Recently, the Automotive Service Association’s Collision Operations Committee (COC) met with Steven Seitz, the Federal Insurance Office’s (FIO) deputy director, and other FIO officials to discuss the future of the FIO, as well as its work in the property and casualty sector as related to vehicles.

Attendees were able to provide FIO senior officials with firsthand insight into the relationships between collision repair shops, consumers and insurance companies.

As part of the COC’s Washington, D.C., Fly-in, committee members were able to discuss the importance of federal oversight of the insurance industry and the need to protect the FIO with key congressional offices.

Following the meetings, Scott Benavidez, AAM, COC director, said, “We were very encouraged by the conversations we had today. The collision shop-insurer dynamic is often overlooked, but we were able to bring attention to the issues that directly affect our industry. We also had the opportunity to share our experiences with decision-makers on Capitol Hill and deliver the message that FIO does not need to go away.”