The Road to ROI with F&I

As it is with most dealerships, your parts and service department is probably your company's lifeline. According to a previous report by the National Dealership Association, the service and parts department accounted for about 46% of the gross profits of the average dealership. Putting such figures into considerations and your F&I department isn't as close in terms of profits, there's no better time to start considering dealership reinsurance than now.

Reinsurance is an agreement between two insurers, where one transfers portions of its risks portfolios to reduce the chances of paying a large insurance claim. In this model, the reinsurer is the second business and is responsible for clearing the claims that arise from the first company.

In the dealership world, reinsurance is a separate company owned by you, the dealer, and is in charge of providing vehicle service contracts, certified pre-owned programs, GAP, warranties, and collateral programs for your clients without involving the services of third-party insurance.

Benefits to Becoming a Dealer Equity Plan Provider

Dealerships that incorporate the F&I side of their business benefit financially. Dealer equity companies allow dealerships to develop a secondary revenue stream. Dealerships that turn F&I departments into reinsurance companies benefit from the F&I products they sell through the partnership they have with the direct underwriters of these products.   

As a dealership owner, resources for realizing long-term revenue are a crucial part of your business. This is where the concept of dealer-owned reinsurance can play an important role.  This financial mechanism can greatly assist with warranty obligations as well as give dealers an upper hand over their business. 

The term "reinsurance" is confusing, but its concept is not hard to understand. As explained on AutoSuccess, "reinsurance is a separate company, owned by you the dealer, to provide Warranties, Vehicle Service Contracts, GAP, Certified Pre-Owned programs, and Collateral Protection to your customers without having to buy from a third party company."

Reinsurance sounds like a good technical term. However, this technical term can be among the best things you do for your dealership and customers. Reinsurance is an excellent strategy for insulating your dealership from volatility and protecting your bottom line.

Reinsurance sounds like a good technical term. However, this technical term can be among the best things you do for your dealership and customers. Reinsurance is an excellent strategy for insulating your dealership from volatility and protecting your bottom line.

Reinsurance is an agreement between two insurance companies. In this definition, the reinsurer is the second business and is responsible for clearing the claims that arise from the first insurance company.

On average, services and parts departments make up a significant chunk of the business revenue in car agencies. However, your finance and insurance section should be a close second. If that isn't the case, then it's about time you had a rethink of your whole strategy and make more provisions for dealer reinsurance.

A Dealer-Owned Reinsurance company gives your dealership the ability to handle and oversee extended vehicle service contracts and related products as an additional source of revenue. The most common reason dealerships avoid opening a reinsurance company is misconceptions about the risks and benefits. Since your company will only re-insure the business your dealership writes through your F&I operations, you will never be affected by another company's losses. The ownership of your reinsurance company can yield greater profits for the dealership and allow you to provide your customers with better service.