ACD’s Metro Based field staff are doing amazing work! One of our team members, Sergey in Northern California is pictured here photographing a vehicle.  During January of 2012, the field staff’s cycle time was .4 days faster than a year ago. Average appraisal severity was lower by $329.00  Recycled parts use is up 5.3%   Great work!

ACD’s CSI Surveys in January provided some great feedback. Through an analysis of random surveys AutoClaims Direct again had a positive score on every one!  Comments this month included….

Very Polite and Informative

Quick and I’m very happy with the process

Accommodating to my schedule

Prompt response very pleasant and professional

On time and very professional

—–Great job to all of you!

In this article from InsuranceQuotes.com,  the Insurance Research Council found that the nationwide cost of auto insurance claims rose between 2008 and 2010.  It may be a statistical anomaly or a trend. ACD’s Ernie Bray is quoted in the article, “Anytime you have tough economic conditions, you have a lot more people trying to exaggerate their claims in order to cash in,” Bray says. “They see insurance claims as a way to get a little extra money, and this drives up the cost of claims. Someone has to pay for this, and ultimately it’s the consumer.”

Click here for the full article.

The February column by ACD’s Ernie Bray was released today in the Carlsbad Business Journal…  Click here for the link.

Founder and Chairman of Mercury Insurance, George Joseph has pushed hard and has again got a ballot initiative qualified for 2012.  It would allow insurers in CA to base auto rates on whether a customer has been insured previously which could lead to discounts. Current regulations don’t allow insurers to charge varying rates based on a customer having  been previously uninsured.  The pros of the ballot initiative would mean that those who have been insured continuously could potentially receive lower rates while on the other hand, those who failed to maintain auto insurance could see rates jump. 

Click here for the full story.

VP of Operations, Brian Bray demos what crumple zones look like and how they work….

In this article we found, Collision Repairers, Consumer Groups and OEM dealers are speaking out against any attempt by California legislators that would bring legislation stating Aftermarket parts are functionally equal to OEM parts. Click here for the full story.

According to data from the Federal Highway Administration, travel was down just under 1% compared to a year ago based on the latest data. The biggest drops were in the South and Southeast. Click here for the FHA link.

Data from the Consumer Price Index for the month of December shows a slight increase in the costs of Auto Insurance while Auto Body Repair leveled out.  The charts below show the data.

According to an article we found today, the average age of vehicles on the road in the United States is currently 10.8 years old!  This is a record according to the Polk Research Firm. At AutoClaims Direct, the average age of a loss vehicle in the past 30 days is 10.2 years old.  Click here for the article we found….