Loan for Low CIBIL Score: What Is Available at Each Band

CIBIL reports on a 300–900 scale, and lenders map cut-offs onto it rather than reading the number directly. 750 and above is where advertised rates live. 700–749 clears most bank policies comfortably. 650–699 is the frustrating band — good borrowers declined by policy lines set at 700. 550–649 is NBFC territory, priced accordingly. Below 550, unsecured approval becomes rare and secured borrowing is the practical answer.

Two facts are worth carrying into any of those bands. First, checking your own score is a soft inquiry and never lowers it — only applications create hard inquiries, and a cluster of those does real damage. Second, reporting errors are common at low scores: an account closed but still showing outstanding, a settled loan marked as written off, a facility that was never yours. Disputes are free, take 30–45 days, and a single correction can move a score by tens of points before you improve any behaviour at all.