Drew Bress : I heard that bad credit can mean higher auto insurance premium is it true?

Bad credit means no low auto insurance rates :

Response : Bad Credit Can Mean Higher Insurance Premium and you should know this before you compare home owner or automobile insurances.

Consumers who have suffered financial setbacks because of the economy are seeing an increase in the homeowner and auto insurance premiums.

Remember that you cannot escape mistakes often found in credit reports also can lead to rate hikes. Even Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said that he recently faced a 10 percent increase in his Safeco auto insurance rate because of an error on the insurer’s part.

He said his rate was corrected when he questioned the charge, based on his credit history.

Secondly, you should also avoid not establishing a credit history and paying everything in cash “The bottom line was, when we got down to it, they rate a credit risk because the agent had checked thatinstead of paying in instalments the full payment is done. As per Mike, his credit history is very good because I have a thin credit file, very little credit.”

The debate is attracting more attention as a bad economy affects consumer credit and has consumers scrutinizing their expenses.

Insurers defend their use of credit reports to develop insurance scores, which dates to the mid-1990s.

They cite a 2007 Federal Trade Commission study that found credit-based insurance scores do predict risk for automobile policies. Studies sponsored by insurance companies, and the state of Texas, have reached similar conclusions.

Insurance companies point out that customers with good credit are rewarded with lower premiums. They view rates partly based on credit as an equitable way to set premiums.
“If you’re conservative with your finances, you manage your finances and credit well, typically, you’re also going to be an individual who is less likely to be involved in an accident,” said Robert Hartwig, who heads the industry’s nonprofit Insurance Information Institute.

“You’re going to be someone who is more likely to obey speed limits. You’re going to be someone who is less likely to drive impaired. You’re going to be less likely to be someone who fails to perform maintenance on your car.

“It’s an objective measure of financial responsibility. What it’s showing is that people who are financially responsible tend to be responsible in other dimensions of their life. This is not anything that should be a revelation,” Hartwig said.

Employers run credit checks on applicants as one way to determine whether they are responsible, Hartwig said.

“The reality is that your credit standing is something that impacts your life in many ways beyond getting a credit card or a loan,” he said.

The bottom line is if you want to have low auto insurance rates and want to save $$ on auto insurance than you must compare auto insurance quotes or review car insurance.

Stephen (North Dakota): I would like to compare auto insurance quote online but am worried if it would affect my credit score? This is because I have heard that insurance companies check your credit worthiness before giving insurance. Would I not be insured if I claim bankruptcy?

Response: Stephen, I would advice you to compare auto insurance quote online since if you compare your auto insurance quote online than your credit score for auto insurance rating would certainly not be affected. This is because the insurance companies would just process the data online and give you a quote without verifying your credit score. Than once you apply for insurance they would check your credit score. Secondly this is a soft hit to your credit and hence will not affect your credit score.

The connection between a driver’s safety record and credit rating is not readily apparent to most. Many consumers feel that insurance companies are intrusive when they request such information on an automobile insurance application. Many legislators, insurance commissioners, and consumer rights advocates agree, and have questioned the practice in recent years. Still, insurance companies explain that credit information is needed to make a complete risk analysis when evaluating an insurance application.

If you have filled bankruptcy than your auto insurance premium would be very high. At times some personal lines insurer might decline your risk.  Recently in the revisios of auto insurance in Ontario it is proposed that the credit rating should not affect the insurance rate and this parameter should not be a ground for denying car insurance coverage.

 It seems that there is a connection between credit risk and safety risk. Some insurance company statistics show that drivers with derogatory credit, historically file more accident claims than drivers without derogatory credit. Insurers reason that a consumer who is careful with one aspect of their life (e.g., financial affairs) is also likely to be careful with other aspects of their life (e.g., driving habits). Credit information is also needed to determine whether an applicant is likely to pay premiums in a timely fashion.

As per the insurance companies they like to review the credit scrore since this is a right measure for the nature of responsiblity of a person. If he has a good score it would mean that he is likely to be responsible on the road also. This would decrease the probability of loss to a great extent.