| What Can an Insurance Company
Find Out About You? |
Auto Trader |
When you apply for coverage with an insurance company, your application
is subject to an underwriting review. They look at all sorts of information,
such as
how far you drive to work one way, job stability, ages and driving records
of all
drivers in your household, loss history, etc. Did you know they also look
at your
credit report? One of the newest underwriting tools is doing a credit
profile. Your
profile is scored based on an unknown criteria, unknown not only to me,
but to most
individual underwriters involved in using this method. The underwriter
never sees
your credit report, they only see the score that your credit report generates.
They
don't even know how the score is calculated! Many times your score will
determine
if a policy is issued. The industry has proven over the years that people
with a good
credit history will generally be a better risk, regardless of driving
records. This
method has been used in Europe for years and has proven successful.
In addition, most applicants do not realize that all the information
relating to
claims filed with your prior insurance carriers is available to the new
insurance
company through various private reporting agencies. Most major insurance
companies subscribe to these services for a fee. Insurance companies supply
the
reporting company with data about your claims history, then when you attempt
to
change companies, the new company can order a report to review your claims
history. It works like a credit bureau, only rather than credit history
being compiled,
it's your claims history. It's not a bad system and helps keep people
honest.
As in everything, mistakes are made. It is in your best interest to keep
your
own file on your claims history. The reason for this is just as credit
bureaus make
mistakes, so do these reporting agencies. An accurate claims history could
be
invaluable to you if you attempt to change insurance companies and are
denied
coverage due to incorrect information on your report. You can, occasionally,
request
an experience letter regarding your claims history by contacting the underwriting
department of your current insurance company. An experience letter is
an accounting
of your loss history with your current insurance company. This is a good
idea to
do prior to changing insurance companies. If there is an error in your
claims
history, you can be on top of it and resolve it before it causes you a
problem. Most
states require the insurance company to respond to your request within
a set number
of days from receipt of your request.
Another underwriting tool used by insurance companies is conducting an
investigation. This isn't done as often as it once was; however, in some
cases at the
company's discretion, they will conduct one. This investigation usually
consists of
verifying your employment, talking to you or your neighbors and doing
a more in-
depth search into your habits and lifestyle. This may also include verifying
the use
of the vehicle(s) you insure and the number of drivers in your household.
It's really
nothing to be concerned with if you have supplied the insurance company
with
accurate information; although, the issue of privacy may be raised at
this point.
How far should an insurance company be allowed to go in determining
if you
are an acceptable driving risk?
You must realize not everything outlined in this Section will be the same
with
all insurance companies. You must choose which issues are most important
to you
in selecting an insurance company. Some issues will be of lesser or greater
importance and the method of prioritizing will be different for each individual.
Your knowing the information in this Section will give you the upper
hand in shopping for and obtaining the best possible deal on your auto
insurance!
Good luck in your search!
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