LTE: Debtors aren't victims

Regarding the Feb. 27 Outlook article, "Credit scoring adds up to unfair for most Texans": Luke Metzger and Bill Stinson would have us believe that credit scoring is intrinsically unfair, and that the simple act of incurring debt can cause your insurance rates to be raised. They also claim there's no correlation between irresponsible borrowing and the risk an insurance company would run in extending a policy to people who engage in this behavior. They're wrong on both points.

Running up your credit cards or incurring other debt beyond your means to pay is a fraud, pure and simple. It's also a good indication of your willingness to defraud your insurance company with phony claims, or the likelihood that you will pay your premiums on time, both things any responsible insurance company would take into account before providing you coverage.

Consumers with out-of-control personal debt are generally viewed as victims. They're not. The vast majority ignored their parents' admonitions to save against a rainy day, so there's rarely anything "unforeseen" about their plight, as Metzger and Stinson would have us believe. And unlesss they are recommending that insurance companies commit financial suicide by ignoring the obvious, credit scoring will remain a legitimate tool in determining rates.

Pete Smith, Cypress

http://www.chron.com/default/article/Viewpoints-A-tally-on-credit-scoring-2125805.php