China's credit database had records for 640 million people at the end of 2008, up 40 million from a year earlier, Su Ning, vice governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC, the central bank) said on Monday.

The database also covered 14.47 million companies, up about 1.4 million from a year earlier.

The PBOC established the database at the end of 2004 to help commercial banks reduce their loan risks. The database, according to the PBOC, is the largest credit information pool in the world.

The database includes loan, credit card use, insurance and bill payment information of individuals and companies.

Individuals can view their credit file by presenting their ID cards at local PBOC branches or by phone.

(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2009)