Have you always heard the word CCRIS and CTOS thrown around but never quite understood the difference between the two? Don’t worry, we’ve simplified it for you! Read on to find out why they are so important in Malaysia!
What is CCRIS?
The Central Credit Reference Information (CCRIS) provides credit reports and is managed by the Credit Bureau of Bank Negara Malaysia. So essentially, CCRIS collects credit information from financial service providers in Malaysia like banks. Among the information that will be on the credit report from CCRIS are:
Outstanding credit
Special attention accounts, which are credit facilities under close supervision of financial institutions
Applications for credit in the previous 12 months that have been approved or are pending.
It should also be noted that CCRIS does not only contain the negative credit information of an individual, but it will also show positive information like your credit approvals and positive repayment history. One misconception that most people may have is also that CCRIS will blacklist you if you have bad repayment pattern. However, CCRIS does not provide any opinion or blacklist any individuals, CCRIS provides factual data which will then be used by financial institutions.
You can get a copy of your CCRIS credit report from Bank Negara, but do take note that you can only get access to your own credit report so you cannot ask someone else to obtain it for you. You will need to bring along your MyKad and other supporting documents to verify your identity. The credit report will then be issued to you at Bank Negara Malaysia’s head office of Bank Negara Malaysia’s regional branches.
What is CTOS?
CTOS is a private company which provides credit reporting and is also widely used by financial institutions to determine an applicant’s creditworthiness aside from using CCRIS. Usually, financial institutions use more than one credit report to determine an applicant’s credit health and CTOS is also known to be widely used in Malaysia. If you’re wondering where CTOS obtains all the information from, they collect credit related information from various public sources such as:
National Registration Department
Malaysia Insolvency Department
Companies Commission Malaysia (CCM)
Publications of legal proceedings and notices in newspapers and government gazettes. The types of credit related information which will be included in the credit report from CTOS will include bankruptcy, legal action and even case statuses. It will also detail an individual’s business exposure, business ownerships and directorships, if any.
Similar to CCRIS, CTOS does not provide comments, opinions or blacklist any individuals. Aside from that, you can also obtain your own credit report from CTOS through MyCTOS. First you will need to register to obtain your CTOS User ID, and once your ID has been activated you will be able to access your credit report from MyCTOS anytime over the internet and even through the CTOS app.
So What Is The Difference Between CCRIS and CTOS?
Both provide credit reports, however CCRIS is under Bank Negara Malaysia whilst CTOS is privately managed. Another key difference is how the information is compiled. As for CCRIS, the information is derived from financial institutions. While CTOS on the other hand gets credit related information from public sources such as those we discussed earlier. Ultimately, both provide credit reports although the main difference is how the credit information is obtained.
CTOS vs CCRIS
But wait, isn’t a credit score released by CCRIS? Well, not exactly. As much as the government has been issuing ominous warnings of CCRIS listings for PTPTN defaulters, CCRIS itself is just a computerised database system that contains credit information about borrowers in Malaysia – basically, anyone who utilises credit. It’s parked under Bank Negara Malaysia, which is why people who want to get a copy of their credit report should write to Bank Negara.
CTOS, on the other hand, is a credit reporting agency (CRA) registered under the Credit Reporting Agencies Act 2010, and it is approved by Bank Negara Malaysia to access credit information of borrowers that is stored in the CCRIS provided they obtain consent from the borrower in question. In short: CCRIS, computerised database system; CTOS, credit reporting agency.
Credit Reporting Agencies in Malaysia
There’s more than one credit reporting agency in Malaysia, so you’re definitely not limited to just CTOS for an evaluation of your credit health. In fact, there are three CRAs for you to choose from to date, namely:
Credit Bureau Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (CCRIS)
RAM Credit Information Sdn. Bhd. (RAMCI)
CTOS Data Systems Sdn. Bhd. (CTOS)
Conclusion
Your credit score may not be viewable by all and sundry, but it is becoming more and more accessible to you over time. This means you’re running out of excuses to remain ignorant about your credit health!