How do I obtain my CLUE Report?

C.L.U.E.® is a registered trademark of LexisNexis Risk Solutions (who acquired it from ChoicePoint in 2008).

C.L.U.E. stands for comprehensive loss underwriting exchange and is a database that allows automobile and homeowners insurance providers to exchange information - without notice to you - about claims for loss of property.

Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (known as FACT or FACTA), you are entitled to receive one free C.L.U.E. Auto and C.L.U.E. Personal Property report every 12 months.

You can obtain your C.L.U.E report by LexisNexis Services at 1-866-312-8076. The LexisNexis site also tells you how to order a copy of the report through the mail or, easiest of all, view the report online. They are the providers of the report, and they are the only company that discloses this report.

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Here's a simple example of how the exchange system works:

• On a monthly basis, insurance companies feed information about property loss claims, even inquiries about coverage, into a central database.
• The database is maintained by an information vendor, not another insurance company.
• If you file a claim for loss against your car insurance policy, for example, the insurance company adds this information to the national database.
• If you apply for homeowners insurance or auto insurance with another company, say you move to another part of the country and need new coverage, the new insurance company can access the central database and learn of your past claims.
• The consumer report shows the new insurer information about any claims you filed under your previous insurer's policy. C.L.U.E. reports also include information about inquiries you made, even if a claims were never submitted or paid.

When you or your insurance company requests a C.L.U.E report, it will include all losses reported within the past seven years from the date of the request. The basic information given is the date of loss, loss type and amount paid, along with general information such as your insurance company name, policy number and claim number.

Besides the C.L.U.E report, which is maintained by LexisNexis, there is also a property loss database is maintained by Insurance Services Office (ISO). The ISO calls its database the Automated Property Loss Underwriting System, or A-PLUS. Because The LexisNexis report dominates the insurance risk market, reports of property loss have come to be known generically as “CLUE reports.”

As with the C.L.U.E. report, you can receive one free A-Plus report in any 12-month period. If you need a copy of an ISO loss-history report, you can call the A-Plus consumer report request line at 1-800-627-3487. This report is sent only by mail.