Digital Platforms

Company launches Bolt Platform, an online sales and client service platform, is designed to make real-time access available to all stakeholders.

Starting in 2014, workers at companies with fewer than 100 employees were supposed to have been able to choose from a variety of health plans through new small-business insurance marketplaces.

New version designed to complement governance, risk appetite measurement and assessment services.

Data-driven analytics company for health care and insurers launches iPad app, Q-Metrics dashboard.

Emerging markets, with low interest rates and minimal market penetration, present best opportunities; products fail to thrive in United States.

While the large number of catastrophes is prompting some specialty carriers to exit more challenging lines, cyber-liability insurance continues to see double-digit growth.

Celent report finds the tools increasingly capable and sophisticated, provides tips for insurers considering the many options.

Amica receives the highest score in J.D. Power and Associates’ claims satisfaction ranking of 19 insurers.

Celina to use Talon predictive analytics suite as part of agreement.

Edinburgh office intended to enhance client services globally.

New report lists the top 5 fixed annuity companies from a record-breaking 2012.

Workers’ compensation and medical malpractice among lines most likely affected; impact likely to differ by state.

Income annuity sales set new quarterly record, increase for fourth-consecutive quarter; fixed annuity sales drop 11 percent compared to 2011.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has proposed banning force-placed insurance commissions in a blow to banks and other mortgage servicers.

OneShield's Dragon chosen by the medical malpractice/workers' compensation insurer for policy, rating, billing and business intelligence.

Provider of nonstandard auto coverage looks to data and analytics to drive growth.

In 2012, banks sold $1.6 billion in life insurance premium, the second highest annual production level in the history of the bank channel. The bank’s record year was 2010, when it sold $1.8 billion in life insurance.

Sales and hiring expectations are restrained, however, due to public policy concerns.

Policy administration, claims and billing to be centralized for all of Haverford's group of companies.

Claims Manager brought in to serve as cloud-hosted core claims processing system for PCM.

Coverage designed for U.S.-based multinational companies with complex exposures.

The insurance industry in Puerto Rico had a compound-annual-growth-rate of 5.8 percent between 2007 and 2011, despite a contracting national economy, according to a report from Timetric, a provider of online data, analysis and advisory services on the financial services industry. However, opportunities for further foreign investment and sustained growth in Puerto Rico are limited, due to the high rate of insurance penetration, according to Timetric’s “The Insurance Industry in Puerto Rico, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2017.”

FinSecure partnered with SBS to implement several customer service advancements in one fell swoop.

The insurers will offer custom product suites on iSelect Custom Benefits Store, a Michigan multi-carrier and multi-distributor benefits exchange for mid-sized and small employers.

The part of the legislation that prompted the halt placed a cap on non-emergency care and a 14-day deadline for treatment from massage therapists, acupuncturists or chiropractors, as well as the requirement that an emergency medical condition exist for the full $10,000 PIP coverage.

Shifting health care costs and aging claimants will sharply affect auto insurance costs in the years ahead, according to Assured Research.

As the life insurance and annuity industries move toward model-based approaches to reserve and capital valuation, actuarial models are increasing in complexity and sophistication while the imperative to avoid modeling errors also increases, according to a recent report from Deloitte, titled “Actuarial Modeling Controls: A Survey of Actuarial Modeling Controls in the Context of a Model-Based Valuation Framework.”

New York State's Department of Financial Services has reached a settlement with the country's largest force-placed home insurer, in a deal meant to lower prices and prohibit widespread kickbacks in the industry. The agreement with Assurant Inc., one of two insurers which dominate the market, will lower insurers' profit margins and prohibit banks from receiving payments that pad the cost of insurance.

Enterprise Accounting System and investment solution brought in to support the insurer's regional expansion.

Customer self-service solution purchased in an attempt to provide a better consumer experience, cut operational costs.

Despite rate increases, CAT losses and bodily injury claims weighed on 2012 results.

While the percentage of Americans who believe it is acceptable to increase an insurance claim by a small amount is down 9 percent from a similar survey in 2002, 86 percent know that insurance fraud leads to higher rates for everyone.

Compared to 2012, some insurers reported increases of 30 to 55 percent in applications submitted during the first two months of this year.

In the United States, aggregate deal volume declined 21 percent, however, Q4 activity increased.

Insurer sets production target of January 2014 for major policy administration and claims implementation.

The 23rd annual Retirement Confidence Survey indicates that 28 percent of respondents—the highest level in the survey’s history—are not confident about being able to afford a comfortable retirement.

Contributing to the dramatic rise in popularity are automakers rolling out safety telematics globally, and partnerships between wireless carriers and insurers.

According to a new release from Fitch Ratings, the firm’s compilation of full-year GAAP 2012 financial results for a group of 48 publicly traded reinsurers reveals a 75-percent improvement in operating earnings and operating return on equity of 7.3 percent versus 4.4 percent in 2011.

North American insurers expected to overtake Europeans by 2015 in terms of IT spending.

Growth strategies aimed at baby boomers may be losing their effectiveness among younger consumers, as the population becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, according to “Life-Annuity Consumer Markets Annual,” from Conning. Additionally, generational attitudes toward financial services products and technology are not only different, but evolving.

As the market responds to the Affordable Care Act, group and voluntary benefit insurers must externalize IT architecture, billing and enrollment systems to be successful with and in health insurance exchanges, according to study.

Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund also to use STG Insurance Content Designer and Content Manager tools.

Analytics teams must be based in business and ready for “chaos” as an agile response to the ongoing shift in sources and certainty of business data, according to International Institute for Analytics faculty member Mike Lampa.

National Life Group has selected iGO e-App to automate the marketing, selling and processing of its diversified life and annuity products.

The directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance marketplace is in a state of transition, characterized by a firming market, according to the “2012 Directors and Officers Liability Survey,” conducted by professional services company Towers Watson.

Cyber coverage levels also increased according to the report. Across industries, limits purchased in 2012 averaged $16.8 million, a 20-percent increase over 2011. Communication, media and technology companies led other industries in terms of average limits purchased, at $33.4 million, and the rate of increase, which was nearly 36 percent.

With persistently low interest rates continuing to dampen profitability, group life/annuity/voluntary benefit insurers are investing in benefit and policy administration systems, customer and agent portals, and easy enrollment capabilities to increase profits, according to “Business and Technology Trends: Group Life/Annuities/Voluntary Benefits,” a report from Novarica.

Armed with analytics, insurers should be able to make better business decisions more quickly and mobilize teams to connect better with customers, leading to success and growth, according to PwC.

U.S. life insurers underperformed most industries after taking risks that should have been left to Wall Street banks, McKinsey & Co. said in a report today.

Peak Reinsurance Co., a reinsurer focusing primarily on the Asia-Pacific market, has selected a catastrophe modeling solution from AIR Worldwide to manage its catastrophe risk.

Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer, said profit this year will be about 3 billion euros ($3.9 billion), little changed from 2012, as prices remain stable and lower interest rates weigh on investment income.

Life policy administration solution designed to support underwriting, policy administration and payouts.