Auto and home insurance companies look at your past claims when setting rates for you. But how do they know about your insurance past? A database called C.L.U.E. serves up your insurance history.

What Is a C.L.U.E. Report and What’s in Yours?

A C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report provides a history of your property insurance claims for homes, rentals and vehicles. It’s offered by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, and the information in the report is subject to Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guidelines.

“Using underwriting guidelines laid out in the FCRA, a C.L.U.E. report provides up to a seven-year history of automobile and homeowners/renters insurance losses associated with an individual,” says a LexisNexis Risk Solutions spokesperson. “That includes the date of loss, loss type and amount paid, along with general information such as policy number, claim number and insurance company name.”

This information includes claims that were paid or denied, and also files opened for potential claims. For example, if you call your insurance agent to ask whether certain damage would be covered, but never start an actual claim, the agent might still set up a new claim file based on your phone call.

How Does a C.L.U.E. Report Work?

C.L.U.E. data gets compiled much like credit reporting agencies collect information from your creditors about your credit usage and history. Insurers submit insurance claims information to the C.L.U.E. database on a daily and weekly basis. Not all insurers use the service, but most do, says a LexisNexis spokesperson.

When you apply for the top home insurance or auto insurance policies, you authorize insurers to check your records at consumer reporting agencies. That includes reporting agencies and services like LexisNexis, which will provide your C.L.U.E. report.

Insurance companies use C.L.U.E. reports to decide what you’ll pay for insurance. The reports are meant to be an accurate reflection of your insurance loss history.

Expect higher premiums and limited coverage if your C.L.U.E. report shows claims, says Stephanie Dunstan, regional vice president of Arch Insurance Group. “In fact, some insurance companies may decline the consumer for coverage” based on past claims, she says.

Can You Get Your Own C.L.U.E. Report, and Should You?

As with credit reports, under the Federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act), you have a right to get your C.L.U.E. reports annually. You may want to obtain them every 12 months.

What’s in the report affects insurance costs and coverage, so “consumers should check their C.L.U.E. report frequently to ensure that loss information is accurate,” advises Dunstan.

If you find inaccuracies, correcting your reports might be time-consuming, but doing so ensures you get the best coverage options possible, says Dunstan.

If you find inaccurate or incomplete information in your report, you have a right to dispute that information. You should notify LexisNexis of mistakes and, under the FCRA, they must work with insurers to correct any errors. If LexisNexis cannot verify the information with the insurer within 30 days, it must remove it from your C.L.U.E. report.

It can maintain any information it verifies as correct in your C.L.U.E. report for up to seven years from when it was reported.

LexisNexis says it encourages consumers to notify them of inaccuracies in C.L.U.E. reports so that they can work with the insurance company that provided the information to reinvestigate the information.

How to Obtain Your C.L.U.E. Report

There are several circumstances that make you automatically entitled to learn what’s in your C.L.U.E. report, without charge. That includes if you get an “adverse action” notice from an insurer declining you coverage based on what they found in the report. The LexisNexis website lists other reasons you would be entitled to a free report.

There are three ways to get your C.L.U.E. report:

  • You can order it online and it will be mailed to you
  • Request it by mail by downloading a form and following the instructions
  • Or order the report by phone at 866-312-8076

Using a C.L.U.E. Report to Sell Your House

If you’ve made no insurance claims on your home in the past seven years, getting the C.L.U.E. report on your property can be a good selling tool.

It can give buyers confidence that they’re not buying a house with a history of problems that could turn into a money pit. Buyers want to be sure your property hasn’t had fires, water damage, electrical problems, mold, roof damage, termites, sewage backup or other issues. A C.L.U.E. report will tell them.

Be sure to allow time to check your property’s C.L.U.E. report and request corrections, if needed, before putting the property on the market.

Note that only property owners can request a C.L.U.E. report for the property. Prospective buyers don’t have access to someone else’s report.