Business
Motor TP insurance: Administered price, long term cover vs deregulated price, one year cover
The Indian general insurance industry is divided on the aspect of long term versus one year motor third party risk cover and its pricing mode.
However, they are unanimous in their view that the third party insurance should be under them and not with the central government or administered as a pool.
Vehicle insurance policies are two parts — own damage (insurance for the vehicle against damage, theft) and third party liability (liability for third parties).
The third party insurance cover is mandatory whereas the insurance cover for vehicle damage is not mandatory. The premium is fixed by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
The general insurer’s role in designing the risk cover, promoting it, and fixing the premium is almost zero.
“I am for the deregulation of the third party premium rates. The premium rate is not administered one in major countries,” Varun Dua, Managing Director and CEO, Acko General Insurance Limited, told IANS.
Like him, many CEO when asked by IANS agree for deregulation of premium rates but strangely that is not happening.
Even after two decades after liberalisation of the sector citing various reasons including reduction in premium, insurers seem to want the price to be administered with yearly upward revision and not as per their claims experience.
Nearly 40 per cent of the general insurance business is from the motor insurance vertical and a major portion of that from third party risk cover, insurers are not enthusiastic about any changes resulting in lower premium and investment income.
Contrary to the claims made by the general insurers that they are incurring huge losses under the motor portfolio, the numbers as per the Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIB) study shows the contrary.
In its annual report on motor insurance for the fiscal 2018-19, the IIB said a sum of Rs.35,519 crore of motor claims – towards vehicle damage (Rs.18,262 crore) and third party liability (Rs.14,257 crore) were settled during 2018-19- while the gross underwritten premium was Rs.64,522.35 crore.
According to the report, the average settlement amount for death claims during fiscal 2018-19 was Rs. 901,207 and for injury claims it was Rs. 251,094.
The industry players also claim that a large number of vehicles run on the roads without third party insurance.
However, they do not have any answer when asked how that impacts them as they pay claims only on those policies issued by them and it is for the police to penalise the violators.
Industry players say they bring in efficiency in third party loss management when queried about insurers being freed of third party insurance in favour of the central government or administered as a pool.
“The insurer is bringing in expertise and efficiency in loss administration and fraud control. At the same time, claims administration requires a lot of manpower and infrastructure which has already been set up and improved by various insurers,” Adarsh Agarwal, Appointed Actuary, Go Digit General Insurance told.
According to him, a policyholder decides on the mode of claim for vehicle damage – whether under own damage part or getting into an arbitration for a third party claim under a third party property damage clause- separating the two may put him into difficulty.
Unless there is a process advantage that speeds up the third party claims with the judiciary involved, Agarwal added.
“One cannot wish away the role of insurers. They ensure easy access, availability of such insurance products which cannot be replicated by an already overburdened government,” R. Raghavan, former General Manager of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) and founder CEO of Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIB) told IANS.
Insurers are well equipped to handle the stretched claims process in Motor Accident Claims Tribunals and subsequent litigation, he added.
Raghavan said, though IRDAI still keeps finalising the premium rates, the insurers supply necessary data for the actuarial pricing process.
On the point of long term motor third party policy Raghavan said: “It is in the interest of the society at large, for insurance terms to be longer in duration. It also helps insurers to balance their books towards making adequate provision for such long tail liabilities. Portability may effectively undo this equity and also lead to wild goose chase in pinning the right insurer for payment. An insurer with a multi year commitment will work on price efficiency too,” Raghavan said.
Differing on that Agarwal said: “Long term policies have a twofold problem. A customer is encouraged to stick to one company despite the service quality they get from the current insurer as changing the insurer has an inherent inertia mid-way. Secondly, accounting the spare portion and labour cost for a longer term, given the inflation, is tricky and not ideal for the general insurance industry.”
“If one makes non-life insurance a long-term contract, the capital needs, provisioning norms and others would kick in. How it would impact an insurer in the future as motor third party claims are long-tailed ones is not known now,” and industry official told preferring anonymity.
Locking in a policyholder for five long years with one insurer also makes the playing field anti-competitive and anti-policyholder.
“The vehicle dealers will have an upper hand. They will demand higher compensation from the insurers. Already dealers are selling only policies of those insurers from whom they get higher commissions and other perks,” an industry official told
Business
Sensex – Nifty Open Lower Amid Weak FII Sentiment, Midcap & Smallcap Stocks Lend Market Support
Key Highlights:
– Sensex fell 171 pts, Nifty down 35 pts; midcaps, smallcaps held strong.
– FIIs sold Rs 3,694 crore worth of stocks; DIIs bought Rs 2,820 crore.
– Nifty’s bearish engulfing pattern suggests continued caution; 25,000 key support.
Mumbai: Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty began Friday’s session in the red, weighed down by selling pressure in large-cap stocks. At 9:25 am, the Sensex declined by 171 points or 0.21 percent to trade at 82,087, while the Nifty dropped 35 points or 0.14 percent to 25,075.
Heavyweights Drag, Broader Market Holds
Major drag on the indices came from key constituents such as Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and HDFC Bank. Financial stocks, FMCG, and private banking segments were under pressure. However, midcap and smallcap segments outperformed, providing resilience to the overall market.
Gainers on the Sensex included M&M, Tata Steel, Power Grid, L&T, Infosys, and Maruti Suzuki, reflecting strength in sectors like auto, metals, and infra.
Sectoral Picture Mixed
On the sectoral front, gains were recorded in auto, IT, PSU banks, metals, realty, energy, media, infrastructure, and commodities. Meanwhile, financial services, FMCG, and private banking faced losses.
Technical indicators showed bearish signals, with Nifty completing a bearish engulfing candle on Thursday. Analysts highlight 25,000 as a key support and 25,340 as a vital resistance level.
FIIs Remain Net Sellers
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued their selling trend, offloading equities worth Rs 3,694 crore on July 17 — marking the second consecutive session of net selling. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs), however, remained net buyers, purchasing Rs 2,820 crore worth of shares for the ninth straight session.
According to Dr. VK Vijayakumar of Geojit Financial Services, FIIs have shown a clear pattern of selling in July after buying in the previous three months. Without positive triggers, the downtrend could persist.
Global Cues Offer Some Relief
Asian markets traded mostly higher on Friday, with Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Jakarta in the green, although Tokyo and Seoul lagged. The US markets ended positively on Thursday, driven by upbeat investor sentiment.
Business
Indian Equity Indices Open Flat As Markets Await Fresh Triggers To Break Out Of Consolidation Phase
Mumbai: The Indian equity indices opened flat on Thursday, as markets looked for new triggers to break out of the consolidation range.
At 9.2 am, c was down 15 points at 82,619 and Nifty was down 2 points at 25,210. Buying was seen in the midcap and smallcap stocks. Nifty midcap 100 index was up 123 points or 0.18 per cent at 59,741 and Nifty smallcap 100 index was up 70 points or 0.37 per cent at 19,210.
On the sectoral front, auto, pharma, FMCG, metal, realty, energy, infra and PSE were major gainers, while IT, PSU bank, financial services and media were major losers.
In the Sensex pack, Sun Pharma, M&M, Trent, Kotak Mahindra, Tata Motors, NTPC, BEL, Titan and Power Grid were major gainers. Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Eternal, Axis Bank, Infosys and HUL were major losers.
According to analysts, an India-US interim trade deal has been discounted by the market, leaving no scope for a sharp rally decisively breaking the range.
“One positive and surprise factor that can trigger a rally is a tariff rate much below 20 per cent, say 15 per cent, which the market has not discounted. So, watch out for developments on the trade and tariff front,” said Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.
Most Asian stocks traded in a flat-to-low range. Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok and Jakarta were trading in the green while Hong Kong and Seoul were in the red.
The US market closed in the green on Wednesday due to positive market sentiment.
On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to reduce exposure in India, selling equities worth Rs 1,858 crore on July 16. In contrast, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) remained consistent buyers for the 8th straight session, infusing Rs 1,223 crore, lending crucial support to the market amid global uncertainties.
The broader trend remains optimistic as long as key support levels are respected, said analysts.
Elon Musk’s Tesla has flagged off its India operations with its first showroom in Mumbai now open. The showroom is located in Mumbai’s premium Bandra Kurla Complex area. It will be showcasing the popular Model Y and Model 3 cars at the venue. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis arrived at the first Tesla showroom in India, to commemorate the occasion.
The new Mumbai showroom opening marks the entry of Tesla in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing automobile markets. The showroom, at Maker Maxity in BKC, is around 4,000 sq ft large and is said to cost Rs. 35 lakh per month. While customers will be able to book their cars starting today, delivery is said to commence sometime in August. Delivery and registration are only limited to Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai for now.
The experience centre is located near the Apple flagship store in BKC. Tesla is said to open a showroom isn Delhi as well. While this is a soft launch, the company is expected to do a grand inauguration as well. To book the Model Y or the Model 3, consumers will need to head to the Mumbai experience store.
Musk’s company has imported all the cars fully assembled from China, paying heavy taxes (approximately 70 percent) on the same. The cars are said to be priced starting at around Rs. 40 lakhs in India.
The spotlight will be on the Model Y, which is the most popular variant of Tesla across the world. The SUV is available globally in two variants, Long Range RWD and Long Range AWD (Dual Motor). It claims to offer up to 574 km and goes from 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.6 seconds.
The Model 3, Tesla’s most affordable offering in the Indian market, will also be showcased but is expected to go on sale later in 2025. The top variant of the Model 3 clocks 0 to 100 kmph in 3.1 seconds, has a range of 507 km, and a top speed of 162 kmph.
Tesla India has reportedly leased a 24,500-square-foot space in Mumbai’s Kurla West to set up a service centre, located close to its upcoming showroom in BKC.
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