Auto Insurance Claims: Insurance, minor accident, accident claim

Question
My brother recently had a MINOR accident claim on his insurance (slid on icy roads into a Mercedes).  So, he was at fault, and the total payout by the insurance company was around $1500.  Now, his rates have doubled.  He asked me if he had to claim this accident with a new insurer - there was no police report, just the repairs... does he have to claim this incident?

Answer
Hi Amanda,

Yes he needs to report the claim. The insurance company will report the claim to an inter-company data base that all insurance companies use to check for prior claims when you apply for insurance. So they are going to find out anyway. It's always best to be honest.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh