A CLUE report is a record of the insurance claims tied to you or your property over the past seven years, maintained by LexisNexis and pulled by insurers to decide what to charge you and whether to cover you at all.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. LexisNexis C.L.U.E. and Telematics OnDemand CLUE stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. Insurers contribute claim data to it voluntarily, and most do, which is why the report tends to be thorough. A clean history helps you; a string of claims can raise your premium or get an application declined.
What’s Actually in the Report
There are two versions. A personal auto report tracks claims tied to you as a driver, and a personal property report tracks claims tied to a home address.2LexisNexis. LexisNexis C.L.U.E. Auto Both pull from the same system.
The auto report lists the date of each loss, the type of claim (collision, comprehensive, bodily injury, and so on), fault indicators, the amount paid, and the vehicle involved. The property report covers similar ground for homeowners and renters claims, including the address, loss type, and payout. Each entry shows which insurance company handled the claim and the claim’s current status.
One detail catches people off guard. Claims where the insurer paid nothing can still appear. If you filed a claim or even called to ask whether something would be covered, that contact may be logged as a zero-dollar claim. Your report may include events you don’t think of as real claims.
How Insurers Use It Against Your Premium
Insurers pull the report when underwriting new policies and at renewal. The logic is actuarial: someone who has filed multiple claims is statistically more likely to file again. Frequent or expensive claims push premiums up, and years without a claim often earn discounts.
The impact of any single claim varies with type and severity. A major at-fault accident hits harder than a comprehensive claim for a broken windshield. But even minor entries add up. Roadside assistance calls made through your insurance policy, for example, are logged as claims and can appear on your CLUE report. Use the service often enough and some insurers treat it as a pattern worth surcharging. A standalone roadside membership through a motor club like AAA generally doesn’t touch your insurance record. Worth knowing before you call your insurer for a tow.
How to Get Your Free Copy
Federal law entitles you to one free copy of your CLUE report every 12 months. You request it directly from LexisNexis, online, by phone at 1-800-456-6004, or by mail.3LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Consumer Disclosure You’ll need your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, current address, and driver’s license number with the issuing state.
Online requests generate a letter sent by mail with instructions to view the report. The process isn’t instant. Don’t wait until the day before a policy application, especially if you’re shopping for new coverage or about to sell a home.
One boundary to keep in mind: CLUE isn’t the only claims database. Verisk operates a competing system called A-PLUS that also tracks home, auto, and personal property claims.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A-PLUS Property by Verisk Some insurers query CLUE, some query A-PLUS, some check both. You’re entitled to one free A-PLUS report per year as well, through Verisk at 800-627-3487 or their consumer portal. Checking only one and assuming you’re covered is a common oversight.
Reviewing the Report for Errors
Errors are more common than most people expect, and they cost real money. Watch for claims attributed to the wrong person (a previous owner of your home, for instance), incorrect payout amounts, wrong dates, and claims listed as open when they were closed years ago. A single misattributed claim can push your premium into a higher tier or lead an insurer to decline your application.
Pay particular attention to zero-dollar entries and inquiry records. A call you made to ask a hypothetical question may appear as a claim inquiry. Some insurers ignore these during underwriting; others treat them as evidence of a loss event. Identifying them early gives you time to address problems before they affect a quote.
Disputing What’s Wrong
If you find errors, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to dispute them. LexisNexis must conduct a free investigation and either correct or delete inaccurate information, generally within 30 days of receiving your dispute.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy Submit your dispute in writing, identify each error clearly, and include supporting documents such as claim closure letters, policy records, or correspondence from your insurer.
The burden of proof lands on you in practice. LexisNexis contacts the insurer that furnished the data, and if the insurer confirms the information, LexisNexis keeps it. Vague disputes get dismissed as frivolous. The more specific and documented your challenge, the better your odds. If a claim was closed with no payout, or the person listed isn’t you, include that evidence upfront.
When a dispute doesn’t go your way and you still believe the information is wrong, the FCRA lets you add a brief consumer statement to your file explaining your side. LexisNexis may limit it to 100 words, but the statement travels with the disputed entry whenever it’s shared with an insurer.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy If an insurer or LexisNexis refuses to investigate clear errors, you can file a complaint with your state insurance department or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Adverse Action Notices Are Your Signal
This protection matters and most people miss it. Whenever an insurer denies your application, raises your premium, reduces your coverage, or cancels your policy based in whole or in part on information from your CLUE report, federal law requires them to send you an adverse action notice.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681m – Requirements on Users of Consumer Reports The FCRA defines adverse action in the insurance context broadly, covering denials, cancellations, rate increases, and any unfavorable change in terms or coverage.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681a – Definitions and Rules of Construction
The notice must give you the name and contact information of the reporting agency that supplied the report, state that the agency didn’t make the decision, and inform you of your right to a free copy of the report within 60 days and to dispute inaccuracies.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681m – Requirements on Users of Consumer Reports That 60-day window matters. If you get hit with a rate increase and suspect your CLUE report is the reason, request the report, review it, and dispute anything wrong. The notice is your trigger to act.
CLUE and the Property You’re Buying
CLUE reports follow properties as well as people. The property version shows seven years of claims filed at a specific address, regardless of who owned the home at the time. For a buyer, that matters because a property with a history of water damage, fire losses, or other significant claims can be harder and more expensive to insure.
You can’t pull a CLUE report on a property you don’t own. The usual workarounds are to ask the seller for a copy or to make your offer contingent on receiving a satisfactory CLUE report. Your insurer will pull the property’s history during underwriting either way, so surprises will surface then, but discovering a problem that late in a transaction creates pressure to close rather than walk away. Requesting the report early gives you room to negotiate repairs, a price reduction, or an exit.
Sellers benefit from pulling their own CLUE report before listing. A clean claims history is a selling point, and past claims give the seller a chance to explain the context or document that repairs were completed.
Habits That Keep Your Record Working for You
The single most useful thing you can do is pull your CLUE report, and your A-PLUS report, once a year, even if you’re not shopping for insurance. Errors compound over time, and a mistake caught early is far easier to fix than one you discover after being denied coverage.
Before filing a claim, think about whether it’s worth it. A $600 fender-bender claim on a policy with a $500 deductible nets you $100 but puts an entry on your record for seven years. For small losses close to your deductible, paying out of pocket often makes more financial sense over time. The same logic applies to calling your insurer “just to ask.” Even inquiry-only contacts can end up logged.
If an adverse action notice arrives, don’t throw it away. It’s telling you your claims history affected a coverage decision, and it gives you the right to a free report and 60 days to dispute errors. Treat that notice as an action item.