What is a CLUE report?

CLUE Report Facts

What is a CLUE Report?
CLUE stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange
Like a credit report for insurance companies
Includes 5-7 years of property damage claims you've filed
Determines how much of an insurance risk you present as a customer

If you’ve been shopping for insurance lately, you may have come across the phrase “CLUE report” once or twice, but just what is a CLUE report?

Insurance companies have multiple reporting tools at their disposal to determine what to charge you for auto insurance or homeowner’s insurance.

These include your auto CLUE report, motor vehicle record (MVR, which is your personal driving history), vehicle history, and financial responsibility reports. Insurance companies love data because it can help them reduce risk and maximize profits.

As a prospective customer, it’s important to understand what’s on these reports to ensure you aren’t being overcharged for insurance coverage. You’ll want to know if your MVR and CLUE report are wrong so that you can get the corrections made as soon as possible.

Read More: Overcharged for insurance?

Before finding out more about what a CLUE report is, we recommend getting online quotes as a first step in determining whether or not you have a reasonable insurance rate. 

What does CLUE in insurance stand for?

We’ll spare you the suspense. CLUE stands for “comprehensive loss underwriting exchange.”

In simple terms, your CLUE report is a five-to-seven-year history of property damage claims you have filed with your insurance company. They are compiled by the consumer-reporting agency LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

A more complete CLUE report definition includes that it is used by insurance companies to determine what to charge for your insurance.

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What is a CLUE report?

The CLUE report is similar to a credit report (something that you might be more familiar with).

Credit reports detail any late credit card payments or other adverse events pertaining to the quality of your credit so that prospective creditors can determine whether you’re an acceptable borrower or not.

There are a few basic pieces of information about each claim in the CLUE report, including:

• The date of the claim
• The type of loss
• The final amount paid for the claim
• Your policy number
• The claim number
• The name of the insurance company that paid the claim

You should be aware of these items so that you know what you need to look for in your CLUE reports.

The loss type and amount, along with loss history, can be used by auto insurers to help calculate how much to charge for coverage. It’s one factor of many that go into how your auto insurance rates are determined. For this reason, it’s important that you make sure your CLUE driving record is accurate.

Your insurance company will charge higher insurance premiums for auto coverage if you have a history of filing insurance claims and lower premiums if you’ve rarely or never filed a claim.

Unfortunately, this discourages individuals from filing claims, even if they experience property loss because it affects your insurability in the future (you may have higher rates and you may not qualify for certain insurance discounts).

However, it also prevents frivolous property insurance and auto claims from being filed, similar to how insurance deductibles prevent people from filing claims for minor incidents.

What are the two types of CLUE reports?

There are two types of CLUE reports: a CLUE report for auto insurance claims and another for homeowners insurance claims. They are separate reports, so one shouldn’t affect the other (filing a homeowners insurance claim will have no effect on your auto insurance report and vice versa). 

You can order a copy of these reports for free once every 12 months, similar to consumer credit reports. 

Keep in mind that there are records kept for both automobile and property claims, but not life insurance or health insurance claims.

If you’re buying real estate, the home sellers may provide a CLUE report so you can see the claims history on the property. This can be useful to you as a buyer, as you’ll be able to see if anything serious happened such as flooding or structural damage.

The table below shows a five-year trend for homeowners insurance claims by loss type.

Homeowners Insurance Claims by Type of Loss

Home sellers may also provide a “No Claim” confirmation letter issued by their home insurance company as an alternative if the buyer accepts it.

On the other hand, if you are selling property, it can be helpful to provide a CLUE report to prospective buyers to help show that you are being transparent about any issues with the property.

Tip: It is much more common for auto insurance companies to use a motor vehicle record rather than a CLUE report.

How can I order a CLUE report?

If you’re looking to get your CLUE report, per federal stipulations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), it’s possible to obtain a free copy of your CLUE only by contacting LexisNexis Risk Solutions through any of the following methods:

• Visiting the LexisNexis Consumer Risk Solutions website and following the instructions for submitting your request electronically
• Calling LexisNexis directly at 1-866-897-8126
• Emailing LexisNexis at [email protected]
• Printing and completing the Consumer Request form and mailing it to LexisNexis Risk Solutions at:

LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Center
P.O. Box 105108
Atlanta, GA 30348-5108

Before you can view your CLUE report online, LexisNexis needs to verify your identity. Once you get in touch using one of the methods above, you’ll receive further instructions in the mail from LexisNexis about how to access your CLUE report electronically.

You can also request a free copy of your CLUE report if an insurer:

• Sends you an adverse action letter
• Denies you insurance coverage
• Increases your insurance rates
• Limits your insurance coverage
• Cancels your insurance policy

You’re allowed one free copy of certain consumer reporting agency reports, such as the CLUE report, within a 12-month period. You’ll be charged a fee for any additional reports.

If you need proof of insurance for a specific period of time to show the court or for other reasons, you would need to contact your provider and request documentation of coverage for that specific time frame. 

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I got an adverse action notice. What do I do?

If your insurance company has sent you an adverse action letter, you can contact the LexisNexis Consumer Center at 1-800-456-6004 to request further details. Be sure to have this personal information ready to provide to them:

• First and last name
• Social Security number
• Driver’s license number and state in which it was issued
• Date of birth
• Current home address and phone number
• Reference number on the adverse action letter you received, if your insurance company has listed one

If you have legal authority over another individual, such as a minor, and you’re acting on their behalf, you’ll also need to verify your legal status at that time.

What if I have a CLUE report dispute?

Only filed claims should appear on your CLUE report, so be sure to check it periodically for accuracy.

You should also take note of any errors, such as if you only had a conversation about a potential claim but never filed one; if your insurance company put this on your CLUE report, you should dispute it right away.

An insurance company cannot report a claim to CLUE if you have not actually filed the claim.

For example, if you were to call your insurer after an accident to ask questions about your deductible, your insurer does not have the right to report the incident.

Insurers should only make CLUE accident reports when they payout for a claim, set up a file for a possible claim, or deny a claim.

Just like credit reports, you can dispute information on your CLUE reports and even add personal statements to your report if you want to clarify anything. To do so, you can call or write to the address above, identifying the specific loss by providing the following information:

• CLUE reference or consumer number
• Name of the insurance company
• Date of loss
• Brief explanation regarding the challenged information

This action should only be performed by the policyholder.

What is the difference between a CLUE and an MVR?

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the CLUE report, but we haven’t forgotten about the MVR, or motor vehicle report, that we mentioned briefly at the beginning of this article. It’s important to understand what these two reports have in common, as well as how they’re different. (For more information, read our “What if my C.L.U.E. and MVR reports are wrong?“)

As we’ve discussed, the CLUE report focuses primarily on claims related to your home and your vehicle. Information gets into the CLUE report when your insurance company notifies the reporting agency, which in many instances is LexisNexis.

Insurance companies will look to your report in the CLUE database to determine whether you’re a higher risk for future claims based on your five- to seven-year claims history.

The database enables insurers to exchange information about claims for loss of property. Insurance companies provide information about property loss claims, and even inquiries about coverage. The CLUE database is maintained by an information vendor, not insurers. The CLUE report shows the new insurer information about any claims you filed under your previous insurer’s policy. 

The MVR, however, focuses on your driving record and includes all non-moving and moving violations, such as any speeding tickets, DUIs, etc. Information gets into your MVR from your state’s department of motor vehicles.

A car insurance company will look to your MVR to determine your relative risk as a driver and, depending on its conclusion and the laws in your state, it could charge you higher premiums due to events in your driving history.

Employers and potential employers can also get a copy of your MVR from your state’s department of motor vehicles, so having an accurate and clean driving record, especially if you’ll be driving a company vehicle, is also important.

If you have a dispute regarding an incident that is included in your MVR, you can search for legal advice regarding how to get it removed in your state.

While these actions may seem time-consuming and expensive, if it’s the difference between getting a job and being passed over for a job, it’s likely worth the investment of your time and money to pursue the options that are available to you in your state.

How can I order an MVR?

As with the CLUE report, it’s recommended that you check your MVR periodically to make sure it’s accurate. Since departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) reside within each U.S. state, you’ll need to contact the DMV in your state in order to obtain a personal copy of your MVR.

Many states have a process in place for you to request this. For example, if you live in Colorado, you can request yours online. Most states will charge you a small fee for this service.

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What else should I know about?

To learn even more about consumer financial rights, you can visit the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website.

Other consumer rights under FCRA will vary by state, so be sure to check out the Statement of Rights for your own state to see if you have other options as well.

For example, New York and Florida both allow their residents to place a “security freeze” on their credit reports. This freeze prohibits the credit reporting agencies from releasing any information without the consumer’s specific and prior approval.

Make sure you take some time each year to review all of your consumer financial documents in case there are any issues, and be sure to address any questions or concerns with the reporting agency.

Frequently Asked Questions: What is a CLUE report?

Be sure to read the section below for the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the CLUE report.

#1 – How do I find my CLUE report?

You can get a free copy of your CLUE report by contacting LexisNexis through any of the methods listed above in this article.

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#2 – How much is a CLUE report?

By law, you are allowed one free copy of your CLUE report within any given year. If for any reason you need more than that, you’ll have to pay a fee of $19.95.

#3 – How far back do CLUE reports go?

For auto insurance, CLUE reports contain the most recent seven years of claims history. For homeowners insurance, CLUE reports contain the claims history for as long as you’ve owned the home, or seven years, whichever is less.

#4 – What are MVR and CLUE?

MVR, or motor vehicle report, is the official record of your driving history. CLUE, or comprehensive loss underwriting exchange, is a five to seven year history of property damage claims you have filed with your insurance company for either your car or your home.

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#5 – Can I get a sample CLUE report?

You can request a sample CLUE report via the Help function on the LexisNexis website.

#6 – I see some claims from Progressive on my CLUE report. What do I do?

If these are your claims, be sure to review them for completeness and accuracy. If these aren’t your claims, or they’re not accurate, you’ll need to contact LexisNexis and file a dispute with them. LexisNexis has a special CLUE report phone number for these disputes — 1-888-497-0011.

#7 – Will my claims from USAA get on my CLUE report?

Yes. About 95% of insurance companies subscribe to LexisNexis, and their claims data will appear in the CLUE database.

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#8 – How can I find out what the CLUE report codes mean?

LexisNexis provides a guide to insurance underwriters as to how to read a CLUE auto report. Although it will likely tell you more than you want to know, you can find everything you need to know about CLUE report codes and definitions there.

#9 – We’re selling our house and my co-worker told me I need to get an A-Plus report — what’s that?

The Automated Property Loss Underwriting System, or A-PLUS, is very similar to CLUE, but it is less widely used. Verisk is the company that provides the A-Plus reports. It’s also possible that your insurance company might subscribe to both LexisNexis and Verisk.

As with CLUE, you’re allowed to request one free A-Plus report each year. You can request a copy of this report from Verisk by submitting their online form or calling their number.

 

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