1. When and how consumer credit reports and enterprise credit reports update basic information, credit data and public information?

The basic information, credit data and public information in the consumer credit report are submitted by corresponding institutions, and will generally be updated the second day after the institution submits the data to CCRC.

The basic information, credit data and public information in the enterprise credit report need to be submitted by corresponding institutions. The basic information and credit information will be updated on the second working day after being submitted to CCRC, and public information will be updated on the second day after being submitted to CCRC.

2. How long will corresponding negative information remain in the credit report after a loan has been settled or after the credit card has been cancelled?

As stipulated in the Regulation on the Administration of Credit Investigation Industry, records on overdue and delinquent accounts will remain on the credit report for a period of five years from the date of settlement.

3. May I file a dispute to PBC branches if the information in my credit report is wrong? How do I file a dispute application? What materials should I bring?

Yes, you may file a dispute to PBC branches if the information in my credit report is wrong. You need to file a dispute application in person at the scene. You should bring the original and duplicate of your valid ID document with the duplicate left for future reference. The above-said valid ID documents include ID card, military officer ID card, solider ID card, passport, Mainland travel permit for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents and alien residence permit. In addition, you need to truthfully fill in the Application Form for Dispute over Consumer Credit Report.

4. What is a consumer credit report?

A consumer credit report is a document issued by CCRC to record your credit situation. It is regarded as an individual’s “economic ID card”. It can help your trading partners know your credit status and make it easy for you to conduct economic and financial transactions.

5. What are the current versions of consumer credit reports, and what are the inquiry subjects respectively?

At present, there are three versions of consumer credit reports, namely:

1. Individual version, provided for consumers to know their credit status, mainly showing the credit information and public information of the information subject, including individual version and individual detailed version.

2. Banking version, used mainly by commercial banks for inquiry. In the credit transaction information, the report does not show the names of other lending banks or credit providers except the inquiring institutions, so as to protect business secrets and guarantee fair competition.

3. Social version, provided for consumers to open stock index futures accounts. This version shows your credit information, mainly including records of personal practicing qualification, administrative reward and penalty, court litigation and enforcement, tax arrears, social insurance, housing provident fund and credit transaction.

6. Where is the credit information from?

It comes from the source of credit information. Specifically, credit information mainly comes from the following two types of agencies:

Institutions that provide credit business, mainly including specialized institution providing credit business, such as commercial banks, rural credit cooperatives and small loan companies.

Other institutions, including housing provident fund management center and individual endowment insurance fund management institutions.

In addition, some of the above-mentioned institutions provide basic information, such as the address and contact information of individuals, which is provided to these institutions by individuals when doing business.

7. May I request my own credit report?

Yes. It is your right to know as the subject of credit reports. According to the Regulation on the Administration of Credit Investigation Industry, each individual has the right to obtain his/her own credit report free-of-charge up to a maximum of two times per year.

8. Does credit report inquiry charge a fee?

According to the Regulation on the Administration of Credit Investigation Industry and the Reply of the National Development and Reform Commission on Issues Related to Service Charges of the Credit Reference Center of the People’s Bank of China (Fa Gai Jia Ge [2016] No.54), since January 15, 2016, an individual’s on-site inquiry of credit report will be charged at RMB10 each time since the third time of the year, a drop from RMB25. Inquiries via the Internet and the first two on-site inquiries every year continue to be free of charge.

9. My registered permanent residence is in Wuhan, Hubei Province. May I inquire my own credit report in Beijing?

Yes. The CCRC’s network on consumer credit information covers the whole country. Wherever you are, you may make inquiries at your local PBC branch. 

10. May I check/request my credit report with a phone call or via the Internet?

You cannot request your credit report information over the phone. Since March, 2013, CCRC has piloted inquiry about one’s own credit report via the Internet, and promoted it to the rest of the nation at the end of September 2014. For details, please visit the consumer credit report inquiry website https://ipcrs.pbccrc.org.cn. Anyone who holds an ID card can log in to the consumer credit report inquiry website and inquire about his/her credit report online.

11. May I request the credit report of a family member or a friend?

You have no right to inquire others’ credit reports without the written authorization of the data subject. If you have authorization, you may submit the request and you need to fill out the Application Form for In-Person Inquiry of Consumer Credit Report and provide the originals of valid ID documents of both the principal and the agent as well as the notarial powers of attorney for clarification and leave the duplicates of valid ID documents of both the principal and the agent and the original of notarial powers of attorney for inspection.

12. May I ask another person to file a dispute for me to the PBC branch? What materials should the agent bring?

If you ask another person to file a dispute for you, the agent shall provide the originals of your and his/her valid ID documents and the Power of Attorney for verification, and fill in the Application Form for Dispute over Consumer Credit Report. The duplicates of your and his/her valid ID documents and the original of the Power of Attorney shall be left for our inspection.

13. Does CCRC have a “blacklist”?

CCRC does not have a “blacklist”. CCRC just objectively collects and displays the customer’s credit information and does not make judgment about an individual’s credit behavior.

14. Who has the final say on whether or not I can get a loan? Commercial banks or CCRC?

Commercial banks. CCRC just provides consumer credit reports for reference when commercial banks review your loan application. Your loan availability depends on the result of loan review by the commercial bank.

15. When did the credit information in the consumer credit report begin to be collected?

Information of credit that has not been paid off until 2004 and that has occurred since 2004.

16. How often is the personal credit information basic database updated?

For the credit business during the normal account period, CCRC updates the database every month. However, after the credit business is closed or settled, its information will not be updated.

17. What should I do if I have difficulty in understanding the credit report?

You may call the CCRC customer service hotline at 400-810-8866, or you may directly consult the PBC branches.

18. What kind of help can I expect to receive when I call the CCRC customer service hotline at 400-810-8866?

You will be able to receive assistance on how to request your consumer credit reports, how to file a dispute and how to interpret your credit report.

19. A consumer called to ask: “I have already requested a copy of my consumer credit report. May I obtain a loan?”

Whether a consumer can ultimately obtain a loan is decided by the bank from which he or she applies for loans. The consumer credit report is just one of several references the bank uses when reviewing a loan application.

20. A consumer called to ask: “I want to inquire about negative information of my loan by telephone. If there was any negative information, could CCRC modify it? ”

At present, you cannot get the consumer credit report over the phone. Consumers may bring their valid ID certificates and duplicates to the PBC branches for inquiry.

A consumer credit report shows repayment record of the loan in an objective way, and does not contain wording such as “poor credit”. Any overdue payment will be shown in the credit report as it is, if an individual fails to repay the loan on time.

CCRC only shows credit information as it is submitted by financial institutions. The information can only be changed by the data submitter. If you find any erroneous credit information in your credit report, you may seek an explanation from the inquiring institution, or solve it through the dispute handling process of the PBC.

21. Why are debts not categorized further as “unintentionally in arrears” or “maliciously in arrears” in the consumer credit report?

First, the consumer credit report issued by CCRC is an objective record of an individual’s previous credit history. There is no qualitative judgment of the individual’s credit status or types of arrears in order to ensure objectivity of the information. Second, banks and other financial institutions that use the credit report conduct comprehensive assessments of customers’ credit willingness and capability based on their actual conditions and a host of other references. Therefore, the credit report does not classify loans as “unintentionally in arrears” or “maliciously in arrears”.

22. Why should I pay special attention to information set forth in the “Inquiry Record” section in my credit report?

“Inquiry Record” helps you to know how your credit report is inquired because it contains information such as the date of inquiry, information about the inquirer, reason for the inquiry, as well as the number of inquiries conducted via the Internet in the year. Consumers should pay special attention to the Inquiry Record section for the following two reasons:

First, you should check if any other person or institution has inquired about your credit report without your authorization.

Second, if during a certain period of time your credit report has been inquired by various banks due to applications for loan, credit cards or other reasons when there are no new loan or credit card accounts added to your credit report, it may mean that you have applied for loans or credit cards from many banks but your applications have been rejected. This type of information may have an impact on your applications for new loans or credit cards in the future.

If you find that your credit report has been requested without your consent, you may seek an explanation from the inquiring institution or report the case to the PBC branches.

23. May I inquire about my credit records through mobile phone software (APP)?

At present, some mobile banking APPs have opened inquiry channels, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications, China CITIC Bank, China Everbright Bank, China Merchants Bank, China Guangfa Bank, Ping An Bank, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, China Minsheng Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Postal Savings Bank of China and UnionPay QuickPass.