News Munchies
Allstate's 'Good Hands' Slap Down Agent
Originally Posted
Updated
The insurance industry has the statistics: On balance, if you fare poorly on "credit scoring" formulas, you will file more claims and be a worse -- less profitable -- risk.
So insurers have started withdrawing coverage from otherwise good, God-fearing, regular-paying, low-claim customers, just because they've uncovered what many observers believe to be an unrelated credit "score."
"Enough!" said Allstate Insurance agent John Bryant.
And that was enough for Allstate, who promptly canned the malcontent.
What did Bryant do that was so horrible? He testified in favor of a Maryland bill that would proscribe insurers from using credit histories as screening devices. Within less than a month, Bryant says, Allstate "operatives" and a police officer -- perhaps from the 'thought police' -- showed up at his office and closed him down.
Last year, the ever-watchful Allstate handed agents in the state of Washington a letter demanding that they not testify in state insurance commission hearings.
Let's see, insurance agents prohibited from testifying before the state insurance commission?
That's right. No "publications, speeches, interviews, discussions, or testimony," the letter says; no talking with "legislators or regulators."
Perhaps these folks need to get their 'Good Hands' on a copy of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.