ONLINE AUTO RATES:

The consumer advocacy group, New York Public Interest Research Group, has called upon the insurance department to compile rate information and post it online so state residents can more easily shop for policies and compare prices. The insurance department’s online rate postings currently divide the state into regions. But NYPIRG says there are wide disparities in prices for identical coverage in the same regions. Chapin Fay, a representative for the state insurance department, said the ranges in prices for similar policies reflect the fact that different companies go after different markets. He said the department is “always open to new ways and more efficient ways of educating customers.” However, the department is reluctant to provide more specific price information. “We feel we have to stop short of advocating or seeming to advocate one company over another and take it as our job to simply educate customers,” Fay said.