By Vikram Mehta ·
Lenders price loans in slabs, and the difference between a 720 and a 760 score can be half a percentage point on a home loan — lakhs of rupees over a tenure. The good news: scores respond to behaviour faster than most borrowers expect.
First, pull your report from all four bureaus and dispute errors — roughly one in five reports we review carries a closed loan still shown active or a mismatched account. Corrections alone often add 10–20 points.
Second, bring credit-card utilisation under 30% of limit at statement date, not just due date. Utilisation is recalculated monthly, so the effect appears within one or two cycles.
Third, stop shopping applications. Every hard enquiry costs a few points, and clustered enquiries signal credit hunger. Route comparisons through an advisor who checks eligibility without bureau hits.
Fourth, keep old cards open — account age matters. Fifth, clear small overdue amounts before large EMIs; a ₹900 overdue flag damages you as much as a large one. Sixth, if your history is thin, a secured card against a fixed deposit builds track record safely.
Follow the sequence for one quarter, then reassess. Our financial health review packages this into a tracked plan with a target score and application date.