Direct-to-Consumer Auto Insurers Take Top Honors in Shopping Study: J.D. Power

Young woman sitting in a car

Two insurance carriers—GEICO and Progressive—captured nearly 92% of all premium growth in the past year, putting an exclamation point on a trend toward increased adoption of direct-to-consumer auto insurance that has been building for several years. According to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study,SM this trend is likely to get a further boost… Continue reading Direct-to-Consumer Auto Insurers Take Top Honors in Shopping Study: J.D. Power

Lemonade Opens Early Registration for Lemonade Car

Lemonade Insurtech

Lemonade, the insurance company powered by artificial intelligence and behavioral economics, announced it is readying ‘Lemonade Car’ for launch within the year. Early registration is now open at www.lemonade.com/car. Today’s news marks the company’s third expansion into a major new insurance category in less than 12 months. The company started with homeowners products, adding pet… Continue reading Lemonade Opens Early Registration for Lemonade Car

Liberty Mutual Insurance to Provide Insurance Coverage to Drivers on the Lyft Platform in Five States

Uber, Lyft agree to wage boost

Liberty Mutual Insurance today announced it has been selected by Lyft to provide coverage for drivers using its rideshare platforms throughout Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas and Utah, effective today. Under the program, Liberty Mutual provides specific coverages in five states from the time a driver has their Lyft app on to app off. “We’re… Continue reading Liberty Mutual Insurance to Provide Insurance Coverage to Drivers on the Lyft Platform in Five States

State Farm to Buy Auto Insurer GAINSCO

State Farm non-renewing 72,000 CA policies

State Farm announced a merger deal Thursday to buy auto insurance company GAINSCO for about $400 million in cash. Upon closing, the merger agreement states that State Farm Mutual will acquire all the stock in GAINSCO, Inc., the holding company of MGA Insurance Company, Inc., a Texas-domiciled insurance company, and GAINSCO shareholders will receive approximately… Continue reading State Farm to Buy Auto Insurer GAINSCO

Will Personal Auto Insurers Enter a Price War?

Auto insurance costs

Personal insurers have been benefiting from fewer claims, but nothing lasts forever. Auto property-damage and injury frequency, as insurers put it, dropped by a quarter or more from a year earlier in the first half of 2020 at Allstate, Berkshire Hathaway’s Geico and Progressive, according to company filings. Not only were people driving fewer miles… Continue reading Will Personal Auto Insurers Enter a Price War?

Vehicle Theft Spikes Across U.S. in COVID-19 Pandemic

Car thefts

The coronavirus hasn’t been kind to car owners. With more people than ever staying home to lessen the spread of COVID-19, their sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs are parked unattended on the streets, making them easy targets for opportunistic thieves. Despite silent streets and nearly nonexistent traffic, vehicle larcenies shot up 63% in New York… Continue reading Vehicle Theft Spikes Across U.S. in COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite Fewer Drivers on the Road, Motor Vehicle Death Rate Up 14% in March: NSC

Los Angeles California freeways empty during 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to “open lanes of traffic and an apparent open season on reckless driving,” National Safety Council President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said following the release of NSC preliminary estimates showing that, in March, the rate of motor vehicle fatalities in the United States was 14% higher than in March… Continue reading Despite Fewer Drivers on the Road, Motor Vehicle Death Rate Up 14% in March: NSC

Auto Insurers Issuing $10.5B in Coronavirus Refunds

With highways and roads abandoned as motorists stay home during the COVID-19 health crisis, the nation’s biggest auto insurers are offering policyholders $10.5 billion in credits and reduced premiums, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Fewer cars on the road typically means fewer accident claims. According to Arity, a data and analytics firm owned by… Continue reading Auto Insurers Issuing $10.5B in Coronavirus Refunds

Geico to Return $2.5 Billion in Credits to Auto & Motorcycle Customers

Warren Buffett’s Geico plans to offer insurance-policy credits to its auto customers as driving declines because of the widespread coronavirus-related shutdowns. Geico, owned by Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., will provide a 15% credit to its auto and motorcycle customers when their policies come up for renewal between April 8 and Oct. 7, the insurer said… Continue reading Geico to Return $2.5 Billion in Credits to Auto & Motorcycle Customers

Auto Insurers Give Millions in Coronavirus Refunds

Rising auto insurance rates as car prices come down

One of the largest car-insurance companies in the country, Allstate Corp., and a smaller Midwestern auto insurer are refunding hundreds of millions of dollars to their policyholders, citing a dramatic drop in accident claims from Americans hunkered down in their homes. Allstate said it would dispatch more than $600 million in shelter-in-place payback checks, while… Continue reading Auto Insurers Give Millions in Coronavirus Refunds