This information is intended to help you understand why MetLife Auto & Home^® -- like most insurance companies --- uses credit bureau information as just one part of our insurance underwriting (determining which applicants we will insure) and rating (calculating customers’ premiums) process; using a method we call Personal Financial Management or 'PFM'.  Our research, industry and independent research has proven that certain credit characteristics are strong predictors of a customer’s likelihood of submitting a claim. By looking at those credit characteristics, we are able to classify an individual into a PFM level.

A customer’s PFM level, when combined with other factors (such as the type of car driven, the customer’s claim and driving history, whether the customer’s home is built of brick or wood, the distance between the home and the fire department, the coverages selected, etc.) helps us to determine the customer’s insurance premium. Using the greatest amount of available information – including credit/PFM – enables us to offer all our customers a more accurate premium.