Tracking what’s happening among the nation’s auto insurance companies
By John Yoswick
For better or worse, the collision repair and insurance industry are significantly intertwined, giving shops good reason to keep an eye on what their customers’ “bill-payers” are up to.
Insurers, for example, appear increasingly interested in touting the automaker shop certifications that their direct repair “partners” have earned. Late in 2020, State Farm’s Chris Evans said that while OEM certification currently is not a requirement for its Select Service shops, the company “is looking very carefully” at it. He said State Farm sees a growing trend of consumers “really aligned” with the idea of OEM certifications.
“I will tell you this: We are serious about it,” Evans said. “Probably in [the first quarter of 2021], you will see
State Farm’s repair facility locator include information about repairers who have OEM certification credentials. We believe that’s what our customers are asking for, and that’s what we’re going to give them.”
It took until the second quarter of this year, but State Farm…
