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These days, many Americans are concerned about the amount of money they have to pay for all their various types of insurance, but there may not be a lot they can do to really find a lot of savings. One thing that people may not know is that some properties are still carrying higher premiums for home insurance because of claims previous owners have made. If insurance agents can do more to help people understand these realities, they may be better off in terms of keeping those clients content with their coverage.

Recent surveys suggest that only 8 percent of homeowners say they know what the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange - or CLUE - is, and how it relates to their home insurance rates, according to a report from MarketWatch. Further, just 1 percent say they understand it well. Essentially, this is a huge database of all claims information made on a property over the course of time, and this can serve to inform on how insurance companies set people's rates.

What can that mean for owners?
Unfortunately, CLUE may end up having a huge impact on homeowners' premiums, even if previous owners made claims of their own years prior for something that might have been their fault and not something to do with any problems with a property itself, the report said. On the other hand, it can also be good in some instances, such as if current owners made improvements to their home in some way that would reduce their risk of filing a claim. That, in turn, could end up reducing the amount they have to pay. However, there's not really a way for consumers to know how these conditions might end up helping or hurting them overall.

Home insurance can come with a high price tag to begin with, and any issues that might further increase what people have to pay for it can be a real point of concern for those looking to save some money. But insurance agents who can help to soothe these concerns with high quality customer service and the occasional discount on their coverage may be able to see improved client satisfaction ratings and even retention rates overall, because many policyholders may value a good relationship over simply being able to get the lowest possible price.

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