"Questionable" Auto Glass Claims Down 67 Percent for First Half of Year
October 6, 2011

"Questionable" auto glass claims dropped 67 percent for the first half of 2011, when compared with the first half of 2010, according to the latest report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

NICB, an insurer group, defines questionable claims as "claims that NICB member insurance companies refer to NICB for closer review and investigation based upon one or more indicators of possible fraud."

NICB officials say they received 1,498 questionable auto glass claims in the first half of 2010, compared with a mere 495 for the first half of 2011—a difference of 1,003 claims.

For the first half of 2009, NICB says only 236 auto glass claims were referred to them for possible fraud-52 percent fewer than this year's numbers.

NICB ranked all vehicle referrals for the period by percent change from last year, and auto glass ranked lowest. Hail damage topped the list, with a 109 percent increase in questionable claims reports over the first half of last year.

The half-year report is the second this year to report drops in "questionable" auto glass claims, after a series of studies in recent years listing mounting numbers, including a report earlier this year alleging that questionable auto glass claims were up 450 percent for the full year of 2010 over 2009. In June NICB reported a 72 percent decrease in questionable auto glass claims for the first quarter of the year, compared with the same period of 2010.

Overall for the first half of the year, suspicious automotive claims, including those related to questionable theft, suspect rental bills, inflated repairs, were down 1 percent from the same period of 2010-from 17,788 to 17,564. Questionable auto glass claims made up 2.8 percent of these.

The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations.

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