archiveAnnouncements

Three concepts “jam up” insurers over bills for collision work, a National General claims executive told the Collision Industry Conference a week ago. Two are questions of semantics, Industry Relations Committee Co-Chairman Jonathan Chase explained during an discussion of ADAS and trust in the virtual CIC Jan. 20. The third...

CRASH Network said its 2021 insurance industry "Report Card” on auto insurer claims handling revealed “remarkably consistent” results when compared to previous years. Ten out of the 15 insurers collision repairers felt treated claimants best in 2021 received sufficient marks to reach the very best 15 again in 2021 —...

USAA on Tuesday said hello saw a 200 percent increase in using its telematics car insurance option SafePilot last year — and it’s experiencing a 50 % opt-in rate among new clients. The option has been available in Arizona, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. “To be able to accommodate growing demand,...

USAA has extended its timeframe for reimbursing auto body shops’ COVID-19 vehicle sanitization efforts through the end from the first quarter. The nation’s fifth largest insurer said it would certainly cover certain cleaning charges until April. “Due towards the continued breakout of COVID-19 virus infections throughout the U.S., USAA has...

Allstate last month gave its Good Hands Repair Network collision centers a comprehensive directive on scanning, describing the charges it’ll reimburse and the tools and thought process it’d like them to experience the operation. The nation’s No. 4 auto insurer also told shops it had been “working on preferred pricing...

Pennsylvania and national trade groups this week honored repair shop owner and industry advocate Gerald “Rick” Dotterer, who died suddenly Saturday after contracting COVID-19. He was 63. A second-generation shop owner, Dotterer ran Royersford, Pa.-based Dotterer Auto Body and also served as treasurer of the national Coalition for Collision Repair...

A new Nebraska bill would prohibit insurers from requiring aftermarket parts on vehicles aged 3 years or less during the time of the crash. “Individuals who just bought a new car don't want aftermarket parts installed,” Legislative Bill 602 sponsor Sen. Rich Pahls, R-Omaha, told a Feb. 16 Banking, Commerce...

A bill supported by the Nebraska Auto Body Association would forbid insurers from totaling out an automobile for any repair bill lower than 75 % of actual cash value. Nebraska Legislative Bill 602 would used likely set the bar even higher, for it exempts certain items from factoring into the...

Berkshire Hathaway on Saturday said GEICO’s collision claim frequencies came by an amount within the “twenty-three to twenty-four percent range,” with property damage claims down much more. GEICO’s plummeting frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic year helped the insurer end the year at more than double its 2021 profitability, even with...

Solera on Monday announced the rollout from the artificial intelligence photo estimating system Qapter to body shops in Europe and North America. The Audatex parent company said shops could adopt the automated technology “in under 30 days.” It allowed “non-skilled damage appraisers” to acquire an estimate in less than 3...