Digital Platforms

A.M. Best says outlook stable for personal and reinsurance, commercial lines’ negative.

Insurers reluctant to engage catastrophe-prone property and workers' comp business in Q4 2012.

Eleven life insurers, including AXA Equitable, USAA and Metlife, were recognized for their efforts and successes with their online tools and/or website features.

Eleven P&C insurers, including Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm, were recognized for their efforts and successes with their online tools and/or website features.

Survey of life insurance CFOs finds few satisfied with speed, reliability; run-time requirements are highest priority.

iWorks Prophet purchased in an effort to centralize and standardize actuarial practices across business lines.

New York Life, State Farm among those honored; see companies broken down by percentage of women holding executive responsibilities.

On a composite basis, U.S. commercial lines were up 5 percent and personal lines rates increased 4 percent as compared to the same time period a year earlier, according to MarketScout’s rate index for January 2013.

Based on data compiled between 2008 and 2012, the National Insurance Crime Bureau breaks down the models and states most prone to theft.

Insurer plans to use eRiskHub's cyber risk resource portal to evaluate data security risks.

Leadership inexperience cited as a main reason for the poor results.

PCI lists 21 states discussing legislation that would allow drivers to use electronic insurance IDs on smart devices.

The IT job market added 73,500 new jobs in January, according to BLS data from Janco. Even with the unemployment rate rising to 7.9 percent, the number of new jobs for IT professionals is now at levels high enough for IT mid-level manager and developers to say IT is in full recovery mode, according to analysis from Janco Associates.

New LIMRA survey finds employment-based pension plan options declining while opportunities abound for financial services industry.

One of the largest insurance agencies in Wisconsin grows with the acquisition of Burkart-Heisdorf.

Metlife, Allstate and GEICO received the best scores for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, respectively.

New product releases from IBM and EMC attempt to deliver on the promise of big data security.

In midst of purchase, CEO shares company goal of generating at least 20 percent of operating earnings from emerging markets by 2016.

New John Hancock research indicates that lower price options increase purchase interest in long-term care (LTC) insurance among 45-65 year olds, especially at younger ages.

Net income for the quarter dropped nearly $200 million despite a rise in enrollment.

PCI commends Attorney General Schneiderman as insurers have been able to pay Sandy claims within an average of 20 days.

Insurer working with Command Investigations, which will provide SIU, anti-fraud services and investigative services.

Increases pushed by above-average losses, diminished investment returns and receding reserve releases, Marsh says.

Company execs discuss the declining hardware market and PaaS offerings currently in beta testing.

IIABNY also recognizes three other insurers with annual awards.

Although the industry sectors share challenges, including the continuing weak global recovery, Moody's says life insurers will be the most impacted by a slow growth environment, given that their products are often discretionary purchases. Low interest rates will also weigh on life insurers' margins.

Personal and commercial P&C insurers say data capture and transformation into useful information has become a critical differentiator of performance within the marketplace, according to a new survey.

Novarica survey identifies longer-term threats and opportunities for both P&C and life/annuity insurers.

Insurer's field staff will receive tablets preloaded with RC Inspection in attempt to improve field data collection.

A month after the vote was delayed by Congress, and three months after the storm, President Obama is expected to sign Sandy relief package.

More than half admit to not being familiar with LTCI products; just 5 percent own LTCI.

New flood maps and building codes are expected in less than two years.

Customer analytics is presented as the driving force behind big data success in new survey results.

PDSpectrum purchased to provide policy processing and management for NFMRA.

Former director of IBM's Information Governance consulting practice uses Progressive as an example when discussing the emerging need for big data governance.

HealthPocket analysis finds Montana tops list of states, John Alden tops list of companies for rejection rates.

Head of the agriculture unit at Munich Re cites drought as the biggest cause of losses in 2012.

Vehicle repair times and satisfaction with the repair process both decline.

After President Obama reintroduced Richard Cordray as the long-term head of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau yesterday, many were still calling for restructuring.

App will soon be available on both iOS and Android platforms.

A new report from Forrester provides an overview of mobile capabilities in insurance, including an array of potential functionalities and customer interest.

In a new report, Gartner outlines three trends pushing more enterprises toward cloud-based security.

IMF Report says mandatory reinsurance cessions regulations are protectionist, hinder market access and growth.

More natural peril events occurred in 2012, but the losses incurred were far below the record-highs established in 2011.

Insurer looks for greater flexibility and efficiency from BillingCenter, a Guidewire product.

A day after the National Association of Insurance Commissioners announced former U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) will be the organization’s new CEO, several industry groups have commented on the appointment.

Experian QAS survey finds fewer than 1 percent of businesses lack data quality initiatives.

Accenture’s Duck Creek Software to support rating and quoting for underwriters and agents.

A recent survey shows a gap between the perception of Own Risk Solvency Assessment Model Act preparedness and the actual completeness of insurers’ enterprise risk management frameworks.

Survey of IT and executive respondents reveals planned functionalities that could turn BYOD into a competitive advantage.

With climate change prompting a transformation, insurers will find opportunity to take on some risk in the energy sector, which will continue to be crucial in the world economy.

From 2008 to 2011, the number of questionable claims suspected of being part of an organized group or ring activity increased by 47 percent, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s “Data Analytics Forecast Report.” However, that number of questionable claims with the OGA referral reason decreased markedly in 2011 and continued to fall in in the first half of 2012.