In a message dated 2/8/03 10:57:36 AM Pacific Standard Time,
gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG writes:

<< Insurance companies are in the business of making money.  Anything they
 can use as an excuse to raise your rate, they will, regardless of whether
 it has anything to do with how good a driver you are.  I've been told my
 rate would be lower if I were female or married, traits that I don't see
 have much to do with my driving either. >>

David, insurance companies determine your premium based on your statistical
group have as a driving record. I certainly would not want to pay the same
premium as a "single 16 year old male who is driving for the first time".
Perhaps a more accurate way to state what you just said is "They whatever
they can to determine who gets to pay more and who gets to pay less." My 16
Year old male teenager won;t be happy with it but the 50 year old woman next
door would be  just to use an example.

<< Raising rates on people with poor credit scores is particularly low
 because it's kicking someone who's already down.  They're already short on
 cash, so you charge them more.  Despicable. >>

After being involve with mortgage loan procurement in one way or another for
some 15 years, I find that poverty does not guarantee a poor credit report.
Frequently it is mismanagement of ones credit worthiness. Just this weekend,
I am working on two files which couldn't possibly perfect as an example. One
person works for the one of the teacher's association. She makes about
$44,000 per year. Her median credit score is 804. While on the other hand, I
have another client who made more than $185,000 last year whose credit score
is a dismal 598.

BenT