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CIBIL Says 782, Experian Says 724: Why Your Scores Don't Match and Which One Your Bank Checks (2026)

Same person, 4 different credit scores. CIBIL and Experian can differ by 50-60 points. PSU banks check CIBIL, fintechs check CRIF. Exact reasons for score.

By HonestMoney.in Editorial Team | Updated April 26, 2026

Same Person, 4 Different Credit Scores. Which One Matters for Your Loan?

First, understand the basics: credit score and CIBIL score are not the same thing. CIBIL score is one of 4 bureau scores you have in India. If you check your credit score across all 4 Indian bureaus, you will almost certainly see 4 different numbers. A person might see:

CIBIL: 782
Experian: 724
CRIF High Mark: 761
Equifax: 818 (on a 1-999 scale — not directly comparable)

Score differences of 50-60 points between bureaus for the same person are documented and considered normal. This is not an error — it is how the system works.

The question that actually matters is not “which score is correct” but “which score will my lender check?” Because a person with a 782 CIBIL score and 724 Experian score gets approved easily at SBI (which checks CIBIL) but may face scrutiny at a fintech lender (which checks Experian).

Here is exactly why scores differ, which banks check which bureau, and what it means for your loan application.

Why 4 Bureaus Produce 4 Different Scores

Reason 1: Different Scoring Algorithms

Each bureau uses a proprietary algorithm that weighs factors differently:

Scoring Factor	CIBIL Weight	Experian Weight	CRIF High Mark	Equifax
Repayment history	30-35%	25-30%	~30%	~30%
Credit utilization	25-30%	~25%	Emphasis on absolute amounts	~25%
Credit age	10-15%	10-15%	~15%	~15%
Credit mix	10-15%	~20%	~15%	~15%
New credit/inquiries	10-15%	~10%	~10%	~15%
Recent behavior weighting	Moderate	Heavy (recent trends matter more)	Moderate	Moderate

Key difference: Experian weights recent behavior more heavily than CIBIL. If you had high utilization 6 months ago but brought it down to 10% in the last 3 months, your Experian score improves faster than your CIBIL score. Conversely, a recent missed payment hurts more on Experian.

CIBIL weights long-term consistency — steady on-time payments over 24 months matters more than a recent improvement.

Reason 2: Different Data Sources

Not all lenders report to all 4 bureaus consistently:

Lender Type	Reports to CIBIL	Reports to Experian	Reports to Equifax	Reports to CRIF
PSU banks (SBI, PNB, BOB)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Large private banks (HDFC, ICICI, Axis)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mid-size banks (Federal, IndusInd, Yes Bank)	Yes	Usually	Sometimes	Sometimes
Large NBFCs (Bajaj Finance, Tata Capital)	Yes	Yes	Usually	Usually
Fintechs (KreditBee, MoneyTap, Slice)	Sometimes	Usually	Rarely	Usually
Microfinance institutions	Rarely	Rarely	Rarely	Yes
Digital lending apps	Sometimes	Sometimes	Rarely	Usually

If you have a Rs 50,000 personal loan from KreditBee that is reported to CRIF and Experian but not to CIBIL, your CIBIL score is calculated without knowing this loan exists. If that loan is in good standing, your CRIF and Experian scores benefit while your CIBIL score remains unaffected. If that loan is in default, your CIBIL score looks clean while CRIF and Experian show the problem.

RBI now mandates universal reporting — all lenders must report to all 4 bureaus. But compliance among smaller lenders is still catching up as of 2026.

Reason 3: Different Update Timing

Even when all 4 bureaus receive the same data, they receive it at different times:

Lenders report at different batch schedules to each bureau
Each bureau processes incoming data at different speeds
A missed payment reported to CIBIL on March 15 might not reach Experian until March 22

This creates temporary discrepancies that converge within one reporting cycle (15 days under new RBI rules). If you check all 4 bureaus on the same day, you may be seeing data from different points in time.

Reason 4: Different Lookback Periods

Bureau	Primary Lookback	Effect
CIBIL	24 months (now 36 months under 2025 rules)	Focused on recent history; old negatives fade faster
Experian	Weights recent 6-12 months most heavily	Recent improvements show up faster
Equifax	Up to 7 years	Old defaults or settlements remain visible longer
CRIF High Mark	Varies by data source	Captures historical microfinance data others have purged

A person who settled a loan 5 years ago might have a clean CIBIL report (settlement beyond the primary lookback) but still see the settlement on their Equifax report.

Reason 5: Different Scoring Ranges

Bureau	Score Range	”Good” Score
CIBIL	300-900	750+
Experian	300-900	750+
CRIF High Mark	300-900	750+
Equifax	1-999	700+ (approximately equivalent to 730+ on 300-900 scale)

Equifax’s 1-999 scale means a 750 on Equifax is NOT equivalent to a 750 on CIBIL. You cannot directly compare scores across different scales. Equifax provides percentile rankings alongside the score — use those for meaningful comparison.

Which Bank Checks Which Bureau: The Definitive Guide

This is the information no credit monitoring article provides — and the information that actually determines your loan outcome.

PSU Banks: CIBIL Dominant

Bank	Primary Bureau	Secondary Bureau	Notes
SBI	CIBIL	Rarely cross-checks	CIBIL score is practically the only score that matters
PNB	CIBIL	None for most products	Strict CIBIL cutoffs
Bank of Baroda	CIBIL	Occasionally Experian	Cross-checks for larger loans
Canara Bank	CIBIL	None for most products	—
Union Bank	CIBIL	None for most products	—

If you are applying to a PSU bank, your CIBIL score is the only score that matters. A 780 Experian score is irrelevant if your CIBIL score is 680.

Private Banks: CIBIL Primary, Experian Secondary

Bank	Primary Bureau	Secondary Bureau	When Secondary Is Checked
HDFC Bank	CIBIL	Experian	Loans above Rs 10-25 lakh, borderline applications
ICICI Bank	CIBIL	Experian	Higher-value loans, risk assessment
Axis Bank	CIBIL	Experian	Select products
Kotak Mahindra	CIBIL	Experian	Larger loans
IndusInd Bank	CIBIL	Varies	—
Yes Bank	CIBIL	Experian	—

Key insight: For credit card applications at private banks, CIBIL is almost always the sole bureau checked regardless of bank. Cross-checking with Experian typically happens only for loan applications above certain thresholds.

NBFCs: Mixed Bureau Usage

NBFC	Primary Bureau	Notes
Bajaj Finance	CIBIL	Strict CIBIL dependency; 685+ typically required
Tata Capital	CIBIL + Experian	Dual-bureau check for most products
Poonawalla Fincorp	CIBIL	—
L&T Finance	CIBIL	—
Muthoot Finance (gold loans)	CIBIL/None	Gold loans may not require credit check at all

Fintechs: CRIF and Experian Rising

Lender	Primary Bureau	Why Not CIBIL
KreditBee	CRIF / Experian	Lower bureau licensing costs; alternative data integration
MoneyTap	Experian / CRIF	Experian’s recent-behavior weighting suits short-tenure lending
Slice	CRIF / Experian	—
Navi	CRIF	—
Fi Money	Experian	—
CASHe	CRIF	—

Critical implication: If your CIBIL score is 760 but your CRIF score is 690 (because a fintech loan default appears on CRIF but not CIBIL), you will be approved at SBI but rejected at KreditBee. Most people only monitor CIBIL and are blindsided when a fintech rejects them.

Microfinance: CRIF Exclusive

Lender Type	Primary Bureau
Microfinance institutions	CRIF High Mark (almost exclusively)
SHG (Self-Help Group) lending	CRIF High Mark
Rural NBFCs	CRIF High Mark

If you have ever borrowed from a microfinance institution and that loan went into default, the negative entry likely exists only on CRIF High Mark and not on CIBIL. Monitoring only CIBIL would never reveal this.

Real-World Score Differences: What They Look Like

Scenario 1: Salaried Professional With Bank Loans Only

Bureau	Score	Why
CIBIL	782	Clean repayment history, low utilization, no recent inquiries
Experian	768	Slightly lower — recent credit card utilization spike weighted more
Equifax	842 (1-999 scale)	Longer lookback period captures 5-year clean history
CRIF	775	Similar to CIBIL — all loans reported to both

Variation: ~15-20 points across 300-900 scale bureaus. Normal and insignificant.

Scenario 2: Gig Worker With Fintech Loans

Bureau	Score	Why
CIBIL	745	Only sees 1 credit card; limited data
Experian	698	Sees 3 fintech loans including 1 with late payments
Equifax	720 (1-999 scale)	Mixed picture
CRIF	671	Sees all 3 fintech loans + microfinance history + late payments

Variation: 74 points between CIBIL and CRIF. Significant — CIBIL looks healthy, CRIF tells the real story. This person gets approved at SBI (checks CIBIL 745) but rejected at KreditBee (checks CRIF 671).

Scenario 3: Small Business Owner With Settled Loan

Bureau	Score	Why
CIBIL	712	Settlement visible on 36-month lookback
Experian	728	Recent improvement weighted more heavily; settlement impact fading
Equifax	655 (1-999 scale)	7-year lookback still penalizing the 4-year-old settlement
CRIF	720	Moderate impact

Variation: Equifax punishes hardest due to longer lookback. If applying for a loan with a lender that checks Equifax, wait longer for the settlement to age off.

What This Means for Your Credit Strategy

If applying for a bank loan (home, car, personal)

Focus on CIBIL. This is the score 90%+ of banks check as primary
Check your CIBIL score free and review the full report for errors
Target: 750+ CIBIL score for best rates at any bank

If applying to a fintech or NBFC

Check CRIF High Mark and Experian in addition to CIBIL
Your CIBIL score may be irrelevant if the lender uses a different bureau
Any fintech loan defaults or late payments may appear on CRIF/Experian even if CIBIL is clean
Use OneScore (shows CIBIL + Experian) and pull CRIF annual report

If applying for a credit card

CIBIL is almost universally used for credit card applications at all banks
Experian and CRIF are rarely checked for credit card decisions
Focus on CIBIL score + credit utilization ratio

If checking for fraud

Check all 4 bureaus — a fraudulent loan may appear on only one
Use the quarterly stagger strategy: CIBIL in January, Experian in April, Equifax in July, CRIF in October
An unauthorized inquiry on Experian won’t show on CIBIL

How to Monitor All 4 Bureau Scores for Free

Bureau	Free Method	Frequency
CIBIL	cibil.com/freecibilscore + OneScore app + bank app	1 free report/year + monthly app updates
Experian	experian.in + OneScore app	Unlimited free reports + monthly app updates
Equifax	equifax.co.in	1 free report/year
CRIF High Mark	crifhighmark.com	1 free report/year

For the complete free monitoring setup with step-by-step instructions: Credit monitoring — the free stack that covers all 4 bureaus

The Core Takeaway

Stop comparing scores across bureaus. A 750 CIBIL score and a 710 Experian score are not contradictory — they are two different measurements using different algorithms, different data, and different weighting.

Instead, ask two questions:

Which bureau does my target lender check? Focus your energy on that score.
Are there errors on any of my 4 bureau reports? An error on one bureau does NOT automatically appear (or get fixed) on others. Check all 4, dispute separately.

The scores will always differ. What matters is that each score is accurate for the data that bureau has — and that you are monitoring all 4 rather than assuming CIBIL tells the complete story.

Credit Score vs CIBIL Score: Not the Same Thing — the foundational guide to why India has 4 scores, what each measures, and which one is “your” credit score
CIBIL Alerts vs Free Apps: What Catches Fraud First? — paid CIBIL Alerts only covers one bureau. Here’s the detection timeline comparison
Lock Aadhaar Biometrics: Prevent Ghost Loans — 2-minute step that blocks biometric eKYC fraud across all bureaus
CIBIL Score 600 to 750: 6-Month Action Plan — week-by-week plan to improve the score your target lender checks
Unauthorized Inquiry Dispute Playbook — found an inquiry on one bureau but not others? Dispute process for each bureau separately

HonestMoney.in Editorial Team

Research-backed content sourced from official publications, regulatory filings, verified data, and real-world experiences. Updated April 2026.

FAQ 11

Frequently Asked Questions

Research-backed answers from verified data and published sources.

Why is my Experian score different from my CIBIL score?

Five reasons: (1) Different algorithms — CIBIL weighs repayment history at 30-35%, Experian at 25-30%. (2) Different data sources — Experian captures fintech, utility, and alternative data that CIBIL may miss. Not all lenders report to all bureaus. (3) Different update timing — each bureau receives data at different dates, creating temporary discrepancies. (4) Different lookback periods — CIBIL focuses on 24 months, Experian weights recent behavior more heavily. (5) Different scoring models — a 3-month downward utilization trend scores better on Experian than CIBIL. Score differences of 50-60 points between bureaus for the same person are considered normal.

Which credit bureau do SBI, HDFC, and ICICI check for loan approval?

PSU banks (SBI, PNB, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda) check CIBIL almost exclusively — it is the dominant bureau for government-owned banks. Private banks (HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak) use CIBIL as their primary bureau but cross-check Experian for larger or riskier loan applications. Some private banks pull from 2 bureaus simultaneously for loan amounts above Rs 10-25 lakh. For credit card applications, most banks rely on CIBIL alone regardless of whether they are PSU or private.

Which credit bureau do fintech lenders like KreditBee and MoneyTap check?

Fintech and digital lenders (KreditBee, MoneyTap, Slice, Navi, Fi Money) increasingly use CRIF High Mark or Experian as their primary bureau — not CIBIL. This is partly because CRIF and Experian licensing costs are lower for smaller lenders and partly because these bureaus capture alternative data (app-based lending history, digital payment patterns) that fintechs find more relevant. If you are borrowing from a fintech, your CIBIL score may be irrelevant — the lender may never see it.

Can I have a good CIBIL score but a bad Experian score?

Yes. This happens when: (1) A lender reports negative information (missed payment, high utilization) to Experian but not to CIBIL. (2) Experian has picked up a fintech loan default that CIBIL has not received. (3) Experian weights your recent credit behavior more heavily, and you had a rough recent quarter. (4) A data mixing error exists on one bureau but not the other. A person with a 780 CIBIL score and 690 Experian score would be approved at SBI (which checks CIBIL) but potentially rejected at a fintech lender (which checks Experian).

Do all lenders report to all 4 credit bureaus in India?

As of 2025, RBI mandates that all lenders must be members of all 4 bureaus and report data to all of them. However, compliance is still catching up. Large banks like SBI, HDFC, and ICICI report to all 4 bureaus consistently. Smaller NBFCs and fintechs may report to only 1-2 bureaus. Microfinance institutions often report only to CRIF High Mark. This inconsistent reporting is the primary reason scores differ across bureaus — if a bureau does not have data on one of your accounts, its score calculation is based on incomplete information.

Which credit bureau should I focus on improving?

Focus on the bureau your target lender checks. If applying for a bank loan (home loan, car loan, personal loan from SBI, HDFC, ICICI), focus on CIBIL — it is the dominant bureau for traditional bank lending. If applying to a fintech or NBFC, check which bureau they use (often CRIF or Experian). In practice, improving one bureau's score usually improves all of them because the actions are the same: on-time payments, low credit utilization, no new hard inquiries. The scores will differ in magnitude but trend in the same direction.

How often do credit bureaus update scores in India?

Under RBI rules effective 2025, lenders must report data to bureaus every 15 days (on the 15th and last working day of each month). Large banks like SBI and HDFC report weekly. After a lender reports, each bureau processes the data within 1-2 days. As of April 2026, RBI has directed reporting on 5 fixed dates per month (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, last day). Despite the same mandated reporting dates, each bureau processes data at different speeds — so scores on the same date may reflect different snapshots of your credit behavior.

My Equifax score is on a 1-999 scale but CIBIL is 300-900. How do I compare?

You cannot directly compare scores across different scales. Equifax India uses a 1-999 range while CIBIL, Experian, and CRIF High Mark use 300-900. A 750 on Equifax is NOT equivalent to a 750 on CIBIL. Equifax provides percentile rankings alongside the score — use those for comparison. Generally: Equifax 700+ is considered good (roughly equivalent to CIBIL 730+), Equifax 800+ is excellent (roughly equivalent to CIBIL 780+). But these are approximations — the algorithms are fundamentally different.

Does checking my score on multiple bureaus create multiple hard inquiries?

No. Checking your own credit score on any bureau's portal, bank app, or third-party app like OneScore is always a soft inquiry with zero score impact. You can check all 4 bureaus on the same day and your score will not change by a single point. Hard inquiries only occur when a lender pulls your report during a formal loan or credit card application. Monitoring your scores across all 4 bureaus is free, safe, and recommended.

If I dispute an error on CIBIL, does it automatically fix on Experian and other bureaus?

No. Each bureau maintains independent databases and processes disputes separately. If an incorrect entry appears on CIBIL and Experian, you must file two separate disputes — one with each bureau. Resolution at CIBIL does not trigger any automatic correction at Experian, Equifax, or CRIF High Mark. This is why checking all 4 bureaus is important: an error may exist on one bureau but not others, and fixing it requires bureau-specific action. Each bureau has its own 30-day resolution deadline.

Which bureau has the most complete picture of my credit?

No single bureau has a complete picture. CIBIL has the best coverage of traditional bank lending (PSU and private banks). Experian has better coverage of fintech lending and alternative data. CRIF High Mark uniquely captures microfinance, SHG loans, and small NBFC data that other bureaus miss. Equifax has a 7-year lookback that captures older entries other bureaus may underweight. For a comprehensive view, you need to check all 4 — which is why the quarterly stagger strategy (one bureau per quarter) exists.

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Credit scores are calculated by credit bureaus (CIBIL, Experian, Equifax, CRIF) using proprietary models. Score ranges and factors may vary by bureau. Check your credit report directly from RBI-licensed credit bureaus for accurate information.