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The short answer
CRC Credit Bureau, FirstCentral Credit Bureau and CreditRegistry are Nigeria's private credit bureaus, and under the Credit Reporting Act 2017 every bureau must be licensed by the CBN. They draw on overlapping data, because banks must report to at least two bureaus, but not identical data, so your reports and scores can differ. Check all three before a big application.
When a Nigerian lender checks your credit, it may pull from one bureau or several. If you only check one yourself, you may miss what another lender sees. This guide sets out what is common to all three bureaus, what we could confirm about each from its own site in October 2026, and why the same person can look different on each.
What all three have in common
- Licensing. The Credit Reporting Act 2017 requires credit bureaus to be licensed by the CBN; incorporation alone is not enough (section 2, as summarised by Lendsqr). CRC describes itself as licensed under Nigerian law. We could not open the CBN's own list of licensed bureaus when writing; check it on cbn.gov.ng.
- The same rules. Each must give you a free report every year (Act, section 9(6)(a)), resolve disputes within ten working days (section 13), and keep credit information for at least six years from receipt (section 5).
- The same main suppliers. The CBN's 2013 guidelines require banks and other financial institutions to have data exchange agreements with at least two licensed bureaus and to obtain reports from at least two before granting, renewing or restructuring a facility.
What each bureau shows on its own site
| CRC Credit Bureau | FirstCentral | CreditRegistry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score scale stated | 300 to 850 | Not stated on the page we read | Could not confirm |
| Free report | One a year, via code FREEREPORT at checkout | Site says one free report every month | Could not confirm |
| Paid consumer products | CRC Score ₦400; Self Enquiry ₦5,000; I-CONplus ₦5,200 | Free score once, then mobile apps | Could not confirm |
| Business products | Corporate self-enquiry, portfolio monitoring, batch processing | Commercial and directorship reports, dud cheque report | Could not confirm |
| Report sections | Personal details, addresses, employment, enquiries, facilities, security, dishonoured cheques, suits | Not detailed on the page | Could not confirm |
Prices and offers are as shown on CRC's and FirstCentral's sites in October 2026 and can change; check each site before you pay. We could not read CreditRegistry's consumer pages when writing, so we have not stated its scale or prices.
Why your reports can differ
The data overlaps but is not pooled into one file. Differences usually come from one of these:
- Which lenders report to which bureau. A bank must use at least two bureaus, but not necessarily all three. A microfinance bank or digital lender may report to only one.
- Timing. Lenders must update data at least monthly, so one bureau may have this month's repayment and another last month's.
- Matching. If your name is spelt differently, or a lender used an old phone number or address, a record may attach to your file at one bureau and not another.
- Different scoring models. Each bureau builds its own score. A number from one is not directly comparable to a number from another; see credit score ranges in Nigeria.
- Errors. A correction made at one bureau is not passed on to the others.
Which one should you use?
There is no single right answer, because you do not choose which bureau a lender uses. A sensible approach:
- Before a large application, such as a mortgage or car loan, pull your free annual report from all three.
- For routine monitoring, use whichever bureau's free offer is easiest and rotate through the year.
- If one report shows a problem, check whether the others show it too, then dispute it with each bureau that holds it.
- Ask the lender which bureaus it uses. Many will tell you.
For step-by-step guidance see getting your CRC report, getting your FirstCentral report and getting your CreditRegistry report.
Reading two reports side by side
When you have reports from more than one bureau, compare them line by line rather than looking at the scores. A simple method:
- List every facility on each report: lender, type, date opened and current balance.
- Mark any facility that appears at one bureau and not another. That tells you which lenders report where.
- Compare the status and days past due for facilities that appear on both. A difference usually means one bureau has a more recent update.
- Check the identity section of each report for old addresses, phone numbers or spellings you no longer use.
- Raise a separate dispute with each bureau that holds an error, attaching the same evidence. A fix at one bureau is not passed on to the others.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme and Solid Allianze Microfinance Bank, which lends Loans on Spaces, are integrated with all licensed credit bureaus in Nigeria. For the wider picture see how Nigerian credit bureaus work.
Questions people ask
Which credit bureau do banks use in Nigeria?
Banks must have data exchange agreements with at least two licensed bureaus and pull reports from at least two before lending, under CBN guidelines. Ask your bank which ones it uses.
Is CRC better than FirstCentral?
Neither is better in general. They hold overlapping data under the same rules. The one that matters is the one your lender checks.
Why is my CRC score different from my FirstCentral score?
Each bureau uses its own scoring model and may hold slightly different data, so the numbers are not directly comparable.
Do I need to check all three credit bureaus?
Before a major application it is worth it, because a record may appear at one bureau and not another.
Sources
- Everything to know about the Nigeria Credit Reporting Act (Lendsqr) · accessed Oct 2026
- Boosting access to credit in Nigeria: a glimpse into the Credit Reporting Act 2017 (Mondaq) · accessed Oct 2026
- CBN Guidelines for the Licensing, Operations and Regulation of Credit Bureaux, BSD/DIR/GEN/LAB/06/051 (14 Nov 2013) · accessed Oct 2026
- CRC Credit Bureau: products and prices · accessed Oct 2026
- CRC Credit Bureau: Frequently Asked Questions · accessed Oct 2026
- FirstCentral Credit Bureau: reports and free credit report · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.