Lien Search Made Easier with Autosource

Lien Search: a Critical Part of the Total Loss Claims Process

With 37 percent of vehicles in Canada having an existing lien, conducting a lien search during a total loss claim is an ever-important task in every insurer’s workflow. Confirming if any lien holders have registered security interests on the total loss vehicle ensures that the right parties get paid. Every insurer wants to avoid the situation of finding out that there is an existing lien after a cheque has been written to the policyholder; this causes the settlement process to extend and administrative costs to increase.

Today’s Fragmented Process

For most insurers, the current process of conducting a lien search during valuation is multi-stepped and fragmented: switch out of their valuation system, use a third party personal property registry search tool specific to the vehicle’s province of registration, run the search, then print and attach the results to the valuation report. This process takes more time and administrative effort, is open to human error, and requires an overall higher cost. For such a critical part of the workflow, the current way of doing things seems unnecessarily ad hoc.

Meet Lien Search

Conducting a lien search is now possible from within Autosource, our instant vehicle valuation service. Searches for liens registered against vehicles in any province or territory can be directly ordered while in our valuation software, without requiring users to open another application. The decision to run a search may be based on insurer rules with respect to vehicle age or value, or at the adjuster’s professional discretion. Searches can be executed for snowmobiles, boats, other recreational vehicles, and specialty equipment.

Lien Search provides insurers with significant time savings and accurate information that ensures every vehicle is free and clear of liens–before the actual car value is paid out to the policyholder. This service capability is an outcome of our ongoing mission: to help insurers improve both efficiency and policyholder satisfaction.