Al Etihad Credit Bureau collects your complete credit footprint from every bank and finance company in the country: loans, card limits and balances, payment history, bounced cheques, and applications. The score (300–900) summarizes it; the report behind it is what underwriters actually read.
What moves the score
- Payment history — the dominant factor. Late payments and missed installments mark the report for years.
- Utilization and exposure — heavy card balances and many open limits read as risk (and those limits are simultaneously eating your DBR).
- Applications and declines — a burst of applications reads as distress. This is why we keep repeating: calculate before you apply.
- Cheques — bounced cheques are visible and heavily weighted in the UAE.
How score and DBR interact
A strong score with a maxed ratio still fails — the 50% cap is regulation. A clean ratio with a weak score gets priced up or declined — behavior is the bank’s choice. The efficient order of operations: pull your AECB report once a year, fix errors (they happen), run your DBR before every application, and never let a decline happen that arithmetic could have predicted.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good AECB credit score?
AECB scores run 300–900. Above roughly 700 is considered strong; low 600s and below invite declines or worse pricing. Banks combine the score with your full report and DBR.
How do I check my AECB score?
Through the official AECB app or website (aecb.gov.ae) for a small fee. You get the score plus the full report listing every loan, card, and payment record banks see.
Does checking my own AECB score lower it?
No. Your own inquiries are not treated like lender hard inquiries. Frequent loan applications and rejections, however, do leave marks lenders read.
Note: DBR rules cited are Central Bank of the UAE regulation and apply identically at every bank. Bank-specific requirements (minimum salaries, card tiers, rates) are indicative of common market practice and change over time — always confirm current figures with the bank before applying. See How We Calculate.