Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Abstract

We investigate whether an insured's claims experience contains valuable information about its latent risk type. Using data on households' claims histories in auto and home insurance, we estimate the variance-covariance matrix of unobserved heterogeneity and utilize the estimates to update a priori predictions about the households' claim risk. The estimates reveal that unobserved heterogeneity is positively correlated across coverages. We then explore how households' demand for insurance would respond to experience rating under different theories of risky choice. We conclude that the potential for experience rating to meliorate adverse selection depends crucially on the sources of insureds' aversion to risk.