SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Nov 1, 2012) - Mitchell, a leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty claims and Collision Repair industries, today announced the availability of its Industry Trends Report (ITR), which examines data from Q3, 2012. Now featuring state-by-state data from Enterprise Rent-A-Car that reports on the repairable length of rentals, the ITR offers the most comprehensive, industry-specific data driving trends in Property & Casualty (P&C).
The Auto Physical Damage edition of the ITR features the article, "Are Rising Deductibles Driving Severity Trends?" by Mitchell's Vice President of Industry Relations, Greg Horn. Analyzing data on collisions, repairs and claims, the article examines the link between flat collision repair severity and the rise in deductibles over the past six years. Consumers are opting for raised deductibles in an effort to cut expenses, but are then reticent to seek repairs for which they will shoulder more of the financial cost.
This data is in alignment with state data from Enterprise, which found the average rental time remained consistent across the US in the third quarter of 2012. Mitchell expects an increase leading into the fourth quarter of the calendar year as weather and holidays come into play.
"While higher deductibles are good for the insurance industry since consumers carry more of the repair bill, this is not as positive for the repair shops or rental car companies, which are seeing less business. It's important to examine whether there is a causal relationship here, or if other factors are influencing the severity trends," said Horn. "Our latest ITR explains our findings on which factors do and do not have the greatest influence on the rise in repairable severity."
The Auto Casualty Edition article, "Coping with Compliance in the Property & Casualty Industry" by Mitchell's Vice President of Information Management & Client Services Michele Hibbert-Iacobacci, discusses the increasing challenges P&C insurance carriers face due to new or changing legislation. Federal regulations and Accountable Care Organizations require skilled navigation and following arduous processes for compliance and success, while maintaining a focus on quality and service. Carriers must stay informed and continuously analyze the impact of such initiatives on their policyholders and businesses.
"Most legislation is put in place to benefit the consumer, but it's difficult to predict the impact on any party once it becomes law," said Hibbert-Iacobacci. "Changes to processes are often relevant in the areas of billing, payment models and privacy. Even when the intent is well meaning, many causal relationships arise when laws change. The latest Mitchell ITR guides P&C carriers in their quest to learn from the past and gain better insight into what changes may come."
The ITR has highlighted ongoing and emerging industry trends and key performance indicators for auto physical damage collision and casualty industries for over a decade. The insights and perspective via several editions focus on the data-driven, technology-enabled innovations impacting the insurance claims handling marketplace. The complete report is available at www.mitchell.com/industry-trends-report. First published in April 2001, Mitchell's ITR now reaches more than 33,000 collision and casualty industry professionals.
For continuous collision repair and property casualty industry updates and perspectives, follow Mitchell on Twitter @MitchellClaims and @MitchellRepair.
About Mitchell
Mitchell empowers clients to achieve measurably better outcomes. Providing unparalleled breadth of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty claims and Collision Repair industries, Mitchell is uniquely able to simplify and accelerate the claims management and collision repair processes.
As a leading provider of Property & Casualty claims technology solutions, Mitchell processes over 50 million transactions annually for over 300 insurance companies/claims payers and over 30,000 collision repair facilities throughout North America. Founded in 1946, Mitchell is headquartered in San Diego, California, and has 1,700 employees. The company is privately owned primarily by the Aurora Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based investment group. For more information about Mitchell, visit www.mitchell.com.