CarFax Says Patent for Vehicle History Data Use in Insurance Approved

July 24, 2012

Carfax Inc. reported that federal officials have approved its patent applications for its auto insurance underwriting and rating system based on vehicle history attributes.

CarFax said it expects the patents to be issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office within the next month.

Insurance companies use CarFax reports in their underwriting and rating, claims prioritization, total loss valuations, and fraud investigations.

CarFax’s systems that are being patented include the access to the vehicle history data and a method for insurers to follow in using that data.

According to Carfax, its vehicle history database has more than 10 billion records covering virtually all cars, light trucks, and SUVs manufactured in the U.S. since 1981. The company provides vehicle data from more than 34,000 data sources, including all state motor vehicle departments and many police departments, service facilities, and collision centers. In addition, it says it put its vehicle data through quality assurance testing to improve its accuracy and eliminate duplicate or irrelevant records.

Topics Data Driven Auto

Was this article valuable?

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Latest Comments

  • July 25, 2012 at 11:32 am
    wudchuck says:
    first of all, we know that the carfax is not accurate. it can not tell you if the car did get fixed for the accident. it does not tell you who actually caused the damage. i... read more
  • July 24, 2012 at 4:31 pm
    SWFL Agent says:
    Agree. I have looked at Car Fax reports that are clean and then looked at a CLUE reports that shows the car was in an accident and damages were paid. Quite frankly, when I am ... read more
  • July 24, 2012 at 3:11 pm
    Eric says:
    Imagine the frustration of having an underwriter suggest that your premiums should be higher as a result of carfax activity. Its interesting enough explaining how ones credit... read more

Add a CommentSee All Comments (6)Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

More News
More News Features