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Collision Claims, Frequency and
Losses Continue Rise New
Major auto physical damage indicators up for
six consecutive quarters.
New
Service
King Breaks Out of Texas, Acquires Eight Auto Body World Locations
President Chris Abraham about this deal and
what's next as Service King embarks on national expansion plan.


Study Suggests Vehicle Miles Traveled
May Not Rebound with Economy New
Research finds that even if economy
rebounds, converging societal changes may make driving declines more
permanent.

Shops
Rate Insurers:
The Collision Repairer Satisfaction Index New
Repairers rate the claims handling
performance of the nation's 15 largest personal automobile insurers.

Mild Winter Continues to Propel Driving Increases
Third consecutive month of snowless winter
brings third driving increase.


The MSO Space: A Claims Leader's
Perspective
Multiple shop operations viewed through the
lens of a former president of claims for a top ten insurer.
CIC Chairman Quinn Outlines Agenda for Upcoming Meeting
Conference topics include indemnification
clauses in DRP contracts and final release of repair standards study.
Court Case Examines Determination of
Fair and Reasonable
Insurer says fair and reasonable reimbursement
trumps fair and reasonable shop bill, even if shop bill is higher.

Department of Labor Report Shows
Smaller, Higher Paid Collision Repair Industry
Annual data release shows post-recession
employment decline, rising wages.

Body
Repair Prices, Auto Insurance and Inflation
Updated look at price trends in both
industries through the recession.

Shop Revenue Flat while Expenses
Continue Higher
New Census Bureau data shows no gain in
industry revenue over past five years.

Minnesota Bill Attacks Occupational
Licensing as Protectionism
Legislation would make implementation,
enforcement of licensing very difficult.

Collision Repair Business Conditions:
Q4 2011
Sales and earnings continue to improve,
shops optimistic about coming months.
DOJ Antitrust Suit Against Most
Favored Nation Clause to Proceed
Same contract clause in use by State Farm
DRP is at heart of lawsuit in healthcare industry.

The Big Get Bigger
Annual look at the growing market control of
the top U.S. insurers.

Virginia Passes Bill to Add Salvage
Exemption for Insurers
Bill allows repaired then totaled vehicles
to avoid salvage certificate.
Collision Industry Production
Continues Higher
Number of employees, hours worked, and wages
all rose over past 12 months.

Calif Bill Seeks Repeal of
Aftermarket Disclosure on Repair Estimates
Measure would eliminate parts disclosure
statement and declare certified parts sufficient to restore pre-loss
condition.

Mitchell's
Greg Horn: Industry Trends Report
Horn looks further into parts utilization
trends, sees increase in repair vs. replace.

Industry Pans Paint, Materials
Compensation Formula
Study shows repairers, suppliers, insurers
dislike current system of calculating paint and materials compensation.

Recycled Parts or Used Parts: You
Decide
According to the FTC, the answer may depend
on who your customer is, and what they think.

Information Providers Respond to
Joint Association Statement on Data Sharing
Estimating system reps comment on shop data
usage at Collision Industry Conference.

Updated Winter Outlook from NOAA
Odds of a snowy, busy winter appear to be
fading for much of the country.

Aftermarket Parts Return to State
Legislation
At least five states have already introduced
bills involving aftermarket parts use, consent and disclosure.
Public Transportation Staging a
Comeback
Is recent growth in bus and rail ridership
working against driving recovery?

WV Salvage Parts Lawsuit Against
Liberty Mutual, Shop Moves to Federal Court
Insurer's lawyers argue use of salvage parts
raises questions of federal law.

Diamond Standard Shares Additional
Details About Insurance Program
Aftermarket parts maker explains benefit of
insuring shops that use its parts, and why they feel they should.
When Will Repair Volume Return to
Pre-Recession Levels?
Evaluation of government driving data
suggests it may be a long road back.

SCRS Says Terminology Should Improve,
Not Confuse Customer Understanding
Association concerned with proposed changes
to definition of LKQ, aftermarket and recycled parts.

CIC Approves Recommendations for Shop-Insurer Relationships
Document lays out elements for lowering friction, improving transparency.

The Evolving Collision Repair Marketplace
A three part series examining the largest shop groups in the industry, their growing market share, and an analysis of the
numbers.

Independent Repair Facility Population Decline
Continues
Latest government data confirms anticipated decline in
the number of independent repairers with payroll.

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