What is CUE and why is it important?
By helping catch fake claims, CUE keeps the cost of insurance down for everybody
Key takeaways
The Claims and Underwriting Exchange (CUE) is a tool used by insurers to check policyholder details, assess risk and identify fraudulent claims
CUE holds 34 million records covering car, home, and travel insurance, as well as personal injury claims and incidents
You can see what information CUE holds on you and ask to change any incorrect information on the Motor Insurers Bureau website
What is CUE?
It may sound like a member of 007’s elite team, but in fact CUE is a key player in tackling a different kind of dodgy dealing all together.
Established in 1994, the Claims and Underwriting Exchange (CUE) shared database has become an essential tool for insurers, allowing them to double check and compare details of claims and incidents to ensure the accuracy of policyholder information, work out the risk (and therefore the price) of offering someone a policy, and even spot potential fraud.
What information is in CUE?
The national database is huge, with around 34 million records covering not just car insurance, but also home insurance and travel insurance, as well as personal injury claims.
CUE holds details of every reported incident over the past six years - even where a claim wasn’t made - and shares that information with insurers. If you’ve seen or heard references to a “CUE claim”, that’s a record held in or added to the database.
How is CUE managed?
CUE is run by the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) and is one of two databases that help fight insurance fraud. The MIB's job is to make sure that the data is recorded and managed accurately and that it is kept up-to-date.
Meanwhile, the Motor Insurers Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR) tracks written-off and stolen vehicles.
What information does CUE hold about me?
CUE holds information on car accidents, damage, thefts, and personal injuries, which insurers use in different ways, including to assess the risk involved in offering you an insurance policy. This in turn affects how much you’ll pay for that policy if you’re offered one.
The database holds a huge amount of detail that help insurers calculate risk. Something as small as a broken headlight or wing mirror, for example, could help inform insurers about areas where there could be damage to parked vehicles.
You can find out what information CUE holds about you by completing a Subject Access Request form on the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) website. The site also offers advice about changing any inaccurate or incomplete details on your CUE record.
How do car insurers use CUE?
Once upon a time, insurers only went to CUE when a claim was made, but these days many policy providers use it to make decisions around risk for an insurance application. When it comes to car insurance, for example, insurers could use CUE to verify the information you’ve provided.
Along with your age, where you live and the car you drive, it may be used to calculate the price of your premium.
How can I reduce the cost of car insurance?
There are lots of ways to save money on car insurance - from accepting a higher voluntary excess or improving your car’s security features, to choosing specialist car insurance like telematics cover.
But the greatest savings usually come from shopping around for the best deal for your needs every year.
Looking for car insurance?
The easiest way to find cheaper car insurance is to compare quotes with MoneySuperMarket. Just tell us a little about yourself, the car you want to insure and your driving history, including any incidents you’ve been involved in or claims you have made recently.
We’ll put together a list of quotes tailored to your requirements. You can browse and compare by the overall annual and monthly cost of the policy, the level of protection you’ll get, and any extras included in your cover. Once you’ve found the right policy, click through to the provider to finalise your purchase.
As with any insurance product you should remember that the cheapest policy isn’t always the best – we recommend balancing cost with the level of cover you get to ensure you have the right protection at the best price.
