Digital Platforms

IT Experts Debate Hot Topics

Aflac survey finds that more than half of respondents not prepared to pay for out-of-pocket expenses not covered by major medical insurance.

Agent barricaded himself in agency office; allegedly shoots fraud investigators attempting to obtain information.

June 17 is the deadline for comments on the EHR certification program designed to support meaningful use.

Firm acquires São Paulo-based IT services firm to expand its footprint in Latin America.

Study commissioned by MassMutual, others, reveals that sponsors "find comfort" in their advisers and services.

Amid failures and breaches, public and private sector groups are at early stages of fending off breakdowns and hacks; existing standards often neglected.

New iCloud service will serve as online repository and automatically synchronize files across range of devices.

BuildFax and Equifax say they will provide property & casualty insurance carriers with history on commercial and residential buildings that will improve the accuracy of underwriting valuation models.

LITTLETON, Colo. – You can scale the outside wall of the Qwest CyberCenter here and drop down the other side into this industrial equivalent of a fortress, as a couple of national security spooks did a few years ago. But, like trying to scale a castle in the Middle Ages, you might just end up in a moat, inside.

While it’s widely understood that the fortunes of the insurance industry are intrinsically linked with the economy at large, a new study the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) quantifies that connection.

Revolutionary violence, insurrection, strikes and war join terrorism as key threats to businesses, says reinsurance intermediary Aon.

The Economical Insurance Group has been named the winner of the 2011 Technology Innovation Award by the Insurance and Accounting Systems Association and Ward Group.

A.M. Best, Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s (S&P’s) released ratings updates. The following are some of the most recent:

Former Vice President Al Gore touched on everything from Moore’s Law to Minnie Pearl while pondering the impact of technology on the insurance industry, during his keynote address at the 2011 Insurance and Accounting Systems Association conference in Nashville.

Even his harshest critics will acknowledge that Al Gore has considerable insight and wide interests.

More than half of property and casualty insurance companies are implementing new policy administration systems, according to a survey by Ward Group. And almost half of them are over budget, as they proceed.

The thunderstorms that struck the United States from May 20 to 27 will result insured losses to residential, commercial, and industrial properties, as well as automobiles , of between $4 billion and $7 billion.

Cover-All Technologies introduced a suite of data collection and analysis software that can draw information from nearly any existing source in an insurance company.

StoneRiver is launching a new launch page.

STG Billing solution chosen for ability to support direct bill, agency bill and other unique billing requirements.

Advancement of LifeSuite to open up new business, operational opportunities with time-saving features.

With an eye on cost efficiencies, including negotiations with health insurers, employers are making employees’ health habits a top concern.

Organizations need to defend their data assets against internal threats, not only disaffected workers but also trusted administrators who hold the keys.

45,800 jobs were added to the IT sector in the past 12 months, but the financial services industry has seen a decrease of 25,000.

Paper notes exchanges as “active purchasers;” offers support to states.

J.D. Power reports breaks down how State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive use humorous advertising to snare customers.

New study from Oracle and INN finds that aged IT systems remain operational impediment for insurers.

Borders of the office are being redefined forever by collaboration and engagement on Web platforms

2011 IT spend projected at $125 billion for small and midsized businesses, insurers included.

Survey reveals that online applications now initiate a majority of new policy sales.

Insurers contemplating integrating mobile platforms into their enterprises must take heed of this disturbing trend and make tough calls.

Australia’s largest insurer looks to expands into U.S. forced-placed insurance market.

Fixed annuity sales month-to-month rose 6% in the first quarter, and Western National and New York Life contributed the most sales.

As FEMA’s Direct Servicing Agent, the property/casualty software and services provider will expand services to insurance agents, policyholders, lenders and other stakeholders.

After profiling 10 document automation systems for its recent report, Celent suggests five factors to consider before investing in the systems.

Perr&Knight, a provider of insurance support services, will launch an insurance technology services arm next week, the company reports.

Health insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may pose a threat to COBRA.

Risks rise as employees increasingly use personal mobile devices for enterprise purposes.

As rule makers finalize the Dodd-Frank Act behind closed doors, insurers fear they will suffer collateral damage.

With the dollar falling and global capital markets still uncertain, dealing with financial risk is becoming tougher for life insurers.

Insurance business process outsourcing market blossoms; driving costs out of the claims process.

FCCI chooses Sword Insurance Portal; Physicians Mutual selects InsPro Enterprise.

The recently released white paper from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners on the role of producers in state exchanges, while helpful, leaves many crucial questions unanswered.

Through May, State Farm provided more than $2.5 billion in catastrophe claim payments to its customers across North America.

Witnesses tell House committee that cross-state sales would reduce the number of uninsured.

As the insurance industry continues to recover from an ailing economy, the focus on life insurers’ overall financial health has been largely a “wait-and-see” one. Unlike property/casualty carriers, whose cash flow is relatively fluid, life insurers’ success is tied largely to superior, sustained financial management.

June 8, 2011 is the last day nominations for Women in Insurance Leadership awards will be accepted.

As the Asian insurance market continues to grow, it faces constraints and opportunities not unlike their North American competitors. A recent report by Boston-based research and consulting firm Celent notes insurers' top three drivers for IT investment in 2011: growing the business, ease of doing business with agents and other distribution channels, and ease of doing business with customers. The report reviews in detail the current business trends facing the market for 2011, and how they are impacting IT investment.

Survey results reveal increase in real-time upload and commercial lines download.

Suite to enable managing general underwriter to deliver agent service, support for multiple carriers.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says, in a turnaround from prior rankings, six of 13 small—rather than large—cars earn safety awards.