Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

The A-Team of Extended Warranties: Ten companies, whose names all begin with the letter A, control at least 57% of the $40 billion U.S.-based and consumer-facing service contract industry. Most are administrators and/or underwriters of the protection plans, but a few are electronics manufacturers and/or retailers.
September 21, 2017
Service Contract Underwriters: Well over half the service contracts sold each year to consumers are backed by publicly-traded insurance companies based in the U.S. What follows is a list of their financial strength ratings and a look at their stock market track record since 2008.
February 5, 2015
Appliance Service Contract Underwriters: The names in the terms and conditions of a service contract are seldom the same as the name of the parent companies. And then there are the holding companies and investment companies that own the parents. In the retail appliance realm, we found just 10 insurance companies underwriting all service contracts. Here's a profile of each, along with links to their ultimate parents.
October 17, 2013
Appliance Service Contract
Market Shares: Though the market has remained relatively flat for years, market shares are changing as online sales are gaining and new players are emerging. Still, six underwriters control 90% of the market share.
October 10, 2013
PCMI's Extended Warranty Management System: Service contract administrators and underwriters need software that helps them manage both claims and revenue. And increasingly, they need multilingual and multiple-currency systems that can travel with them as they expand internationally.
September 5, 2013
Solar Warranties, Part 3: What happens if my manufacturer goes under? Insurance carriers may have an answer for that question, both as backers for lengthy manufacturers' warranties and as underwriters for extended warranties. Homeowners want peace of mind and so do the investors behind the huge projects.
December 15, 2011
WCM Conference, Part Three: The future of the consumer electronics industry was the subject of a panel discussion that brought together retailers, manufacturers, repair service providers, insurance underwriters and extended service contract administrators to talk about everything from OnStar to iPhone.
March 24, 2011
Vehicle Service Contract Administrators: As we conclude our VSC industry tour, we take a look at the financial strength ratings of the underwriters, the end user revenue of the administrators, and the myriad of links they have with each other, with auto dealers, and with the vehicle manufacturers.
September 9, 2010
Vehicle Service Contract Underwriters, Part 2: Numerous corrections need to be made, and multiple explanations need to be given, before we can move on to the final phase: Tracking the administrators. And it's becoming obvious that the reason there's so little market research on the VSC industry may be because there's so many moving parts to consider.
September 2, 2010
Vehicle Service Contract Underwriters, Part 1: If you know how many vehicles were sold and how much insurance was purchased, you can make a pretty good guess of how much consumers have spent on vehicle service contracts. But who sold them? How much were they? Some answers follow.
August 26, 2010
OEM Warranty & VSCs, Part 2: As we continue our tour of the vehicle service contract industry, we find that some of the cars the contracts cover are being made better than before. Still, it's increasingly the fortunes of third party administrators and underwriters that will be most directly affected by the reduced need for VSCs.
August 19, 2010
INDS Signs with Virginia Surety: One of the largest vehicle service contract administrators has selected one of the largest service contract underwriters to help it diversify and expand.
July 29, 2010
Service Contract Underwriters: The insurance companies that back service contracts are graded on their financial stability. And while the Detroit Three automakers and some of the other recipients of the TARP bailout billions get relatively low grades, most of the majors remain on the honor roll with an A- or better.
February 11, 2010