Lenders do not publish score cutoffs, but underwriting behaves in bands consistent enough to state plainly. These are practical thresholds, not guarantees — income, employer and existing obligations always sit alongside the score.
By product
| Product | Comfortable | Possible with conditions | Generally declined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal loan (bank) | 750+ | 700–749, priced higher | Below 700 |
| Personal loan (NBFC/fintech) | 720+ | 650–719 at 18–26% | Below 650 |
| Home loan | 750+ | 700–749; some banks to 650 with strong income | Below 650 |
| Business loan (unsecured) | 720+ (promoter) | 680–719 with strong banking | Below 680 |
| Car loan | 720+ | 650–719, higher rate or more margin | Below 650 |
| Credit card (premium) | 750+ | — | Below 750 |
| Credit card (entry/secured) | 700+ | Any score against an FD | — |
| Gold loan | Score not checked — secured by the pledged gold | ||
| Loan against property | 700+ | 650–699, lower LTV | Below 650 case-by-case |
What each band means in money
The score does not just gate approval — it prices the loan. On a ₹40 lakh home loan over 20 years, the gap between a 780-score offer and a 700-score offer is commonly 0.5–1% of rate, which is ₹5–10 lakh of interest. On personal loans the spread is wider still: the same applicant profile can be quoted 11% at 770 and 16% at 690.
If you sit below the band you need
- Gold loan — no score check at all, funds within the hour, and repaying it on time is itself reported and rebuilds the score.
- Loan against FD or property — security substitutes for the score.
- Co-applicant with a strong score — most lenders assess the stronger profile prominently.
- Wait and repair — six months of the fixes in our improvement guide often moves you a full band, which is worth more than any negotiation.
Whatever you do, stop applying while below the band — each rejection adds an enquiry and makes the file look worse to the next lender.
Frequently asked questions
From most banks, no. Several NBFCs and fintech lenders approve the 650–719 band at 18–26% with smaller ticket sizes. A gold loan or FD-backed loan is usually the cheaper and safer route at this score.
Comfortably 750 and above for the best rates. Approvals happen down to about 700 at higher pricing, and a few banks stretch to 650 where income and property are strong. Below 650, work on the score first — the rate penalty over 20 years is enormous.
No. Gold loans are secured entirely by the pledged jewellery, so bureaus are rarely checked. This also makes a well-repaid gold loan one of the fastest legitimate ways to rebuild a damaged score.
Yes, both scores are pulled. A strong co-applicant materially helps a borderline file, but a co-applicant with a poor score can drag an otherwise good application down — choose accordingly.