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Bill would let insurers apply for titles when insureds fail to return papers for total‑loss vehicles
Summary
Senate File 950 would allow an insurer that has paid a total‑loss claim but cannot obtain the vehicle title from the insured to apply for a title so the salvage vehicle can be auctioned. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion after stakeholders told the committee there is no known opposition.
Senate File 950, presented by Sen. Dan Jasinski, would create a process for insurers and salvage auction companies to secure title to a vehicle when an insurer has paid a total‑loss claim but the insured has not provided the title. The change is intended to align Minnesota with the majority of other states and avoid abandoned vehicles occupying auction lots.
Todd Hill, representing Copart (a national salvage auction company), told the Commerce Committee that the bill addresses two practical issues: (1) when an insurer pays a total‑loss settlement but cannot get the title from the insured and (2) when a low‑value vehicle is left abandoned at an auction lot after the insurer denies a claim or the insured does not reclaim the vehicle. The measure would allow an auctioneer to notify the owner and, if the vehicle is not reclaimed within a 30‑day window, to apply for title and clear the lot.
Copart and insurers told the committee they had worked with stakeholders, and Senator Jasinski said he believes the bill has no opposition. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion; no recorded committee vote advancing the bill was taken on Feb. 7.
Proponents: Senator Dan Jasinski; Todd Hill, Hill Capital Strategies, representing Copart.
Outcome: Laid over for possible inclusion; no committee recommendation on Feb. 7, 2025.
