Toops Scoops: They're "Outraged" -- Are You?

I don't know about you, but when I see the word "outrage" used in a headline in an insurance publication, I tend to sit up and take notice.

That's exactly what happened last month, when I saw the headline in our sister publication National Underwriter about the reaction of some trade groups to Florida Commissioner Kevin McCarty's support of legislation that would ban credit scoring.

So far the bills haven't gone anywhere, but their very existence testifies to the ongoing rancor surrounding this touchy issue. Supporters like NAMIC and PCI point to the proven correlation between financial irresponsibility and the likelihood of filing an insurance claim and laud the method for its reliance on personal responsibility rather than income, sex, race or place of residence. Critics claim credit scoring is a "proxy for race," and its use unfairly targets minorities and the poor.

My own not-so-empirical studies -- e.g., conversations with agents -- indicate something else. From what I've heard, producers aren't that wild about credit scoring themselves, primarily because it presents another hurdle to clear before they can place coverage for a customer.

It's also interesting to speculate on what impact, if any, our floundering economy will have on the credit score controversy. As unemployment and inflation keep creeping up and Americans dig themselves deeper into debt just to buy groceries and fill their gas tanks, will "bad" credit scores become an epidemic?

 
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