Admiral Insurance has revealed it is currently seeking legal advice after British newspaper
The Sun alleged that the insurer – as well as another provider – discriminates against prospective policyholders based on their names.
“We take these allegations very seriously and we are consulting our lawyers,” said an Admiral spokesperson, as quoted by the
BBC.
In addition, according to the broadcaster’s report, the insurance group has gone so far as to emailing customers to set the record straight. The message, sent by Admiral’s chief executive for UK car insurance Cristina Nestares, said
The Sun misunderstood its pricing structure.
“You may have seen a story in the news which claims we use customers’ names to price our insurance based on race,” the
BBC quoted Nestares’ email as saying. “This is 100% not the case and we do not, and have never, used this information to provide a price to our customers. I’m sorry if this story has caused you any concerns.”
Meanwhile also caught up in the controversy is Marks & Spencer (M&S) car insurance, the other provider
The Sun said was quoting more for drivers named Mohammed compared to motorists with traditionally English names such as John.
M&S Bank has also denied the claims, with a spokesperson saying the firm does not discriminate under any circumstances and that names – or ethnicity, for that matter – do not impact insurance premiums.
“We stand by our story,” said a representative for the newspaper, which in a separate report claimed that Admiral was charging higher premiums to
customers with a Hotmail email address.
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