CBSI & Response Insurance to Provide Banking Industry Value-Oriented Auto Insurance Program
27 June 2000
CBSI & Response Insurance to Provide Banking Industry Value-Oriented Auto Insurance ProgramWHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Veteran bank market specialist, CBSI and Response Insurance, a direct-to-the-customer auto insurer, have agreed to jointly market auto insurance through consumer banking institutions. CBSI, located in Harrison, NY, will promote Response's auto insurance offer, which is provided at rates frequently 10% to 20% below those of other major carriers. The national program will enable banks to offer auto insurance quotations to their credit card, checking account and auto loan bank customers and will be communicated through direct response marketing, point of sale promotion and the Internet. Response Insurance, a subsidiary of Direct Response Corporation, is headquartered in White Plains, NY and has a call center in northern California. The Company is currently marketing auto insurance in 11 major states and anticipates distribution in 24 states by year-end. Response is positioning itself nationally by focusing on safe, responsible drivers and offering competitive rates and outstanding customer service. The total US auto insurance market is estimated at $125 billion in premium and, according to Conning & Co., the direct response segment of the market will increase from 12% in 1998 to a projected 16% in 2000, representing a gain of $6.4 billion in premium. "We are very pleased to work with a banking industry expert like CBSI," stated Dennis E. Robich, Response Insurance Vice President. "CBSI will help us expand distribution of our program to financial institutions across the country and provide us the opportunity to meet the expectations of both banks and their customers." CBSI will present the value offer of Response Insurance to consumer banking organizations with focus on mid-sized card and checking account issuers. Banks will benefit by adding an important financial service offer to their insurance product roster, while providing their customers with an excellent value. The program is designed to provide quotes to as much as 95% of most banks' consumer bases. "We believe that Response Insurance has done an excellent job tailoring their product to the needs of mid-sized bank customers," commented Kenneth G. Kraetzer, CBSI Vice President. "They have taken the time to build state-of- the-art rate quotation and policy issuance systems which will meet the service expectations of checking account, credit card and auto loan issuing institutions. The price advantage Response Insurance can offer will be well received by customers who request a quote." Response Insurance, a privately held auto insurance company, was founded in 1996 to provide consumers lower priced coverage and outstanding service. By focusing on insuring responsible drivers with better driving records and by reaching consumers directly, rather than through commissioned agents, Response is able to offer lower prices, more efficient service and excellent value. The Company was financed with an equity commitment of $310 million from an investor group led by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Capital Partners, the private equity unit of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. CBSI, founded in 1972, is a consumer insurance program management organization specializing in providing value added programs to retail financial organizations. Clients served are major financial institutions who offer credit cards, debit cards, checking accounts, and lines of credit, auto loans, and mortgages. CBSI provides insurance enhancement, fee service programs, and direct response management services to 750 banks primarily in the United States. Insurance benefits are provided to 100.5 million bank customers as of March 2000.