NAMIC ADVOCATES CREDIT HISTORY USE

The Board of Directors of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) has endorsed the use of a consumer’s credit history by property/casualty insurers to help them make underwriting, marketing and rating decisions. NAMIC stated it does not advocate the use of credit histories by themselves, but as one predictive tool among many. The association also indicated that most major personal lines insurers use consumer credit histories today to develop insurance scoring models and believe that when combined with traditional underwriting data, the histories can greatly improve the insurer’s ability to predict future claims costs. It was further stated that insurers also believe insurance scoring models result in more efficient, accurate and consistent underwriting and pricing, which can mean lower premiums for policyholders. Use of consumer credit information has existed since the 1950s, and is widely used by other financial services industries, including credit card issuers, banks and home mortgage lenders. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners Market Conduct & Consumer Affairs Committee plans to examine this issue in 2002, and particularly how credit histories are used in calculating rates.