The concept to establish a credit data center started in 1961. The Thai Banker’s Association discussed with Bank of Thailand that there should be a center to exchange the data of the clients of commercial banks to reduce the risk of giving a loan and prevent the damages that may happen to commercial banks. Bank of Thailand was asked to be the center to gather all the data. Then Bank of Thailand has started the central credit registration since 1964. After that, it had continuously been developed until 1995, the government by the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Thailand, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Thailand, made up a plan of financial system development together. It was about establishing the credit data center on the proportion of financial organizations that support the financial system development. And the committee about credit data center was established in 1995 to study and seek a suitable approach and conduct to achieve the objective to establish the credit data center. Later the committee mentioned conducted until the agreement of joint venture with a company dealing with credit data in the United States was almost signed in 1996. Unfortunately in 1996 there was an economic crisis in Thailand and many financial institutes were shut down. And such the economic crisis ascended the severity gradually, which obstructed the establishment of the credit data center. In 1998 Minister of Finance assured the policy to establish the credit data center so that it would be used to analyze the loan and reduce the bad debt burden of financial institutes, which was a big and urgent problem for the financial institutes at the time. In July 1998 Dr. Pisit Lee-arthum, Deputy Minister of Finance, who controlled and monitored the Government Housing Bank (GHB), ordered the GHB to be the main office to establish the credit data center. Meanwhile, Bank of Thailand proclaimed a policy for The Thai Banker’s Association to hurriedly establish the credit data center. The Thai Banker’s Association set up a team of a committee to complete the task afterwards. The establishment of the credit data center was divided into 2 sections including a section set up by the Government Housing Bank that established Thai Credit Bureau Co., Ltd. and Bank of Thailand together with the Thai Banker’s Association established Central Information Services Co.,Ltd. Both companies were established with the same objective including being the center to gather clients’ data to help reduce the risk and increase the efficiency of giving loans and to prevent bad debt or non-performing loan problems in the economic system.
Central Information Services Co.,Ltd., established by Bank of Thailand and Thai Banker’s Association, was registered as a company on September 22, 1999 with the registered capital of 26 million baht, whose shareholders are of 13 Thai commercial banks that are the members of Thai Banker’s Association. It is the center gathering loan data from financial institute members. It offers credit data of both consumer credit data and commercial credit data to be the source of data for financial institutes to use for analyzing the loans. Later in 2000, its two credit data reporting systems have been developed including (1) Consumer Credit Reporting System developed by Trans Union International Co., Ltd., one of the world’s leading credit data service companies and (2) Commercial Credit Reporting System developed by Dun & Bradstreet Co., Ltd., one of the oldest and most famous commercial credit data service companies as well. Both system development companies are the important allies to develop the system and augment the credit data service potential of Central Information Services Co., Ltd. Hence to cooperate tightly, continuously and for a long time, in 2000 Central Information Services Co., Ltd. signed a joint venture contract with both Trans Union International Co., Ltd. and Dun & Bradstreet Co., Ltd. (through Business Online PCL. a joint venture company in Thailand). And the capital was increased to 156 million baht and the company name was changed to Central_Credit_Information_Services_Co.,Ltd. on December 6, 2000. However, the 13 commercial banks still hold the equal portion of shares totaling 50% of the whole and the rest are held by TransUnion Inc. and Business Online PCL. for the portion of 25% each. Later the capital was increased again to be 186 million baht with the same portion of the shareholders.
In 2005 Central Credit Information Services Co., Ltd. merged the business with another credit data company, Thai Credit Bureau Co., Ltd. Central Credit Information Services Co., Ltd. had bought all the shares of Thai Credit Bureau Co., Ltd. and increased the capital to 250 million baht. The company name was changed to National Credit Bureau Co., Ltd. on May 19, 2005, of which shareholders include the shareholders of Thai Credit Bureau Co., Ltd. and banks as well as government financial institutes. The portion of the shareholders after the merger consists of Thai commercial banks hold the same portion of the shares totaling 24.5%, Business Online PCL. and TransUnion Inc. hold the same portion of 12.25% totaling 24.50%. The total of shares held by the shareholders of the former Central Credit Information Services Co., Ltd. are of 49%. The shareholders of Thailand Credit Data Co., Ltd. hold the portion of 30% including Government Housing Bank 15% and PCC Capital Co., Ltd.15%. The rest of another 21% are held by government financial institutes including Government Savings Bank, Dhipaya Insurance PCL., and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand hold the share portions of 9%, 6% and 6% respectively.
Since the merger, the company has developed the systems of processing and reporting the credit data more update and efficiently. Moreover, the company has developed and improved the quality of data to be correct and update by increasing the potential of the information security measures more. The company has set the aim to apply for the certificate of Information Security Management System (ISMS) according to the standard of ISO 27001 within 2007. Furthermore, the company has campaigned to publicize to make people have knowledge and understanding about the credit data as well as the roles of the company more and more. The company has persisted in the principles of protecting and keeping the secret of the data extremely and concerned about taking care and protecting the consumers’ rights who own the data intensively as well.
