Suit Says Allstate Ran Illegal Credit Checks

Allstate Corp. is accused in a lawsuit of illegally checking individuals’ credit histories without consent while processing homeowner insurance applications.

In the suit filed in federal court in Atlanta, Jeanne Cochran of Douglasville, Ga., says she was denied insurance after her son’s credit report showed a poor financial history.

The suit seeks class-action status for all U.S. residents whose credit records were obtained by Allstate while processing insurance applications by others and asks for as much as $1,000 per violation.

Allstate says the Fair Credit Reporting Act allows insurers to pull credit histories of all household members, spokesman Mike Trevino said.

The statute exempts insurers from the consent requirement, he said.

Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate shares rose $1.16 to $34.46 on the NYSE.