5 pieces of advice: How to improve your credit record

Planning to get a mortgage or another large loan but afraid that your negative credit record could ruin everything? Don’t be afraid! Your credit record can be improved.

Your financial reputation

Credit record is information that characterizes the performance by the borrower of the obligations under a loan (credit) agreement, and any other agreement or obligation provided for by the law.

The credit record contains borrower’s personal data and all information about his/her loans. And most importantly, it contains data on how the borrower repaid these loans. All credit institutions that you have applied to are obliged to submit these data to the register – Credit Bureau “Ishenim” CJSC.

It means that if you have had loan delinquencies, a credit institution has every right to turn down your application for a loan in the future.

Good or bad credit record?

If you repay your loan or credit on time, or if your payments are not overdue for more than 30 days, then your credit record is positive. If you do not repay your loan or delay payments for more than 90 days, then your credit record is considered negative.

How can you build a good credit record?

Take loans and repay them on time. Let’s say you want to get a large loan or a mortgage. Financial experts advise to get a credit card before you apply for a loan and use it to pay for goods in stores avoiding any delays. In this case, a positive credit record will be built. For example, you can buy household appliances with a loan.

What can you do if your credit record is negative?

You can improve it. Credit records are normally stored in the archives for at least seven years from the date of the last change in the information on the debtor’s obligations stated in the credit record. When this period is over, credit records are canceled, which means that they are removed from the data on credit records. Therefore, even if you were an extremely unreliable borrower, after a certain period of time this information will disappear from the register.

But what can you do if you need a loan now but your reputation is negative?

  • Take a new loan. Take a small loan and repay it on time. These data will go to the Credit Bureau, and your credit record will gradually improve. It would also be useful to open a deposit account in any credit institution. Replenish this deposit account regularly. If the receipts are regular, the credit institution will take it as a sign that you are creditworthy and accurate in your payments.
  • Many small loans are not good. The credit institution may assume that you do not know how to live with the funds available to you and that you need money all the time. Even if you repay all small loans ahead of schedule, your credit record can become worse.
  • Track your credit record, literally. There are cases when requests for credit records of people are made from credit institutions, microfinance companies, and other organizations, who do not have these people as their clients. Such requests are a direct violation of the law, they should only be made with the consent of the citizens. According to experts, a large number of requests can negatively affect the score or the individual rating of a person. This means that it is important to see all unauthorized requests and, if possible, remove them.
  • Monitoring your credit record is also important in order to protect yourself from fraudsters. You may not even know that you have a loan. Fraudsters can get a loan in your name based on a passport that was stolen from you or lost by you. In addition, a loan can be granted to you by accident due to technical errors in a credit institution. For example, if your surname, name and patronymic completely coincide with the data of the borrower.

If you have lost your passport and received a new one, but you are afraid that fraudsters can take advantage of your old passport, you can send a statement to the Credit Bureau that your passport details have changed. You will need to attach copies of documents confirming the change in the information. The Bureau will make the appropriate changes to your credit record and make a note that your previous passport has become invalid.

How can I access my credit record?

To receive a report on your credit record, please, contact the office of the Credit Bureau located at the address: 4th floor, Business Center, 127/1, Akhunbaev str. (at Maldybaev str.), Bishkek; multichannel phone: +996 (312) 986565.
Detailed information can be obtained on the following websites:
http://www.ishenim.kg/ru/Services/ShowService/114
https://www.nbkr.kg/contout.jsp?item=108&lang=RUS&material=72197

Every year, one report on a credit record is issued FREE OF CHARGE. The cost of each subsequent report is 200 soms. Customer service is available from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 17:00, lunch break from 12:00 to 13:00.

Materials were taken from www.finsabat.kg