The American Arbitration Association® (AAA®), the leading provider of conflict management and dispute resolution services, has opened a new office in Buffalo, N.Y., offering local arbitration support in a region that has experienced a dramatic increase in arbitration requests for no-fault auto insurance claims.
The lengthy court backlog in New York State has created a situation where no-fault claim filers have to wait several years before their cases reach a hearing date. The speed and efficiency associated with arbitration, coupled with AAA's early settlement efforts through a conciliation process, have made it an attractive dispute-resolution option. The AAA has been selected by the New York State Department of Financial Services to handle the increasing amount of requests for arbitration to settle these claims. Historically, most arbitration requests to settle no-fault claims have been filed with AAA in downstate New York, but there has been a significant rise in upstate filings in recent years. In fact, no-fault arbitration filings in Buffalo increased by 68 percent between 2012 and 2016, and spiked at 12,336 filings in 2015.
Buffalo area residents can learn more about how to file a no-fault claim arbitration request at: http://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumer/csarbhow.htm.
"Our Buffalo office makes it possible to provide all necessary support for our upstate caseload locally," said Maureen Kurdziel, Vice President, AAA New York Insurance Case Management Center. "Opening an office staffed with experts and professionals from the surrounding community also gives us the opportunity to reinvest revenue from our growing caseload back into New York State and its local communities."
The AAA Buffalo office, located at 250 Delaware Avenue, employs a team of 30 experts from the local community, and is expected to grow over the next year. These experienced professionals provide the full spectrum of support to parties and arbitrators available in the New York City hub. AAA's cloud-based technology and data analysis platform for no-fault users can enable the Buffalo team to seamlessly manage the growing no-fault caseload from New York State's northwest region.
In 2016, a record 248,117 no-fault cases were filed with AAA, representing a caseload increase of 18 percent over 2015. The total value of claims at issue in AAA's no-fault program in 2016 came to more than $609 million. Since 2011, AAA's no-fault caseload has more than doubled, increasing by 171 percent between 2011 and 2016.
"We are proud that, year after year, we are the provider chosen by New York State to help filers of arbitration requests to cost-effectively and speedily resolve their claims," said Francesco Rossi, AAA Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. "Both downstate and upstate, we remain committed to providing valuable customer service and time/cost management assistance to filers and arbitrators—and supporting the communities where they live and work."
About the American Arbitration Association
The not-for-profit American Arbitration Association (AAA) has administered approximately 4.1 million alternative dispute resolution (ADR) cases since its founding. With 23 offices in the United States, in addition to Mexico, Singapore, and Bahrain, the AAA provides organizations of all sizes in virtually every industry with ADR services and products. For more information, visit www.adr.org.
About the International Centre for Dispute Resolution
As the international division of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) is one of the world's largest providers of arbitral and dispute resolution service. Established in 1996, the ICDR serves parties in more than 90 countries, with a staff fluent in over a dozen languages. Through more than 725 independent arbitrators and mediators, the ICDR provides a flexible, party-centered process over a broad range of industries and geopolitical issues. Its recently revised Rules have once again set a standard for arbitration case management. For more information, visit www.icdr.org.
