Underwriting Insight
How Credit Managers Actually Evaluate Your File — The 6-Lens Framework
Every credit manager reads your file through the same six lenses. Understanding what each lens reveals helps you fix the right things before submitting.
The 6 underwriting lenses
1. CIBIL lens
Score, recent enquiries, settled/written-off markers, unsecured trade count. Pass threshold varies by lender.
2. Banking lens
12-month average balance, bounce count, credit pattern, cash-deposit ratio, EMI debit pattern.
3. ITR lens
Last 2–3 years' declared profit, growth trend, EBITDA, DSCR computation basis.
4. GST lens
GSTR-1 / 3B turnover, reconciliation to ITR, compliance consistency (any pending returns?).
5. Obligations lens
Existing EMIs, FOIR computation, credit card utilisation, contingent liabilities (guarantees).
6. Collateral lens
For secured loans — property title, valuation, LTV, encumbrance, income from property.
How the lenses combine into a decision
- CIBIL fail → auto-decline at most banks, regardless of other strengths
- Banking fail → auto-decline; no amount of profit makes up for bounced cheques
- ITR/GST fail → often approvable at NBFCs or with collateral
- Obligations fail (FOIR) → approvable with co-applicant or longer tenure
- Collateral strength → can lift an otherwise borderline file to approval
Self-diagnosis
Run your file through the 6 lenses before applying
- Pull your CIBIL report — score, enquiries, any settled/written-off trades
- Get 12 months of bank statements — count bounces, compute AMB
- Pull last 3 years' ITR — compute average profit and growth trend
- Pull GSTR-1 + 3B for 12 months — reconcile to ITR turnover
- List all existing EMIs + credit card min dues — compute FOIR
- List any properties you can offer as collateral — get indicative valuation
FAQ
Common questions
Which lens matters most?+
CIBIL and banking are pass/fail gates — a failure here usually means auto-decline regardless of other strengths. ITR and GST determine ticket size and rate. Obligations determine EMI affordability. Collateral can lift an otherwise borderline file. The order of importance is roughly: CIBIL ≥ Banking > ITR ≈ GST > Obligations > Collateral.
Can a strong collateral lens offset a weak CIBIL?+
Partially. A clean property at 50% LTV can rescue a 680 CIBIL file at most NBFCs and some private banks. But a 580 CIBIL with a written-off trade will usually be declined even with gold-standard collateral — the credit-hunger signal is too strong.
What if I'm strong on 5 lenses but weak on one?+
It depends which one. Weak on collateral → go unsecured, accept slightly higher rate. Weak on obligations → add co-applicant or prepay a small loan. Weak on ITR → wait a year or take a GST-based NBFC loan. Weak on CIBIL/banking → fix before applying anywhere; blind re-application compounds the problem.
Next step
Get your file reviewed before you apply again.
Share basic details — a senior advisor will read your profile, diagnose what's blocking approval, and tell you exactly what to fix first.
- No CIBIL pull until strategy is agreed
- No blind portal submissions
- Review by a senior advisor — not a call-centre agent
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