So in the User Agreement. They basically say the don't promise the info they give will ever be accurate. That explains why this happened.

"In no event will ChoicePoint or its Partners warrant or guaranty the correctness, comprehensiveness, completeness, accuracy, timeliness, merchantability or fitness for any particular use or purpose of any information, products, or services on this Site."

That happened to me when I renewed my auto insurance policy. My hefty premium of $210/mo sky-rocketed to $330/mo, for no apparent reason. I noticed an "at-fault" accident on my driving record that was reported by C.L.U.E. So I did my research, got my report, disputed the obvious error on there part (yes there was an accident, that was my fault, but not enough of an accident to warrant it to be put on my record... it was a paint scratch!) and was able to get my insurance premium adjusted and I was also re-payed the extra $800 insurance that I had to pay for the past couple of months.
So yeah... it's definitely worth taking a look at your C.L.U.E. report.

California DMV lists all accidents, and does not indicate who was at-fault. This is a losing proposition for anyone who is a not-at-fault party in an accident.

Anyone know if this has changed in the past 5 years since I checked it out?

I had never heard of CLUE before this. Thanks.

Hmm....they had no information on me, which is a little suspicious because I know Choicepoint has information on me. I'd like to know how to get an actual copy of what Choicepoint has in my file, not just whatever narrowly defined information they're letting go though this site.

Does Choicepoint use your CLUE inquiry to update and verify your personal information thus snowballing all the other marketing data they are collecting about you?

So I'm nitpicky, but I think you meant Affect, or, Have An Effect in that first sentence -- http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/affect.html

So what's the reasoning for a car accident affecting your renter's insurance, regardless of fault? Just because you can't drive, you're more likely to set your house on fire?

@belch

The reason that they do not guarntee accuracy is because they only report what was given to them. It is the insurance companies that give them all of their information. In addition to accidents, they also have a seperate report that holds all information on your motor vehicle report. This is something new my company started using. I am not sure if the state gives them the information from your motor vehicle report or how they collect it.

@ Crazytree
Most states will list an accident on your MVR. Usually when a policy report is filed for an accident it will appear. No state lists fault, so most insurance companies assume the worst and rely on the consumer to notify them that it was not-at-fault accident.

@Mr Gunn
Choicepoint used to be wither transunion or experian (the credit agency). They recently changed the name, but I am fairly sure they are still owened by the credit agency. Therefore, they pretty much own you.

As far as contact...I am not sure where the number came from in the article, but here are some numbers. One even allows you to talk to someone there. This is a very recent opportunity for ChoicePoint. Until about 6 months ago, this number was well hidden.

Speak to a live rep. 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM ET
1-888-497-0011

24 Hour automated line
1-800-456-6004

Slusy says "So what's the reasoning for a car accident affecting your renter's insurance, regardless of fault? Just because you can't drive, you're more likely to set your house on fire?"

Actually, yes, people who have had auto insurance claims ARE more likely to have other types of insurance claims.

Insurance companies deal in generalities, not specifics, and, in general, people who file a claim for X are more likely to file a claim for Y, virtually regardless of what X and Y are -- even if X and Y are not obviously related.

Same reasoning behind universal default. That and being "careless" enough to get in a car accident can show that you can be careless in your house.

@Slusy: The factors that influence insurance rates are generally based on statistical correlations in claims data. I imagine the insurance companies have data showing that people who have auto accidents have a higher claims rate on their renters insurance.

@Slusy: you're more likely to make a claim. unlike some people... who won't make a claim unless they're about to drop dead.

on another note... I was at my insurance agent's office today [State Farm]. she pulled up her internal faux-CLUE report on me and it had 3 items of note:

1. an accident where I was rear-ended in 2000 [NOT AT FAULT]

2. a $39 windshield chip repair I had done [BAD IDEA TO REPORT THIS ONE]

3. some claim by some stranger in a Mercedes... that I had nothing to do with! [I asked, and she said it was totally normal... if I had the same address... it would appear on my risk report!]

@Slusy: Maybe you're more likely to wreck your car into your house. Ha! Ha HA HA!
There's obviously some sort of statistical correlation between the two, or else the government would be all over the insurance companies for this practice. Insurance carriers have formulas that determine your insurance premium based on the amount of insurance to be carried and their desired profitability.
PS, if the stock market performs poorly, you can expect your premiums to go up as well.

@DigitalArchetype: Choicepoint used to be wither transunion or experian (the credit agency). They recently changed the name, but I am fairly sure they are still owened by the credit agency. Therefore, they pretty much own you.

No, Choicepoint is its own company. They came to be when Equifax spun off its insurance services group. Since then, they have acquired 50-someodd other companies, including DBT Online, the company involved in removing "felons" from the voter rolls in Florida.