Many car insurers for years have used credit scores, education and occupation to determine your premium rate. Now, that approach is under review for potential racial discrimination.

A standards-setting organisation for state insurance departments is launching a wide-reaching effort to scour through existing practices—in sales, pricing, underwriting and all other facets of insurance—to identify those that may disadvantage minorities, Ray Farmer, president of the group, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, said in an interview.