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
Bank strike: Customers urged to finish key transactions before 3-day nationwide protest

New Delhi, Sep 26: Customers of several public sector and old-generation private sector banks have been advised to complete important banking transactions in advance as bank employees’ unions prepare for a three-day nationwide strike starting September 28. The proposed strike is expected to disrupt branch operations across many banks and coincides with the sector’s crucial half-yearly closing period.
The strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which claims to represent nearly 90 per cent of the country’s banking workforce.
The unions are pressing for the implementation of a five-day banking week, along with pension-related reforms and other employee welfare measures.
In a bid to reduce inconvenience to customers, the government has directed public sector banks to remain open on Sunday, September 27, enabling customers to complete urgent transactions before the strike begins.
State Bank of India (SBI) has issued an advisory stating that while it will make efforts to maintain essential services at branches and offices, some banking operations could be affected during the strike period.
The bank has urged customers to complete critical transactions ahead of time and make use of digital banking channels, including YONO, internet banking, mobile banking, UPI, ATMs and cash deposit machines, wherever possible.
Bank of India has also alerted customers about the planned strike and advised them to rely on the bank’s round-the-clock digital platforms such as internet banking, mobile banking, ATMs, business correspondent points and UPI services for their banking requirements.
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are also expected to participate in the agitation, potentially widening the impact on banking services across the country.
However, new-generation private sector banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank are expected to continue normal operations, offering customers an alternative for routine banking services during the strike period.
Earlier this week, the Finance Ministry appealed to bank employees’ unions to avoid the strike and resolve pending issues through dialogue. The ministry maintained that a majority of the concerns raised by the unions have already been substantially addressed.
Business
Nifty, Sensex dip for 7th week amid high crude prices, bond yields

Mumbai, Sep 26: The Indian equity benchmarks posted notable losses for the seventh consecutive week, as crude prices stayed elevated and US bond yields surged.
Nifty declined 0.88 per cent during the week and added 0.34 per cent on the last trading day to reach 23,140. At close, Sensex was up 315 points, or 0.43 per cent, at 73,895. It lost 0.54 per cent during the week.
Markets came under heavy selling pressure midweek as benchmarks slid over 1.6 per cent on Thursday before a modest rebound on Friday driven by value buying.
Brent crude stayed above the $105-per-barrel mark for most of the week, while WTI crude also remained elevated above $90 per barrel amid continued geopolitical uncertainty and concerns over global oil supplies.
However, oil prices moderated toward the end of the week, and eased global risk sentiment, concerns of pressure on the import bill, inflation expectations, the rupee and corporate input costs.
Analysts said that the global bond market continued to add pressure, with the US 10-year Treasury yield moving above 5.10 per cent during the week. Elevated yields continue to tighten global financial conditions and can reduce the relative attractiveness of emerging market assets, they added.
Foreign institutional selling has intensified significantly compared with previous weeks and has become a major headwind for domestic equities.
Meanwhile, Iran has submitted a new seven-day proposal to the United States to end the ongoing conflict and reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifts its naval blockade, waives oil sanctions and agrees to a broader ceasefire.
The 23,000 zone remains the immediate support area for Nifty, while the 23,200 region remains the immediate resistance zone, said analysts.
Market participants are also keen on the trajectory of rupee, with persistent oil-related demand for dollars and continued FII outflows potentially keeping the currency under pressure, although RBI intervention has helped contain excessive volatility.
Business
LG Electronics India gets notice to pay up Rs 153.58 crore as customs duty

New Delhi, Sep 25: LG Electronics India Ltd has received a show cause notice from the Customs authorities for the recovery of Rs 153.58 crore as customs duty for allegedly not including royalty payments in the assessable value of certain imported goods, the company has stated in a stock exchange filing.
The show cause notice has been issued following an investigation carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), alleging non-inclusion of royalty payments in the assessable value of certain imported goods.
The notice, dated September 22, was issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Customs, Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai, and was received by the company on September 24.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics, along with arch rival and compatriot Samsung, are also facing an investigation for alleged wrong claims of concessional 5 per cent customs duty on imported OLED glass screens. The DRI authorities have expressed the view that the concessional rate is meant for the older LCD and LEDs used in products sold in the mass market. For OLED parts, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is of the opinion that both Samsung and LG should have paid a 15 per cent customs duty, according to a Reuters report.
LG Electronics is reported to have sent responses to written questions by the authorities on its OLED imports and has voluntarily deposited the money to pay for the difference in customs duty as estimated by officials.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics India reported a 27.2 per cent year-on-year surge in net profit to Rs 653 crore for the first quarter of financial year 2026-27compared with the corresponding figure of Rs 513 crore in the same quarter of 2025-26, driven by strong summer demand and premium product sales.
The company’s revenue rose 15.5 per cent during the April-June quarter to Rs 7,233 crore compared with the corresponding figure of Rs 6,262 crore in the same quarter of the previous financial year.
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