NEEDHAM, Mass., May 22, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Jewelry losses were the big ticket items in value and volume for property insurance claims made in 2011 according to Enservio's annual Contents Claims Index (CCI). Claims for jewelry items rose from 13% among the top ten contents-loss categories in 2010 to 17% for Replacement Cost Value (*RCV) in 2011, taking the top spot as the most claimed loss-item in 2011. Simultaneously, electronics dropped to the number two position, decreasing from 15% in 2010 to 13% RCV in 2011. These are a sampling of the top findings of the annual CCI announced today by Enservio ( www.enservio.com ), the nation's leading provider of contents inventory creation, valuation and replacement services and software.
(*note:Replacement Cost Value/RCV defines the cost to replace property with the same kind of material and construction without deduction for depreciation.)
The Enservio CCI aggregates and analyzes contents claims reported by over 300 U.S. property insurers, providing valuable insights into contents claims trends on more than 20 million individually appraised personal and business items claimed by insured as lost, damaged or stolen. The index consists of more than 2,000 categories and subcategories of millions of personal and business items -- with thousands of new line item descriptions added every week.
2011 Content Claims Trends Revealed -- Top Ten Categories
The Enservio CCI shows the top contents categories compiled from claims filed with insurers in 2011. Jewelry topped the list at 17% of RCV, followed closely by Electronics at 13%. Apparel and Furniture are tied for the number three spot at 11%, followed by Home Goods at 9%.
Enservio Contents Claims Index for 2011 Top contents categories as compiled from claims filed with insurers in 2011. Ranked by dollar value as a percent of total claims. ---------------------------------------------------- 1. Jewelry 17% -------------------------- -------------------------- 2. Electronics 13% -------------------------- -------------------------- 3. Apparel 11% -------------------------- -------------------------- 4. Furniture 11% -------------------------- -------------------------- 5. Home Goods 9% -------------------------- -------------------------- 6. Tools 4% -------------------------- -------------------------- 7. Appliances 4% -------------------------- -------------------------- 8. Sporting Goods 3% -------------------------- -------------------------- 9. Books & Magazines 3% -------------------------- -------------------------- 10. Bed and Mattress 2% -------------------------- --------------------------
Note: For a comparison with the previous year's CCI, visit http://bit.ly/JXR44h .
A closer look at the Top 10 categories and subcategories provides insights into consumer purchasing habits and economic factors impacting property insurance claims. In the Jewelry category, the number of claimed items increased by 57% in 2011.
Regarding theft, Jewelry, Electronics and Tools account for 62% of all RCV claimed for theft versus 35% RCV for all other categories combined. Rings, watches and necklaces all maintained their ranking within the Jewelry category as top loss-claim items.
The Electronics category saw 15% growth in claims losses in 2011. Within the category, TV, Laptops and Desktop Computers have maintained their top ranking as the most claimed items year-over-year.
"In 2011, we've seen the switch in position between the Electronics and Jewelry categories, while the overall category rankings and rankings within each category indicate only slight changes year-to-year," said Jon McNeill, CEO of Enservio. "These top level insights and the ability to mine contents data for deeper and more granular trends provide valuable intelligence for insurance carrier product and business strategy planning."
The 2011 Enservio CCI also revealed the following contents-claims trends:
-- Regional Trends -- Jewelry claims are more prevalent on the West Coast of the U.S.
-- Claims for electronics are more prevalent in the South
-- Claims for tools are more prevalent in the Midwest
-- Furniture claims are more prevalent in the East
-- Apparel -- Men's Shirts in 2011 are 3% higher than Women's Shirts when compared to last year
-- Books & Magazines -- Books & Magazines have displaced Movies & Music in the number nine spot among the top ten, a finding counterintuitive to today's electronic media trends
-- Odds & Ends -- Ashtrays claimed increased by 15% at a time when the overall population is smoking less
-- The percentage of claims for Maps decreased by 66%, which could reflect the growing use of GPS in computers, mobile devices and vehicles
About Enservio
Enservio is the market leader in property insurance affinity solutions, strategic analytics, and contents software, inventory, valuation, replacement and replacement tools. Enservio created the first SaaS (software as a service) software platform for contents, the first replacement mall, the first payment debit card for claims and the first ContentsITV product. We provide software and services to property insurance carriers and their policy holders nationwide. Founded in 2004, we are headquartered near Boston, in Needham, MA with offices and professional staff across the United States. For additional information, please visit the company's web site www.enservio.com or call 888.567.7557.
SOURCE: Enservio
Emanate Tom Francoeur, 781-404-2405 tom.francoeur@emanatepr.com
Copyright Business Wire 2012
