Reading a credit report is pretty straightforward. The report is split into sections.

report

First page

  • The top section on the first page includes your unique number in the Al Etihad Credit Bureau, along with your name in both Arabic and English, your gender, date of birth and nationality.
  • Opposite that (eventually, and the bureau has not confirmed when this will happen) will be your score based on the information in the report.
  • Under that is a figure for your total outstanding balance, the total amount of late and missed payments and the number of contracts which are more than 90 days overdue.
  • Below that is a section with identification information, such as a passport number.
  • The first page also includes your address, details of your employment, phone number and other sources of income.

Second page

  • This will include a summary of all of your contracts (such as credit cards or personal loans), including those that have been rejected and closed, as well as your active contracts, detailing the total credit limit and outstanding balance.
  • Below that you will find full details of the payment history for each contract that belongs to or relates to you.

Finally, on the last page, you will find a list of all of your applications for credit.

[Related: The cost of finding out what the UAE banks say about you | How to improve your credit score]

Report numbering key

1. CB Subject ID: Your unique identification number at Al Etihad Credit Bureau.

2. Score: Your credit score – a number determining your overall creditworthiness (coming in phase 4 of the AECB credit reporting).

3. Total outstanding balance: The total of all your liabilities, with all credit providers, that are outstanding.

4. Total overdue: The total of all late and missed payments for all credit facilities, for all contracts, with all credit providers.

5. No. default contracts: The total number of contracts where you have gone overdue by more than 90 days.

6. Documents: Identification information i.e. passport number or Emirates ID

7. Contracts: The summary of the number of credit facilities requested – active, rejected and closed.

8. Financial summary: A summary of all active contracts belonging to or related to you.