Chris McMahon

Curt Kibler will oversee the e-Business department, including development, systems operations, business intelligence and reporting, carrier profitability, project management and quality assurance. Dan Bryce, who has been CIO since 2000, will be retiring later this year.

By asking the right questions, and offering the time to understand and explain coverages to consumers, independent agents are creating value to consumers, says Bill Wilson, CPCU and associate VP of education and research for Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. In the second part of this exclusive interview, Wilson discusses Google Compare, the differences in policies, and how insurers can differentiate themselves in a crowded field.

The two companies have complementary technology for insurance, payments, risk management, asset solutions, and retail and corporate banking, FIS said.

George Rogers has been promoted to SVP at GEICO. Most recently he was regional VP of GEICO’s Lakeland office, a position he has held since 2002.

PartnerConnect consulting partners now are able to deliver cloud-based applications that combine Guidewire products with their own content and services, as well as complementary third-party products in a hosted environment. Inaugural partners include Capgemini, EY and PwC.

Australian insurer Suncorp Group Ltd., has selected Solera's Risk Management Solutions platform to help manage an increasingly complex auto industry, while managing rising customer expectations, Solera said.

Jose Mercado has been named chief technology officer at Metromile, a pay-per-mile car insurer, effective immediately. Mercado will continue to report directly to CEO Dan Preston, Metromile said.

Majesco, a provider of insurance software, consulting and services, has launched Majesco Business Analytics, which the company says was built on the foundation of the Cover-All BI. Majesco previously acquired Cover-All, creator of the business intelligence application.

Texas Mutual Insurance Company, provider of workers’ comp insurance, has selected Guidewire’s DataHub and InfoCenter to support its enterprise-wide data management and business intelligence strategies, Guidewire said.

Clements Worldwide, provider of international car, property, term life, health, specialty and high-risk coverages for expatriates and international organizations, has deployed a direct-to-consumer portal using ISCS’ SurePower Innovation. The insurer completed the implementation of the policy, billing, claims and underwriting components of SurePower Innovation last year.

As direct sales, online comparative raters and insurance aggregators gain visibility in the U.S. market, independent agents continue to offer value to both consumers and insurers, says Bill Wilson, CPCU and associate VP of education and research for Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. In the first part of this exclusive interview, Wilson discusses trends in insurance distribution, the differences in claims experiences and the fact that not all policies are created equally.

American Family Insurance has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to test drones to facilitate catastrophe response.

Beyond matchmaking and introductions, Evosure said the platform now enables agents to communicate and send files and attachments directly to their underwriters. The enhancements are now live for EvoSure’s members.

Atlas General Insurance Services has completed the implementation of the FirstBest Underwriting Management System for its commercial property, commercial general liability and commercial package businesses using UMS Express, FirstBest’s accelerated implementation methodology.

The insurer, which produces as many as 10,000 documents per day, deployed Xpertdoc’s CCM solution to streamline and update their billing processes, enabling control over document content and design, Xpertdoc said.

Insurance broking and risk management firm Marsh has agreed to acquire Dovetail Insurance, provider of insurance technology services for the U.S. small-commercial market. Terms were not disclosed.

Private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo LLC has acquired the provider of cloud-based straight-through processing technology for an undisclosed sum.

United Frontier now will offer agencies access to commercial business owners’ policy, direct bill commission statement, homeowners and dwelling fire download services.

Petersmark has nearly 35 years’ experience as an information technology professional and executive in the insurance industry.

The insurer will implement the Accenture Life Insurance & Annuity Platform and Actuarial Calculation Engine.