Factors that are used for the rating include the area weather and the company's payment history, financial activity with suppliers and a variety of public record data. Three reasons are listed for each score that is attached to a company.

Chris Guidette, an ISO spokesman, said the company is not disclosing the price of the service and that it varies depending on the volume of business an insurer does with ISO and what method the insurer uses for delivery of the information.

In a recent Web demonstration provided by ISO, information on a company was returned within five to 15 seconds.

Beth Fitzgerald, ISO assistant vice president for specialty commercial lines, said the typical premium for small business property coverage, that the system would provide rating information for, is $1,500.

On the same ISO Web site, which provides the weather and other rating information for a small business, a user can obtain the area's crime situation data.

"We developed ISO Score in response to numerous insurer requests for a scoring product for small commercial risks, as no industry solution was available," said Kevin B. Thompson, senior vice president ? Insurance Services for ISO.

ISO Score, the company said, may be used for underwriting apartments, condominiums, small retail and wholesale outlets, offices and service establishments, fast food restaurants, limited cooking restaurants and artisan contractors.

Mr. Guidette, stressing the speed of the system's response, noted that that the first insurer to supply an agency with a quote is generally the one that gets the business.

According to Mr. Thompson, ISO Score will let insurers' junior underwriters write risks that achieve a certain scoring level. Risks that require review by more senior underwriters can then be segregated, so that the company can maintain a consistent underwriting standard, he said

ISO Score is accessible via ISO Passport, ISO's Web-based interface. The company said it can also be obtained using a high volume batch option, which means that instead of requesting a score on a policy-by-policy basis, companies have the option of sending in their business owner policies in bulk for ISO to score and return the batch to them electronically.

ISO said it can also develop a custom application program interface, allowing a carrier to link its system directly to ISO's.

For more information on ISO Score, call ISO Customer Service toll-free at 1-800-888-4476, or send an e-mail to [email protected].