Clean Up Your Finances (Collection)

10. Insurance and Your Credit Score

Tawny had been a loyal Allstate customer for 15 years. The Texas woman had paid her premiums on time and had never gotten a ticket, had an accident, or filed a claim.

Then her auto insurance premium tripled:

“I went through a devastating divorce where I lost my home and credit,” said Tawny, who became a single mother with three small children. “About a year later, I got a notice from Allstate that my auto insurance rate was increasing.... I wasn’t too worried until I got my first bill. I went from paying $396 every six months to $1,200.”

Kyra in Bridgeport, Connecticut, never had trouble with her auto insurer. But when she tried applying for a renter’s insurance policy with MetLife, she was denied:

“Although ...