'Cibil is geared up for challenges ahead'

Credit Information Agency (India), the lone operational recognition agency in the country, today introduced generic recognition scoring which would assist Banks and fiscal establishments better measure the recognition worthiness of an individual.

The recognition agency offerings recognition information studies and portfolio reappraisal reports. It bes after to develop merchandises which can bring forth fraud alerts, KYC alerts, bounds alarms and product-specific credit scores.

Arun Thukral, managing manager of Cibil, in an interview with Anita Bhoir spoke on the institution's growing plans. Excerpts:

How many establishments are members of Cibil?

Cibil became operational in 2004. We started with a modest 13 members and four million trades (the figure of bank checks made by members) per annum.

Today we have got 143 members which includes 77 banks, 16 lodging finance companies, 10 fiscal institutions, 32 non-banking finance companies, six state finance companies and two recognition card companies. We have got over 90 million trades now. We supply around 2.5 hundred thousand study a calendar month to banks. We started the commercial agency in 2006.

Now, we have got 1.5 million companies, of which, 90 per cent are little and medium enterprises. Our shareholding form is also now held by 16 institutions. It is now diversified. We accumulate both positive and negative information.

The Numbers propose the arrangement have come up a long way. Yet, there are cases defaults on the rise.

We give the recognition study of a client to the bank. We make not go through a value judgement. The depository financial institution may, based on its internal policy, make up one's mind to impart to the client or otherwise. The recognition study facilitates the procedure of lending.

What are the challenges that you confront in information collection?

The major issue faced is that we make not have got a single designation figure in the country. Consent of clients to allow Banks to share their inside information with the recognition agency is still an issue.

In our country, people compose their name calling differently. For instance, in one form, the individual may compose his first name and then the 2nd name. While in the other, he may compose his 2nd name first and then the first name.

With engineering (match logic) it is possible to acquire around this issue. We have got also begun to utilize alternates like day of the month of birth, phonetic matching, address, telephone and mobile numbers, lasting business relationship Numbers and electors ID.

However, the recognition agency is very urban-centric. It is a fact that in this country, people make not cognize their day of the month of birth. Agribusiness income is not taxed and so we make not have got pan cards.

Banks are now looking to spread out their footmark in rural centres. As a recognition bureau, how are you gearing up for this challenge?

In rural centres, the cost of intermediation is very high and there is no identification. We would have got to utilize biometrics.

We are interacting with the Modesty Depository Financial Institution of Republic Of India (RBI), the National Depository Financial Institution for Agribusiness and Rural Development (Nabard) and the authorities to begin a rural bureau. This would be good in promoting inclusive banking. Since we are an constituted player, we are best positioned to begin it.

How makes Cibil and a depository financial institution manage differences on overdues?

Banks are proprietors of the data. If there is an mistake in an individual's report, they can near the bank.

They can also attack us. However, it's the duty of the recognition grantor to give right information. Data are updated on a monthly basis. Going forward, when all depository financial institution subdivisions come up under core banking it would be possible to update information every fortnight.

Under the Recognition Information Companies Act, every fiscal establishment will be required to supply accurate, complete and updated data. run batted in have got yet to publish guidelines on this, following which each depository financial institution will have a information conformity officer.

Going forward, if a client differences any overdues, then the entry would be marked accordingly. It's important to observe that today you have got a opportunity to better your recognition history.

How will a recognition mark aid the bank?

A recognition mark takes a snapshot of a consumer's cerdit study and through advanced analytics turns the information into a three-digit number representing the amount of hazard a consumer conveys to a peculiar transaction.

The possible mark scope is between 300 and 900. The higher the score, the lesser would be the hazard of the consumer going 91+ years delinquent in the adjacent 1 year. The mark can be generated for all consumers with a recognition history of six months.

The mark is arrived at by analysing recognition utilisation, defaulting, a figure of enquiries and trade properties like how old are a consumer's lines of credit, makes the consumer have got a good premix of recognition or is it all recognition card game among others. This volition enable the loaner to measure the portfolio.