Homeowner's Insurance Costs Twice as Much with Poor Credit
Homeowners with poor credit pay exactly twice as much for homeowner’s insurance as people with excellent credit, and homeowners with median credit pay 32 percent more than those with excellent credit, according to a new insuranceQuotes.com study.
People with poor credit pay at least twice as much as people with excellent credit in 38 states and Washington, D.C. West Virginia’s 202 percent increase is the highest in the nation, followed by D.C. (185 percent), Ohio (185 percent) and Montana (179 percent). Three states prohibit insurers from using credit to calculate homeowner’s insurance premiums: California, Massachusetts and Maryland. Insurance companies are technically allowed to consider homeowners’ credit scores in Florida, but insuranceQuotes.com found that credit does not typically affect premiums there. “In most states, insurers are putting more emphasis on credit scores this year,” says Laura Adams, insuranceQuotes.com’s senior analyst. “The impact of a poor credit score is higher now than it was last year in 29 states and Washington, D.C., while it is lower in just 17 states. It’s more important than ever for people to maintain a solid credit rating by paying their bills on time, keeping their balances low and correcting errors on their credit reports.” The greatest differences between excellent and median credit were observed in Montana (66 percent), Washington, D.C. (61 percent) and Texas (55 percent). More information, including the results from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., is available here. |
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