SAN FRANCISCO, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Esurance, the
direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company, today announced
that its RepairView™ online repair monitoring service is available
for consumers using Facebook.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090826/ESURANCELOGO)
Using RepairView, customers who have filed a claim with Esurance
and have their car repaired at one of the 1,000+ Esurance-approved
E-star repair facilities nationwide can monitor the entire car
repair process from any computer or smartphone and share the photos
on Facebook Non-Esurance consumers can access RepairView on their
desktop computer and enjoy the same Facebook-sharing
functionality.
Once a user connects RepairView to a Facebook account, the most
recent repair photos post automatically to their Facebook Wall.
This exclusive feature provides consumers a unique mechanism for
sharing their photos with their social networks. Esurance is the
first car insurance company in the industry to integrate this
unique technology into Facebook.
For smartphone users, RepairView is available through Esurance
Mobile, the free app for iPhone®, Android™ and Windows® Phone 7
devices. Other smartphone users can access RepairView via the
Esurance Mobile website
"Online repair monitoring has been a customer favorite since we
first started offering it in 2007," said Joe Laurentino, Esurance vice president of
material damage. "Integrating RepairView with Facebook helps us
provide a more seamless online experience for customers and
leverages the power of social media."
RepairView offers customers a better claims experience. Recent
Esurance statistics found that:
- In the first quarter of 2011, consumers that used RepairView
rated their claims experience nine points higher than those that
did not.
- Consumers who take advantage of the RepairView integration with
Facebook have their car repair photos viewed seven times more often
than those who don't (1).
- Women aged 35 and over, in particular, find RepairView's
Facebook integration particularly useful: the number of
female users in the 35+ demographic who used RepairView via
Facebook outnumbered male users by eight percent during the first
quarter of 2011.
RepairView's web-enabled system exemplifies the "technology"
aspect of Esurance's best-of-both-worlds approach to car insurance,
which promises: Technology when you want it. People when you
don't™. View a demo of RepairView at
www.esurance.com/repairview.
About Esurance®
Esurance, a subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd.
(NYSE: WTM), provides personal auto insurance direct to consumers
online and through select agents, including sister company, Answer
Financial. Esurance is dedicated to constantly improving the way
people shop for, buy, and manage their auto insurance. By combining
the best of technology with industry know-how, Esurance is able to
offer hassle-free coverage with 24/7 customer service and claims
handling at competitive prices.
Through Esurance's website, www.esurance.com, customers can get
instant car insurance quotes, view comparison quotes, buy an
Esurance policy, and print their insurance cards— all in minutes.
Esurance also offers policyholders the ability to make policy
changes and file claims instantly online, demonstrating its
commitment to improving the entire insurance process from quote to
claim.
Answer Financial, also a subsidiary of White Mountains, is one
of the largest independent personal lines insurance agencies in the
country. Answer Financial offers comparison quotes and provides
auto and property insurance from more than a dozen top-rated
insurance companies through its website, www.answerfinancial.com,
and over the phone. In May 2011,
White Mountains announced that it signed a definitive agreement to
sell Esurance and Answer Financial to The Allstate Corporation
(NYSE: ALL), the nation's largest publicly held personal lines
insurer. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other
customary closing conditions, including review by antitrust
authorities and state regulators, and is expected to close in the
fall of 2011.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements,
other than statements of historical facts, included or referenced
in this release which address activities, events or developments
which we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future are
forward-looking statements. The words "will," "believe," "intend,"
"expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict" and
similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements include, among others,
statements with respect to White Mountains':
- changes in adjusted book value per share or return on
equity;
- business strategy;
- financial and operating targets or plans;
- incurred losses and the adequacy of its loss and loss
adjustment expense reserves and related reinsurance;
- projections of revenues, income (or loss), earnings (or loss)
per share, dividends, market share or other financial
forecasts;
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- future capital expenditures.
These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses
made by White Mountains in light of its experience and perception
of historical trends, current conditions and expected future
developments, as well as other factors believed to be appropriate
in the circumstances. However, whether actual results and
developments will conform to our expectations and predictions is
subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from expectations,
including:
- the risks associated with Item 1A of White Mountains' 2010
Annual Report on Form 10-K;
- claims arising from catastrophic events, such as hurricanes,
earthquakes, floods or terrorist attacks;
- the continued availability of capital and financing;
- general economic, market or business conditions;
- business opportunities (or lack thereof) that may be presented
to it and pursued;
- competitive forces, including the conduct of other property and
casualty insurers and reinsurers;
- changes in domestic or foreign laws or regulations, or their
interpretation, applicable to White Mountains, its competitors or
its clients;
- an economic downturn or other economic conditions adversely
affecting its financial position;
- recorded loss reserves subsequently proving to have been
inadequate;
- actions taken by ratings agencies from time to time, such as
financial strength or credit ratings downgrades or placing ratings
on negative watch;
- other factors, most of which are beyond White Mountains'
control.
Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this
press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and
there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments
anticipated by White Mountains will be realized or, even if
substantially realized, that they will have the expected
consequences to, or effects on, White Mountains or its business or
operations. White Mountains assumes no obligation to publicly
update any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.
(1) Data as of February 3,
2011
SOURCE Esurance