The filing of commercial automobile insurance rates in MA has been on an "open competition" basis since 1981 under the provisions of Massachusetts G.L. Chapter 175E and the Division of Insurance (DOI) Regulation 211 CMR 91, which provide that any company writing 1% or more of the total commercial automobile insurance business written in Massachusetts must file its own rates. The AIB's advisory filings for rates are filed on behalf of the remaining companies which have authorized the Bureau to make such a filing, and are available for use by all member insurers. The AIB also provides industry and company ratemaking data for the "over 1%" companies filing their own rates. Filings for policy forms, endorsements, and rules are made on behalf of all carriers.

The filing of private passenger rates had been on a "fix-and-establish" basis since 1977. On July 16, 2007, the Commissioner of Insurance announced that effective April 1, 2008, private passenger rates would be issued under "managed competition". The AIB is authorized by statute, G.L. Chapter 175E and DOI regulation 211 CMR 79 to make advisory filings for private passenger automobile insurance rates, rules, policy forms and endorsements, on behalf of members and subscribers. The AIB’s filings for rates are filed on behalf of authorizing companies writing less than 1% of the total Massachusetts private passenger insurance premium, and as advisory filings for use by all member insurers; filings on policy forms, endorsements, and rules are filed on behalf of all authorizing members and as advisory filings for use by all members.

An entering insurer may use AIB's advisory rates while writing less than 1% of the market, and the manual rules and policy forms are available for use, in whole or in part, by any member. The Advisory Rate and Rule Filing Procedures memorandum and authorization forms for private passenger and commercial automobile outline the requirements for adopting the AIB's advisory filings.

In addition to its functions as a rating organization, the AIB shares common management with the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts (IFB) and provides funding for that organization.

The AIB also maintains the Detail Claim Database (DCD), a unique database of key information on closed automobile bodily injury claims in Massachusetts. Beginning in 1993, all insurers writing automobile insurance in Massachusetts are mandated by the Commissioner of Insurance to report specific claim data to the DCD. The AIB offers web-based and automated inquiry systems to access a broad array of information and statistics on injury, treatment, payment, claim handling activities, and professional involvement, for use in reviewing claims and detecting broader patterns of fraudulent claim practices. An overview of the DCD including reporting requirements, data inquiry options and contacts are available here.