Chapter IIIA — Collection and Furnishing of Credit Information

Section 45B: Power of Bank to collect credit information

Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta · Last reviewed 18 September 2026

Section 45B authorises RBI to collect credit information in the manner contemplated by Chapter IIIA.

Operative provisionOfficial sources mappedProvision-specific decode

Finin2min - Section 45B in 2 minutes

Legal effectSection 45B authorises RBI to collect credit information in the manner contemplated by Chapter IIIA.

Operative ruleThe power supports RBI's regulatory/systemic functions and is bounded by the Chapter's defined information and institutional scope.

Connected lawRequests should be read with Section 45C return powers and Section 45E confidentiality restrictions.

File evidenceA recipient institution should preserve the RBI requisition, data fields, reporting period and legal basis for the information supplied.

Statutory structure and clause / subsection decode

This map separates the operative limbs of this provision so thresholds, powers, conditions and exceptions are not collapsed into a single summary.

Scope

Section 45B authorises RBI to collect credit information in the manner contemplated by Chapter IIIA.

Operative limb

The power supports RBI's regulatory/systemic functions and is bounded by the Chapter's defined information and institutional scope.

Legal boundary

Requests should be read with Section 45C return powers and Section 45E confidentiality restrictions.

Worked practical example

Facts. A bank should not broaden an RBI credit-information request into unrelated customer data merely because Section 45B exists; the requested statutory scope controls.

Compliance points and common mistakes

Do not decide the issue from the heading alone. Map the facts to the operative words of Section 45B and to each relevant subsection, clause, proviso or explanation shown above.
Keep the statutory question separate from the operational overlay. Requests should be read with Section 45C return powers and Section 45E confidentiality restrictions.
Do not convert an exception, exemption or discretionary RBI/Government power into an automatic entitlement. Record the authority, conditions and effective date.
Where the provision is historical, omitted or repealed, state that status prominently and do not present it as a current compliance obligation.

Connected provisions and instruments

Section 45B has no universal instrument dependency in this package. Add an RBI circular or direction only when its subject, entity and effective date cover the issue being analysed.

Questions and answers

What is the purpose of Section 45B?

Power of Bank to collect credit information: Section 45B authorises RBI to collect credit information in the manner contemplated by Chapter IIIA.

Which statutory limb should be checked first?

Scope - Section 45B authorises RBI to collect credit information in the manner contemplated by Chapter IIIA.

What is the next legal boundary?

Operative limb - The power supports RBI's regulatory/systemic functions and is bounded by the Chapter's defined information and institutional scope.

What record should support the conclusion?

Section 45B file evidence: A recipient institution should preserve the RBI requisition, data fields, reporting period and legal basis for the information supplied.

Primary sources

Source control for Section 45B: use the official consolidated RBI Act for the statutory text and footnotes, then separately reconcile any post-Finance Act 2022 amendment, commencement notification or RBI instrument relevant to the event date.