> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usenumero.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Credit
> Pull a borrower's credit report or score from Nigeria's bureaus with just a BVN — CRC, CreditRegistry, FirstCentral and FICO.
Assess whether someone can borrow, using nothing but their **BVN**. Numero fronts Nigeria's credit bureaus — **CRC**, **CreditRegistry**, **FirstCentral** and **FICO** — so you can pull a full credit picture in one call.
## Which endpoint should I use?
| If you want… | Use |
| ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| **The full picture in one call** (recommended) | `credit-summary` |
| **A numeric score** to derive a lending band | `credit-score` |
| A specific bureau's report | `credit-crc` · `credit-registry` · `credit-first-central` |
**`credit-summary` aggregates all four bureaus in a single request** — it's the one to reach for unless you specifically need a named bureau. Calling the four individually costs more and takes longer.
**Pricing is per merchant** — check your own rates rather than assuming a list price. Every response tells you
exactly what that call cost you in **`data.walletAmount`**, and the debit carries `data.walletTransactionReference`.
That's the authoritative figure; bill your customers from it, not from a number in a doc.
## Endpoints
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
| ------ | ---------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| POST | `/api/v1/business/verification/credit-summary` | All four bureaus aggregated + score |
| POST | `/api/v1/business/verification/credit-score` | FICO score |
| POST | `/api/v1/business/verification/credit-crc` | CRC Credit Bureau report |
| POST | `/api/v1/business/verification/credit-registry` | CreditRegistry report |
| POST | `/api/v1/business/verification/credit-first-central` | FirstCentral report |
Every one takes the same body — a BVN — and is **signed** like other money-adjacent calls.
## Request
**Signature required:** Yes
| Header | Required | Description |
| -------------------- | -------- | ----------------- |
| `X-Numero-Api-Key` | Yes | Your API key |
| `X-Numero-Signature` | Yes | Request signature |
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| ---------------- | ------ | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `bvn` | string | Yes | The borrower's BVN (11 digits) |
| `idempotencyKey` | string | No | Makes a retry safe — credit pulls are billable, so send one |
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "https://api.usenumero.com/numeroaccount/api/v1/business/verification/credit-summary" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-Numero-Api-Key: your_api_key" \
-H "X-Numero-Signature: generated_signature" \
-d '{ "bvn": "12345678901", "idempotencyKey": "credit_check_10231" }'
```
## Response
Results come back **in the response** — credit checks are synchronous, not webhook-driven. The `VERIFICATION_NOTIFICATION` webhook also fires afterwards carrying the charge, for your own reconciliation; you don't need to handle it to use these endpoints.
```json theme={null}
{
"data": {
"verificationRequestId": 90123,
"reference": "VER-2024-abc123",
"success": true,
"statusCode": "PASSED",
"normalizedResult": {
"name": "John Doe",
"totalNoOfLoans": "2",
"totalNoOfActiveLoans": "1",
"totalBorrowed": "257500",
"totalOutstanding": "84000",
"totalOverdue": "0",
"totalNoOfDelinquentFacilities": "0"
},
"walletTransactionReference": "TXN-2024-xyz",
"walletAmount": 1200
},
"error": null,
"meta": {
"request_id": "req_365123ebc73323f1482508560ce6400e",
"pagination": null
}
}
```
**Expect gaps.** A bureau returns only what it holds — if someone has no history with a lender, fields come back
as `null`. The field is still there: we return every field the bureau sends, `null` included, so the shape doesn't
shift between subjects. Treat `null` as "no data", not zero.
### Getting a numeric score
If you need a **number to derive a lending band**, use **`credit-score`** (or **`credit-summary`**, which nests the
same score alongside all four bureaus). This is the **complete response** — exactly what `credit-score` returns in
test mode for BVN `22222222222`:
```json theme={null}
{
"data": {
"verificationRequestId": 5,
"reference": "VER-20260717-7c6710d3f29047a599252cb234f72a5f",
"success": true,
"statusCode": "200",
"statusMessage": "Successful",
"normalizedResult": {
"bvn": "22222222222",
"customerId": "10000001",
"businessId": null,
"name": "John Doe",
"phone": "08012345678",
"gender": "Male",
"dateOfBirth": "12/04/1990",
"address": "12 Marina Road, Lagos Island, Lagos Nigeria",
"email": null,
"score.totalNoOfDelinquentFacilities": "0",
"score.hasLoans": "YES",
"score.ficoScore.score": "720",
"score.ficoScore.rating": "GOOD",
"score.ficoScore.reasons": "Length of credit history is satisfactory. No recent delinquency on the credit report.",
"score.lastReportedDate": "31-MAY-2026",
"score.crcReportOrderNumber": "W-0000000001/2026",
"searchedDate": "2026-07-17T00:00:00.0000000+01:00"
},
"walletTransactionReference": "VER-20260717-7c6710d3f29047a599252cb234f72a5f",
"walletAmount": 800.00
},
"error": null,
"meta": { "request_id": "req_365123ebc73323f1482508560ce6400e", "pagination": null }
}
```
The score is at **`score.ficoScore.score`** — a **string** (`"720"`), because every `normalizedResult` value is a
string or `null`. In `credit-summary` the same values sit one level deeper, under `ficodata.score.ficoScore.*`.
`walletAmount` above is what *this* call cost on *this* account — yours depends on your own pricing. Read it from
the response; don't hard-code it.
### The thin-file case — a score you must handle being absent
Same call, BVN `11111111111` (a borrower the bureau knows but has never scored). **Every key is still present; the
values are `null`:**
```json theme={null}
"normalizedResult": {
"bvn": "11111111111",
"customerId": "10000001",
"score.hasLoans": "NO",
"score.ficoScore.score": null,
"score.ficoScore.rating": null,
"score.ficoScore.reasons": null,
"score.lastReportedDate": null,
"score.crcReportOrderNumber": null
}
```
`success` is still `true` and **you are still charged** — the bureau answered; the answer is "no score". Branch on
`score.ficoScore.score == null`, not on `success`.
### Not found
BVN `00000000000`. **`normalizedResult` is `null`** — there are no fields, so there's no map — and **you are not
charged** (`walletAmount: null`):
```json theme={null}
{
"data": {
"verificationRequestId": 7,
"reference": "VER-20260717-debc807153694c008cd360e5ecc8cf86",
"success": false,
"statusCode": "404",
"statusMessage": "Record not found",
"normalizedResult": null,
"walletTransactionReference": null,
"walletAmount": null
},
"error": null
}
```
**The per-bureau endpoints are reports, not scores.** `credit-crc`, `credit-registry` and `credit-first-central`
return that bureau's own summary figures — loan counts, amounts borrowed, amounts overdue. A numeric score is
**not guaranteed** on them and can be `null` even for a borrower with an extensive credit history. Don't build a
band on them; use `credit-score` or `credit-summary`.
Remember every value is a **string** — `"658"`, not `658`. Parse before comparing.
## Billing
Each call is **billable on success** and debited from your wallet (`walletAmount` in the response). Send an `idempotencyKey` so a network retry doesn't bill you twice.