In a letter to the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, the Consumer Federation of America, Oregon Consumer Justice, and Oregon Consumer League urged Oregon to collect data on unfair rating factors in auto insurance that disproportionately harm certain communities and result in consumers paying higher premiums.

Oregon’s new Auto Rating Fairness Rulemaking Advisory Committee plans to collect data from auto insurers doing business in the state as part of its rulemaking to assess and ensure fairness in insurers’ rating models. This is a significant step in the direction of assessing and addressing these unfair outcomes. The letter urged Oregon to collect information on the following rating factors:

• A consumer’s credit-based insurance scores or other uses of credit information
• Their occupation or job title and employment status
• Their education level
• Their marital status
• Their gender
• Their homeownership status
• Any previous lapses in insurance coverage
• Their prior coverage limits
• Their prior insurance company
• Their ZIP code or territory