Yesterday we told you about Unlock’s claims regarding
insurers allegedly taking into account spent convictions, or those they have a legal obligation to disregard, when providing quotes – now one of the named providers has issued a clarification.
According to the study conducted by the charity, seven of the 42 insurance companies it looked at refused to quote even though the disclosed conviction was spent. One insurer, on the other hand, quoted a higher (by over 200%) premium when it found out about a spent conviction.
Among those identified as supposedly in violation of the law was
Co-op Insurance, who reached out to
Insurance Business to provide an explanation for what it said was a one-off.
“We insure customers with spent convictions, and we apologise that in this instance we incorrectly declined the quote, which is not our standard policy,” said a spokesperson for Co-op Insurance.
The insurer – which has just appointed Peter Hubbard as chair of its board – noted that it is now implementing additional training to make sure “this doesn’t happen again.”
Co-op’s statement sent to
Insurance Business continued: “For customers that take out insurance online, we have a Q&A on our website to provide information on convictions. However, we are also reviewing the wording within our quote process, to ensure that it is clear.”
According to Co-op, it has in fact worked with Unlock to share insight about what people can do to help protect their homes and cars from theft.
Meanwhile Hubbard, former chief executive at
AXA and
UK General, said he is delighted to join Co-op as chair of its insurance board during what he described as an “exciting and important” time.
“Co-op Insurance has a long and distinguished history, and we have the opportunity now to create and deliver a compelling Co-op Insurance for the future, one which meets the needs of millions of Co-op members and customers,” commented Hubbard.
For Co-op chair Allan Leighton, Hubbard’s wealth of industry experience and insight will greatly assist the insurance unit “as it continues to deliver its business strategy and transformation programme.”
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