Credit bureaus in Nigeria and how to choose your call order

In Nigeria, three private bureaus, CRC, FirstCentral and CreditRegistry, hold credit information supplied by their members, and no rule was found that distributes every member’s data to all three. A report gap follows from this membership-based market, where different bureaus can hold different submissions. CBN-supervised lending already pulls at least two reports before a facility, while FCCPC digital lending leaves bureau choice to you. The decision turns on how much weight each report gets when the evidence diverges.

One bureau can leave gaps in applicant information

Signing with one bureau and letting its report anchor the assessment can seem straightforward. It limits calls and makes the choice of provider feel settled.

That approach assumes one report gives you enough information for each applicant.

Your lender type determines report count

If the CBN supervises you, a summary of the 2010 circular reports that you need data exchange agreements with at least two bureaus and reports from at least two before granting a facility.

For FCCPC-registered digital lenders, the DEON Regulations 2025 require a proper credit assessment. They leave the bureau count to your assessment. Reporting applies where the FCCPC or a sector regulator directs it.

For CBN-supervised lending, your decision already involves comparing reports from more than one bureau.

Each bureau holds what its members report

Nigeria’s three private credit bureaus are CRC Credit Bureau, FirstCentral and CreditRegistry.

Each bureau’s file reflects the lenders that report to it. Reporting follows membership and, for FCCPC digital lenders, any direction from the Commission or a sector regulator.

The credit bureau landscape across Africa provides a wider view of how bureau markets differ by country.

Set rules for missing and conflicting reports

Decide in advance how a no-hit and conflicting information change the assessment.

For example, your policy could send a first-bureau no-hit to a second bureau. If two reports contain conflicting information, your process could route the case for review under your existing credit policy before a final decision. That way, a missing file prompts another check, and a disagreement prompts a defined response.

As a practitioner, I would compare reports from more than one bureau. Each bureau holds what its members report, so two bureaus can hold different information on the same applicant. CBN-supervised lending already calls for at least two reports.

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Record each pull and notify consumers when required

For each bureau pull, record its purpose as processing a loan application. Section 7 of the Credit Reporting Act is reported to list that as a permissible purpose.

If you are an FCCPC digital lender, DEON regulation 19(j) requires you to notify the consumer when you decline, vary or amend a request. Build that notice into the decision process so the relevant outcome leads to the required communication.

Compare bureau call orders using applicant outcomes

Calling both bureaus gives you two reports on each application and lets you identify disagreements. Calling a second bureau only after a no-hit can reduce calls, but it will not surface disagreements when the first bureau returns a file. The trade-off is call cost against the additional information that can change an assessment.

Compare these options on your own applicant data:

• One bureau. Count the calls and the applicants for whom it returns a file.
• A second bureau after a no-hit. Count the additional files it returns and the calls it adds.
• Both bureaus. Count the additional files and disagreements, as well as the calls needed to obtain both reports.

Then compare the additional good and bad applicants each option identifies against call costs. Use matured repayment outcomes to assess whether a report changed a decision in a way that mattered to the book. The data source waterfall tool lays out the cost and outcome comparison.

If a call fails, treat that as its own branch in the decision flow. Choose the next action in advance, such as calling the other bureau or routing the case for review.

Keep bureau call order in your decision engine

Keep bureau selection and failed-call handling in a decision engine you control. Then the assessment can follow the call order you set, and you can change that order when your applicant results and costs support a change.

Decisimo’s data source documentation describes requesting data from REST APIs or SOAP web services. Use a connection that matches the bureau’s available interface, and keep the assessment’s response to each result in your own decision logic.

Set your bureau procedure before the next facility

Before the next facility, write the procedure your team will follow:

1. If the CBN supervises you, sign data exchange agreements with at least two bureaus and obtain reports from two before each facility.
2. If you are an FCCPC digital lender, choose which bureaus your assessment calls and report to them where you are directed to.
3. For each pull, record the purpose as processing a loan application.
4. Write how a no-hit and conflicting reports change the next action. For example, send a no-hit to a second bureau and route conflicting reports through your defined review policy.
5. If you are an FCCPC digital lender, notify the consumer when you decline, vary or amend a request.
6. Keep bureau calls and failed-call handling in a decision engine you control.
7. Compare one bureau, a second bureau after a no-hit, and both bureaus on your applicants. Compare call costs with additional files, disagreements and matured good and bad outcomes before fixing the call order.

Questions about credit bureaus in Nigeria

How many credit bureaus are there in Nigeria?

Three private bureaus are named in current sources: CRC Credit Bureau, FirstCentral and CreditRegistry.

Do I have to use more than one credit bureau in Nigeria?

If the CBN supervises you, a summary of the 2010 circular reports that you need agreements with at least two bureaus and reports from at least two before a facility. For FCCPC digital lenders, the DEON rules leave the bureau count to your assessment.

Why call more than one bureau?

Each bureau holds what its members report, so two bureaus can hold different information on the same applicant. Many lenders already compare two reports, so the second report can reveal a missing file or a disagreement.

Does an FCCPC digital lender have to report to the bureaus?

Only where the FCCPC or a sector regulator directs it, under DEON regulation 25(1)(c).

What must I tell an applicant I decline?

If you are an FCCPC digital lender, notify the consumer when you decline, vary or amend a request.

How long do the bureaus keep credit information?

The Act is reported to require bureaus to keep credit information for a minimum of six years.

Put these checks into a decision flow

Create rules for credit, fraud or collections, then run them on live decisions.

Start free See pricing