Digital Platforms

Former CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg says the insurer’s current strategy may hurt the company when P&C insurance prices decline.

The number of HSAs and HRAs increased to 5.7M in 2010, up from 1.2M in 2006; assets in these plans jumped to $7.7B in 2010 from $835.4M in 2006.

Underwriters had their work cut out for them last year trying to figure out these vehicular advancements.

IRI study finds room for growth as consumers remain unfamiliar with benefits of annuities.

Advocacy group alleges Allstate received an extra $20 million in premiums per year in California from its Your Choice Auto program.

The insurer takes its second stab at selling Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd., agreeing to a deal for $2.16 billion, pending regulatory approval.

Company says it will exit market to allocate resources elsewhere.

Saugatuck research shows cloud may comprise 65% or more of all new enterprise IT investments by 2015.

The NexJ solution is designed to integrate lead and contact info from multiple systems to provide a single view of the customer across the enterprise.

Insurers may be interested to learn how one financial institution is combating sophisticated malware attacks.

To say that small insurers have been hard hit by the recession is an understatement. Representing approximately $71B in direct premiums, the sector faces constraints affecting long-term growth. As most analysts will agree, the small insurance business market has been squeezed in a contraction not seen in decades, and in spite of expectations to the contrary, the market has not regrouped in 2010.

Share price of insurer expected to dip as newly announced warrants, government shares begin trading.

All four agencies withdraw ratings of AIG subsidiary, Fitch affirms New York Life, Moody's affirms State Farm Life Insurance Co.

MetLife's annuity is the only deferred variable annuity with a living benefit distributed through Fidelity.

A.M. Best maintains stable rating outlook on life/annuity and property/casualty personal lines, but sees commercial lines lagging.

Banks’ sales of fixed and variable annuities remained largely flat in November.

Insurer to use the ISCS policy administration product in its personal auto business.

American International Group agreed in to pay $450 million to settle litigation with rival insurance companies, but Liberty Mutual isn’t one of them.

Gartner outlines four major areas for disruption.

News of the impending recapitalization caused the insurer's shares to hit their highest levels since October 2008.

Next generation technology seems to be a savior, and a challenge, to insurers trying to respond to the changing behavior and expectations of the customers who embrace it.

The IRS will not require insured plans to comply with nondiscrimination rules until further guidance has been issued.

IIABA says agent commissions should be excluded from calculations of non-claims costs.

Genworth discontinues retail and group variable annuities, while Western & Southern and Allianz put faith in new variable annuities.

Insurers may be interested to see how the bank is leveraging new technology to converse with customers online.

The insurer's banking arm aspires to be a "material competitor" to the "top four" mortgage lenders.

How can insurers protect privacy when insureds place so little value on it?

TPG Capital acquired the residential and commercial property valuation technology provider.

Based on input from employees, Northwestern, Travelers among top 50.

New study shows that mean compensation for IT pros increased since last year.

National Insurance Producer Registry add states reaches 100-million transaction milestone.

European insurers need to be become more cost-efficient to counter stagnating premiums.

A global panel of consultants and senior executives, some of whom work with insurance industry clients, say that building the project manager’s (PM) influence, accelerating new leadership and communication skills, and increased use of informal learning approaches such as social media and experiential training are among key themes for 2011 project management professionals. The global panel of experts was assembled by ESI International, a subsidiary of Informa plc that delivers consulting and education services, to identify top trends for 2011.

Best-in-class, high ROI ERP implementations do not always cost more if well managed, Aberdeen research finds.

We know mainframes can take a pounding, but they also need to be responsive and Web-aware.

U.S. carriers comprise only 20% of A.M. Best's annual list of largest insurers ranked by total assets, and just 36% when ordered by net written premiums.

State Auto Insurance Cos. and Guidewire Software today announced that State Auto selected Guidewire ClaimCenter as its claims management system. State Auto will deploy ClaimCenter for all of its lines of business.

Under the rule, ONC will select one organization to accredit entities wishing to become a health IT certification body.

In the year to come, popular sentiment will push wireless device growth in insurance/financial services, but increasing security problems will push back.

Despite the prevalence of the trusted adviser model, relationships are expensive and at low premium levels, not worth the investment.

Registration for Medicaid MU programs in 11 states started this week.

Moody's rates Berkshire Hathaway Finance Corp., Fitch affirms Northwestern Mutual Life, S&P removes State Auto from it CreditWatch list.

A combination of regulatory, political, and economic factors are set to create an uncertain environment for U.S. health care insurers, Moody's Investors Service says, leading to a continuation of the negative outlook for the industry.

The memorandum of understanding marks the first formal coordination effort between states and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Legacy replacement, mobile applications and better use of analytics are among the issues confronting insurers.

National health insurer Aetna this week announced its formal acquisition of Medicity, a health information exchange technology company from Salt Lake City. The move is seen by many as a proactive approach to meeting health care reform requirements.

Of particular interest for many in 2011 will be mobile, social media and PFM that make for more efficient customer service.

While opinions on how to fix them vary, nobody would dispute that the problems surrounding the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are legion.

Industry group Agents of America (AOA) reports that it has formed a strategic partnership with the Professional Liability Committee of the Defense Research Institute (DRI). DRI is an international organization of attorneys devoted to the defense of businesses and individuals in civil litigation. It consists of approximately 22,000 members, including defense attorneys, corporate counsel, and insurance claims attorneys. Known as “The Voice of the Defense Bar,” DRI says that it is committed to educating and enhancing the professionalism of defense lawyers, and to improving the overall civil justice system.

Wall Street validates 2010 as a stellar year for insurance shares.

Anecdotal data from new research released by the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. (NCCI) confirms that work-related injuries are far more costly if the injured worker is obese.

Oversight of the Dodd-Frank Act has become the prevailing theme for lawmakers as they discuss their agendas, but will substantive changes occur?