What’s driving larg claim settlements for auto dealerships?

A troubling trend towards higher claims settlements and jury awards has impacted a wide range of businesses, and auto dealerships are certainly not immune. This webinar takes an in-depth look at the issue, using scenarios based on similar large claims to help illustrate factors driving these larger settlements, while also detailing actions to help mitigate exposures that can lead to liability claims aimed at dealerships.

For this vital discussion, Craig Davidson, Zurich’s Head of Property & Casualty Underwriting, Direct Markets; was joined by Ronda Tack, Risk Engineering Account Executive; and Mahima Raghav, Senior Consultant with Zurich's Claims Judicial and Legislative Affairs. These industry, risk and legal specialists share their insights on this urgent topic.

Presenters

Craig Davidson is the Head of Property & Casualty Underwriting for Zurich North America’s Direct Markets business unit, where he has led a team specializing in franchised auto dealers, retail auto rental operations, and rental counter products since January 2019. Previously, he was the Vice President of Zurich Agency Services (ZAS), a fully licensed agency offering specialized coverage solutions and specialty markets for Direct Markets. Prior to this role, he was the Zurich Business Lead for the Unicover Transformation project, where he drove the Direct Markets conversion from a proprietary rating and policy issuance system to a new shared platform.

Davidson joined Universal Underwriters Group/Zurich in 1996 as an underwriting manager. He has since held positions of increasing responsibility within Direct Markets, including Assistant Vice President of Underwriting, where he developed and implemented underwriting guidelines, pricing and strategy for the aftermarkets and retail businesses. He began his insurance career with Sentry Insurance in 1987 as a multi-line underwriter.

Davidson has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and holds a Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.

Mahima Raghav, Esq. is Senior Consultant with Zurich Claims Judicial and Legislative Affairs. She brings past experience as a litigator in Worker’s Compensation and as a Regional Litigation Manager to her work for Zurich, as well as an extensive knowledge of claims-handling issues. Raghav has also participated in internal projects using design-thinking, which has trained her to seek creative solutions to complex business challenges.

As part of Zurich’s social inflation task force, Raghav works to build a coalition among customers, brokers, and carriers to address this pressing issue. With efforts to educate the industry and bring the claims process to life for lawmakers, she is committed to helping create positive change for a fairer future.

Raghav has BA in Psychology from UCLA and a JD from Southwestern Law School.

Ronda Tack is Risk Engineering Account Executive with Zurich Resilience Solutions, working with Direct Markets, Captives and Programs. With over a decade of experience in commercial insurance, Tack’s background includes a focus on commercial transportation, fleet, multiline loss control, strategic risk management consulting, broker/agency relationship building, and providing underwriting support. Her successful approach to account management and consulting are based on developing strong and lasting lines of communication, motivating clients and partners to find new and innovative solutions, and building and enhancing positive business relationships.

Tack’s wide-ranging career experience includes large insurance carriers, broker, safety, claims, loss control risk management service, and account executive duties and responsibilities. She had unique career experiences prior to her career in the insurance industry, including Safety Director for a statewide mining and concrete company, and Environmental Health and Safety Specialists for local regulatory agency.

Tack has a B.S. in Environmental Health from Colorado State University and has achieved Certified Director of Safety (CDS) and Transportation Risk and insurance Professional (TRIP) designations.

Additional resources

Large Claims Lessons Learned: Age Discrimination and Retaliation

Large Claims Lessons Learned: Negligent Hiring and Retention

Large Claims Lessons Learned: Slip and Fall Hazards

Loss Prevention: Slip and Fall Hazards 

Casualty claims are not like red wine in era of social inflation