institution will look to figure out any defaults in the past repayment. This info is present in the previous due field of the CIR (credit information report). 

∙       Every financial institution tends to have a tie-up with a specific corporate for extending the credit line to salary account holders. Thus, they study the company’s respective profiles too. The financial institution generally holds an approved list mentioning whom they could extend the credit. 

∙       The last review is linked with your existing EMIs. In the case your present loan EMI surpasses 50 per cent of your income, the chance of availing a loan is usually low. 

Maximum and minimum credit score required for personal loan approval – 

A personal loan is a credit availed for the purpose of personal usage. This is an unsecured credit option. A personal loan has a high-interest rate and can be utilised to fund personal interests like vacations, weddings, or home renovation. Unlike other kinds of loans, you can thoroughly use the funds in every aspect. There are zero restrictions on the consumption of the loan proceeds available on this loan as it provides total flexibility. 

Being an unsecured credit, there’s zero such security required to assure the credit risk with any asset. Credit lender or bank bears the whole risk in the scenario of personal loan. There’s zero fixed minimum credit score required to apply for the loan. The higher your credit score, the better your chances of getting loan application approval as the financial institution lends you the amount totally based on your high score. Typically, credit institutions and banks look for a credit score of 750 and above to further process your credit application. 

While it is possible to avail a credit with a credit score of below 750, you may witness harsher loan terms such as smaller loan amounts, higher rate of interest, shorter repayment periods and a greater number of documents. If you place an application with a low credit score, there’s a high chance that your application would be turned down. Always note that if you hold a lower score, you will pay a higher rate of interest and having a higher score would get you a lower rate of interest. So, below are some important things, you must note. 

∙       Loan amount is based on the agreed upon loan repayment tenure and your current income. 

∙       Credit profile is decided through your credit report.

∙       Mandatory documents are a must for gold loan and personal loan approval. These documents include – 

Latest credit information report and credit score

Income statement and bank statement

Past three years’ income tax return 

KYC documents like signature, identity, and address proof