ABI publishes guidance to help people with past criminal convictions buy insurance

21 February 2011

The ABI has teamed up with UNLOCK (the National Association of Reformed Offenders) to produce guidance to ensure that people with past criminal convictions get a fair deal from insurance. More than 8 million people in England and Wales have a criminal conviction.

The guidance consists of:

• A consumer guide. This sets out what people with criminal convictions need to disclose when applying for insurance, why some convictions are relevant to insurers, and the requirements of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.The Act sets out which convictions must be disclosed and those that need not.

• A good practice guide for insurers. Insurers will provide clear information about how they use criminal convictions, ask clear and concise questions during the application process, and offer cover to people with convictions and related offences wherever possible, or help people find an alternative insurer if cover cannot be provided.

Nick Starling, ABI's Director of General Insurance and Health, said:

“Access to, and fair treatment by, financial services providers is a key part of financial inclusion. We recognise that some people with criminal convictions may encounter difficulties when looking for insurance. Our guidelines have been produced to ensure that people with criminal convictions get a fair deal when applying for insurance.”

Chris Bath, Director of Projects at UNLOCK, said:

“Financial services are a crucial foundation for engagement in modern society. If we want people to lead productive lives; working, paying taxes and providing their family with a home, we cannot allow the justice system to sever people from their finances, even less to create lifelong financial exclusion.”

Two consumer guides are available.

To download the simple version: www.unlock.org.uk/userfiles/file/unlockinginsurance/UNLOCKInsuranceGuideSimple.pdf

A detailed version is available on: www.unlock.org.uk/userfiles/file/unlockinginsurance/UNLOCKInsuranceGuideDetailed.pdf

---

Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to ePolitix.com. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the ePolitix.com service.

As such, ePolitix.com does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.