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The Quality of Insurance Intermediary Services – Empirical Evidence for Germany

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  • Eckardt, Martina
  • Räthke-Döppner, Solvig

Abstract

Insurance intermediaries help consumers to economize on information and transaction costs in insurance markets. However, competing insurance intermediaries provide heterogeneous services, which are difficult to assess by incompletely informed consumers. Transaction costs economics, search theory and principal agent theory provide arguments on product quality differences between the two main distribution channels in insurance markets (exclusive agents vs. independent intermediaries). The present paper uses a sample of 927 insurance intermediaries in Germany. By performing OLS estimations we test the impact of the different distribution channels, but also of other factors relating to the information processing activities on intermediaries’ service quality. Depending on the proxies used for service quality, we find mixed evidence for the “product quality” hypothesis according to which independent intermediaries provide better service quality than exclusive agents. We find that service quality depends also to a large extent on the information gathering and processing activities of the individual intermediaries.

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  • Eckardt, Martina & Räthke-Döppner, Solvig, 2008. "The Quality of Insurance Intermediary Services – Empirical Evidence for Germany," MPRA Paper 10703, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:10703
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    3. Dionne, Georges & Harrington, Scott, 2017. "Insurance and Insurance Markets," Working Papers 17-2, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management.
    4. Jin Lung Peng & Lih Ru Chen & Jennifer L. Wang & Larry Y. Tzeng, 2017. "Diversification Versus Strategic Focus: Evidence from Insurance Intermediaries in Taiwan," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 42(3), pages 530-555, July.
    5. Marcus C. Christiansen & Martin Eling & Jan-Philipp Schmidt & Lorenz Zirkelbach, 2016. "Who is Changing Health Insurance Coverage? Empirical Evidence on Policyholder Dynamics," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 83(2), pages 269-300, June.
    6. Manuel Leiria & Nelson Matos & Efigénio Rebelo, 2021. "Non-life insurance cancellation: a systematic quantitative literature review," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 46(4), pages 593-613, October.
    7. Lex, Christoph & Tennyson, Sharon, 2021. "EU intermediary regulation and its impact on insurance agent quality: Evidence from Germany," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Lu-Ming Tseng & Yue-Min Kang, 2014. "The influences of sales compensations, management stringency and ethical evaluations on product recommendations made by insurance brokers," Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(1), pages 26-42, February.
    9. Lukas Stricker & Joël Wagner & Angela Zeier Röschmann, 2023. "The Future of Insurance Intermediation in the Age of the Digital Platform Economy," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-32, August.
    10. Thomas Köhne & Marija Köhne, 2024. "Uncovering the Impact of Digitalization on the Performance of Insurance Distribution," Risks, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-30, August.
    11. Agarwal, Sumit & Kuang, Weida & Wang, Long & Yang, Yang, 2024. "The role of agents in fraudulent activities: Evidence from the housing market in Beijing," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    12. Richard Brophy, 2012. "Development of insurance regulation in Ireland," Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(3), pages 248-263, July.
    13. Benjamin L. Collier & Marc A. Ragin, 2020. "The Influence of Sellers on Contract Choice: Evidence from Flood Insurance," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 87(2), pages 523-557, June.
    14. Thomas Köhne & Christoph Brömmelmeyer, 2018. "The New Insurance Distribution Regulation in the EU—A Critical Assessment from a Legal and Economic Perspective," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 43(4), pages 704-739, October.
    15. Dan Constantin Dănuleţiu & Adina Elena Dănuleţiu, 2011. "Trends And Challenges Of Romanian Brokerage Insurance Market," Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, Faculty of Sciences, "1 Decembrie 1918" University, Alba Iulia, vol. 2(13), pages 1-24.
    16. Paula Onuchic, 2021. "Advisors with Hidden Motives," Papers 2103.07446, arXiv.org, revised May 2023.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Insurance Distribution Channels; Service Quality;

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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