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ABAT Dons Arms for 2021 Legislative Session by Launching Consumer Complaint Drive by Chasidy Rae Sisk
The Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) is strategizing for the upcoming battle during the 87th Legislative Session in Texas—Jan. 12 through May 31, 2021—as it plans to introduce legislation that will have a positive impact on the state’s collision repair industry. In order to ensure they are well prepared for success in the upcoming session, ABAT has launched a consumer complaint drive to capture the attention of lawmakers regarding the industry’s concerns, in hopes of
improving the association’s chances of getting the bills passed. In an email to ABAT members, President Burl Richards wrote, “We will be asking for your help to make lawmakers aware of how important these issues are… Based on the prior meetings that I have had with the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and Texas legislators, the major rebuttal I have gotten is that they are not getting any complaints from consumers. They have only heard from body shops about the insurance companies not fixing cars properly See ABAT Dons Arms, Page 12
AI Has Already Changed the Game for Auto Insurers by Christoph Plenio, CCC Information Services Inc.
AI is changing how insurers do business. Accelerating decisions. Improving outcomes. Constantly adapting to customized rules and permutations. This isn’t a vision, but the reality for more than 50 insurance carriers working with CCC across AI use cases. In conversations and media, AI is often discussed as a concept. That’s yesterday’s news. Today, AI is a proven factor in improving experiences and processes for countless policyholders. For example: AI applied to a single photo can predict repairable versus total loss
claims, resulting in real-time decisions that don’t leave policyholders waiting days or weeks to know the fate of their vehicle. AI applied to auto damage estimates flag outliers based on carrier-specific rules and guidelines, identifying line-level items that appear out of the norm, and resulting in greater estimate accuracy. AI-powered estimating automatically predicts which parts are damaged, whether they can be repaired or need to be replaced, and approximate labor hours, boosting appraiser productivity. See Changed the Game, Page 26
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AUTOBODYNEWS.COM Vol. 38 / Issue 11 / November 2020
SEMA Show and SEMA360: What’s the Same? by Jason Catullo, SEMA
Day-to-day business production has changed drastically during the past seven months, and specialty-equipment companies have discovered creative ways to keep operations running and adapted to an inconsistent marketplace. In the interest of serving those companies and supporting the association’s mission to help member businesses succeed and prosper, SEMA360 was created. “Each year SEMA Week creates a community exchange of innovation, education and networking that sets the course of business for the
following year,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. “During this year’s SEMA Week, Monday through Friday, Nov. 2-6, the amount of content exchange and interaction between manufacturers, buyers and media will again be unmatched.” There are currently more than 600 manufacturers ready to offer an exclusive look at their newest products, highlight trendsetting vehicles and in-progress project builds, and meet with buyers through SEMA360. Gattuso has also been contacted by retailers and resellers whose businesses have not stopped moving See What’s the Same?, Page 22
SBA and Treasury Announce Simpler PPP Forgiveness for Loans of $50,000 or Less The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, on Oct. 8 released a simpler loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $50,000 or less. This action streamlines the PPP forgiveness process to provide financial and administrative relief to America’s smallest businesses while also ensuring sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars. “The PPP has provided 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion to American small businesses, providing critical economic relief and supporting more than 51 million jobs,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “Today’s action streamlines the forgiveness process for PPP borrowers with loans of $50,000 or less and thousands of PPP lenders who worked around the clock to process loans quickly,” he continued. “We are committed to making the PPP forgiveness process as simple as possible while also protecting against fraud and misuse of funds. We continue to favor additional legislation to further simplify
the forgiveness process.” “Nothing will stop the Trump Administration from supporting great American businesses and our great American workers,” said Administrator Jovita Carranza. “The PPP has been an overwhelming success and served as a historic lifeline to America’s hurting small businesses and tens of millions of workers. “The new form introduced today demonstrates our relentless commitment to using every tool in our toolbelt to help small businesses and the banks that have participated in this program,” he continued. “We are continuing to ensure that small businesses are supported as they recover.” SBA and Treasury have also eased the burden on PPP lenders, allowing lenders to process forgiveness applications more swiftly. SBA began PPP forgiveness applications and remitting forgiveness payments to PPP lenders for PPP borrowers on Oct. 2. SBA will continue to process all PPP forgiveness applications in an expeditious manner. Source: SBA
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