July 2017
Driver database at heart of major insurance probe after dawn raids (Indo)
A database of clients and claims is at the centre of the probe into alleged cartel activity in the insurance industry, the Irish Independent has learned. Regulators from the European Union led dawn raids on insurance bodies over alleged cartel activity. Gardaí acted as observers, and officers from the competition watchdog were also involved in the early morning swoops. The raids were prompted by allegations that motor insurers in this country are operating a cartel by price-fixing.
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It is understood a database with details about drivers and their claims history was the focus of the raids. Officers from the European Competition Directorate headed up the operation, with a total of around 45 competition regulators involved. The main raid was at the Dublin offices of Insurance Ireland, the representative body for the insurance sector. Some insurance companies were also understood to have been raided, along with software companies that hold insurance industry databases.
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The focal point is a database operated by Insurance Ireland, which has been the subject of allegations in the past that new entrants to the market are unable to get access to it. Known as Insurance Link, it contains the claims history of all drivers. Examining this is the only way to validate a driver's claims history. Access to the database is essential for any company hoping to sell motor insurance here. Insurance Ireland and Mr Thompson have consistently denied that it restricts use of the database, and stressed that access to databases is regulated by the Data Protection Commissioner.