Category Archives: "Newsletters"

Apr 28

The Direct Marketing Brief: Only 44% of Eligible Vehicles Have Coverage and How to Find Volume and Keep It in a Mostly Uncovered Market

Categories: Direct Marketing Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 4 | April 28, 2026 Intelligence for direct marketers in insurance, home services, warranty, and protection. This Week: The Coverage Gap THE NUMBER: 44% Only 44% of eligible U.S. vehicles carry VSC coverage, per Colonnade Advisors’ March 2026 whitepaper. Set against approximately 296.5 million passenger vehicles on U.S. roads, roughly 70% of which […]

Apr 28

The Dealership Brief: 55% of Buyers Leave Without VSC Coverage and Why That Is a Remarketing Opportunity, Not a Closed Door

Categories: The Dealership Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 4 | April 28, 2026 Intelligence for F&I agents, administrators, and dealership finance professionals. THE VEHICLE MARKET NUMBER: 45% Only 45% of new car buyers purchase a VSC at the point of sale, per NADA industry data cited in Colonnade Advisors’ March 2026 whitepaper. At an average selling price of $48,205 and a […]

Apr 21

The Weekly Curve: Warranty Repair Severity Has Compounded at 7% Since 2018 and Most Pricing Models Have Not

Categories: Industry Primers, The Weekly Curve Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 3 | April 21, 2026 For warranty administrators who manage loss ratios, reinsurance, and contract performance. This Week: The Compounding Repair Cost Base THE CURVE Service and parts sales per warranty repair order at franchised dealerships have grown from $343 in 2018 to $551 in 2025. That is a 60% increase over seven […]

Apr 21

The Direct Marketing Brief: A Record 27% of Trade-Ins Are $10,000 Underwater and Why the Used Vehicle Buyer Is Your Next Acquisition Cohort

Categories: Direct Marketing Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 3 | April 21, 2026 Intelligence for direct marketers in insurance, home services, warranty, and protection. This Week: The Affordability Handoff THE NUMBER: 27% A record 27% of underwater trade-ins now carry $10,000 or more in negative equity, per Edmunds Q4 2025. That is an all-time high. The average underwater balance sits at […]

Apr 21

The Dealership Brief: 114 Cars Per Salesperson, $48K Average Transactions, and Why F&I Margin for Error Has Never Been Smaller

Categories: The Dealership Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 3 | April 21, 2026 Intelligence for F&I agents, administrators, and dealership finance professionals. THE VEHICLE MARKET NUMBER: 114 Average new-vehicle retail sales per new-vehicle salesperson hit 114 in 2025, the highest mark in an eight-year window and up from 102 in 2022 (NADA Data 2025). Dealerships are moving roughly 12% more cars […]

Apr 14

The Dealership Brief: Fewer Deals on the Front End, Higher Claims Exposure on the Back, and the Oil Shock F&I Problem

Categories: The Dealership Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 2 | April 14, 2026 Intelligence for F&I agents, administrators, and dealership finance professionals. THE NUMBER: +$0.20-$0.40 Average U.S. gas prices have increased roughly $0.20–$0.40 per gallon following the Iran conflict, as oil markets reacted immediately to supply risk. For dealers, that shows up quickly in the vehicle purchase decision. As fuel costs […]

Apr 14

The Direct Marketing Brief: Rising Mortgage Rates Are Compressing Your Q2 Lead Pool and the Audience Shift You Need to Make Now

Categories: Direct Marketing Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 2 | April 14, 2026 Intelligence for direct marketers in insurance, home services, warranty, and protection. This Week: Inflation Pressure On Demand THE NUMBER: 0.25-0.35 Mortgage rates climbed 0.25–0.35 percentage points through April 1 — pressured by inflation concerns, energy shocks, and broader market volatility following the Iran conflict. For DTC home warranty […]

Apr 14

The Weekly Curve: One Oil Shock, Three Warranty Cost Curves, and a Reserve Timing Problem

Categories: The Weekly Curve Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 2 | April 14, 2026 For warranty administrators who manage loss ratios, reinsurance, and contract performance. This Week: RISING CLAIM COSTS THE CLAIMS COST SIGNAL The oil shock from Iran isn’t hitting one claims category — it’s hitting three at once. On vehicles, as energy and transport costs move higher, the downstream effect […]

Apr 7

The Direct Marketing Brief: 35% of Homeowners Cannot Cover One Repair Bill and Why the DTC Warranty Pitch Is Arithmetic, Not Aspiration

Categories: Direct Marketing Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 1 | April 7, 2026 Intelligence for direct marketers in insurance, home services, warranty, and protection. This Week: Home Warranty THE NUMBER: 35% Roughly 35% of U.S. homeowners have less than $1,000 saved for home repairs — yet average annual home maintenance costs now exceed $10,000. A single HVAC replacement runs $1,000–$3,000. A […]

Apr 7

The Dealership Brief: Vehicle Repair Costs Are Rising at Twice the Rate of Inflation and What It Means for F&I

Categories: The Dealership Brief Posted by: Kane Barker

Issue No. 1 | April 7, 2026 Intelligence for F&I agents, administrators, and dealership finance professionals. THE NUMBER: 13.9% Since August 2022, vehicle repair costs have risen 13.9% and maintenance costs 10.9% — compared to 5.6% for general inflation over the same period. Repair costs are running at more than twice the rate of broader […]