Digital Platforms

New Celent report charts the evolution of underwriting systems for life insurers.

Report of Internet traffic hijacking highlights danger.

Willis Re has established a long-term relationship to develop solutions for risk scenarios using services from SpatialKey, a provider of SaaS-based location intelligence technology. The reinsurance broker will use SpatialKey to help its insurance clients better assess the composition of their portfolios and identify their exposure to natural and man-made hazards, including hurricanes, terrorism, tornados, and wildfires, the solution provider says.

Insurers express concern as amount they spend on medical care is now dictated by HHS regulations.

Despite the abundant risks facing U.S. property/casualty carriers these days, exposure to municipal bond losses is one that shouldn’t be keeping insurers up at night.

More than 50% of health providers surveyed expect to increase their IT spend, says Beacon Partners.

Robert Wood Johnson report offers modeling approaches for states analyzing what their health insurance exchange should be.

BlueWave Technology, a provider of claims management solutions, and SpeedBuilder Systems LLC, a policy administration solution provider, announced a strategic marketing and technology agreement.

New report says estate tax confusion and legacy systems are major challenges for the industry in the year ahead.

The mutual insurer will implement CSC's systems for its life and personal and commercial P&C lines of business.

Marshall & Swift/Boeckh to provide cost information for estimating property claims.

With a firm foundation for cloud computing laid in 2010, Forrester analysts predicts 2011 will be a landmark year for technology.

Banks seeking laundry list of carve-outs that would give financial institutions so many exceptions from the rule that it might as well not exist at all.

While purchasing property insurance online is still in its infancy compared to the auto insurance market, the time is ripe to increase property quotes and purchases.

CEO Kelly predicts “opportunities” for a share sale.

Moody's says the industry regained some of the ground it lost in early 2009.

As climate researchers turn verbal somersaults to explain their findings, insurers will remain perplexed over future weather patterns.

Critics pounce on $86 million insurers gave to Chamber of Commerce to fight health care reform.

More than two years after convictions, five former insurance execs take arguments to 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

New data indicates growth in premiums written and net investment income, with sizable after-tax realized capital gains offsetting net underwriting losses.

John Bowman argued that Dodd-Frank made his agency the scapegoat for the financial crisis, could spell doom for the thrift charter.

Markets will pick up 4.5% in the coming year, which would be a return to 2008 levels, Ovum predicts.

Customers tend to be loyal to their insurers, but policy retention rates vary, J.D. Power auto insurance satisfaction study reveals.

Data collection underway to uncover the role technology plays in U.S. life insurers’ response to increased competition here and abroad.

While fatalities are down, more can be done to prevent injuries and fatalities, report says.

IVANS says Transformation Station will boost EMCs’ sales by enabling more frequent quoting by agents and faster response to customers.

Company says it’s gearing up for IPO.

Insurers may want keep tabs on advancements in the mobile payment realm.

“Misguided” provision mandating additional expense reporting will place burden on insurers, says mutual association.

Property/casualty industry has until 2012 to comply with new mandatory reporting requirements on liability claims.

Study: major companies, including insurance companies, saved median $271M annually from better top-end investments.

The outcome of the current administration's efforts to clamp down on Internet privacy may create a positive spin for President Obama—and migraines for insurers simply trying to conduct business.

S&P revises outlook on CIGNA Corp., Moody's affirms Liberty Mutual Group Inc. ratings and A.M. Best assigns ratings to Unitrin’s “Automatic Shelf” Registration.

Insurers executing a reinsurance program are faced with getting it right the first time.

S&P report ponders consequences of interest rate risk to insurance industry.

Accounting standards board won't wait for the appointment of new board members to pursue its ambitious agenda of rule changes.

Risks can be mitigated by utilizing stronger data security programs, Ernst & Young report says.

Latest figures show employment in property/casualty industry at 20-year low.

Fitch says pension shortfalls still not a material credit concern for U.S. insurance industry.

Android and iPhone are starting to crush Blackberry when it comes to business use and consumer app development.

Insurers may want to keep an eye on trends in IT that will focus on development for social media and mobile devices, Gartner says.

Against volatile stock markets, insurers benefited from increases in investment income and improvements in capitalization, notes A.M. Best report.

Analyst firm expects agent channel to give way to non-traditional channels such as bancassurance and aggregators.

Despite barbarians at their gates, Moody's reports that P&C insurers remain financially sound.

Aetna president says company will seek new avenues for growth in response to new law.

Insurers, among others, warned the Financial Stability Oversight Council that designating companies as systemically important could do more harm than good.

USAA's banking arm is disguising new technology through old-fashioned, face-to-face service.

More IT spending will shift its strategic use to better understand customers and markets, improve products and increase sales opportunities, survey says.

As studies confirm the promise and limits of traditional safe driving initiatives, technology may provide an answer.

The feds say it will be a “secure” system, but definitions of security vary.

A number of insurers have begun to release their financial results for Q3 2010. The following is a compilation of their announcements:

Study finds large employers "are reluctant to lose control over a key employee benefit."