Digital Platforms

Several key provisions of the health care reform law go into effect today.

The typically soft-spoken Alabama Republican told reporters "there's no question" he will be elected chairman by the Republican Steering Committee.

The recession has etched permanent changes into the auto-physical damage industry, according to the “CCC Crash Course Update 2010,” a semi-annual publication written by CCC Information Services Inc. Contributing to the situation is the fact that consumers remain burdened with significant debt, unemployment remains high and consumer spending and consumption are still reserved, notes the publication’s author Lead Analyst Susanna Gotsch. The slow economic recovery is causing lower claim frequency and fewer repairs, which translates into a soft market for the automotive insurance and collision repair industries.

Amica Life, Allianz among companies recognized by StoneRiver

Agreement designed to bring mobile enterprise application platform to market.

A difficult economy and poor customer service may encourage fraud, according to a new Accenture survey.

New report surveys efforts to draft specific rules for the insurance industry.

With eight days to go before it expires, the bill now awaits passage from the House.

New report reviews solution providers as response to insurance agents’ demands for technology solutions that make it easier to do business.

Insurers recently have cut settlements with lenders, accepting cash in return for not investigating or rescinding coverage on mortgages that were the result of sloppy or fraudulent underwriting.

The Silverlake Forms Development Environment enables users to create or edit a form once using a WYSIWYG designer and output into multiple formats.

Fitch and S&P affirm ACE Ltd. ratings, A.M. Best downgrades Farmers’ Mutual Insurance, S&P lowers ING’s U.S. subsidiaries.

Advancements in health care analytics could mean big changes for insurers.

New survey says life insurers need to provide more information about the products they offer.

Zurich shares key lessons from losses over past 10 years; loss mitigation practices.

Personal and Commercial Lines Interface Leadership awards were presented during ASCnet’s 2010 TENCon event; Allied Insurance and Chubb won Innovation Interface Leadership Awards.

The Exchange is a business and renewal submission placement platform designed to enhance the flow of application data between agents, brokers and carriers.

At NAMIC convention, speakers urge continued industry engagement as legislators reshape regulatory environment.

For the sixth straight quarter, commercial insurance prices have remained stable, which Towers Watson attributes to predictive modeling techniques.

PCI urges Congress to act as NFIP set to end during height of hurricane season.

About 50.7 million people lacked health insurance in 2009, up almost 10% from 46.3 million in 2008.

New website intended to serve the litigation discovery needs of insurers.

President says Harvard professor will help pick agency's first director.

Observers opine that regardless of their feelings about Elizabeth Warren, it's hard to see her nomination as a very satisfactory result.

As substantial changes to the regulatory environment percolate, Swiss Re takes measure.

At CSC’s Future Focus, the buzz was around consumers, agents and mobility—all topics insurers can’t ignore.

New PCI data shows spike in earnings and surplus compared to same period one year ago, but underwriting losses mount.

Insurers need to rethink their document automation and management strategies due to complex internal structures and multiple document composition engines, notes a new report by Celent.

Agents Council for Technology offers free customizable starting point for agents’ own security plans and programs.

The appointment avoids a potentially difficult Senate confirmation battle for Warren, who is strongly opposed by the banking and financial services industry as well as several GOP lawmakers.

The FHA plans to raise its premiums next month, which could restore the competitiveness of private mortgage insurance.

GeoMetric assesses risk using driving locations.

SaaS-deployed OnBase OnLine will be available to Hyland customers on five continents in 2011.

New Aon report delves into the shifting criteria for enterprise risk management that rating agencies and regulators are using to determine insurers’ fiscal health.

A.M. Best affirms White Mountains Insurance Group and its subsidiaries; S&P corrects its outlook on Genworth’s mortgage insurance arm.

In an effort to bolster earnings, P&C industry will continue to report favorable reserve development in 2010 and 2011, but at a declining rate, says A.M. Best.

Dodd agreed with Republicans, arguing that the interim idea sounded akin to a recess appointment.

New Novarica report advises a “supply and demand” approach, along with benchmarking of tight operational peer groups to maintain accuracy.

A new study finds that many CIOs have yet to make their way from the back office to the front lines.

Stock conversion scheme would expedite insurer’s payback of bailout funds.

The AIR Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe incorporates the effects of the regional building codes and construction practices on building vulnerability.

Former CEO of Sun Microsystems says upstart will focus on intersection of innovation and health.

The capital agreements will be supplemented by a non-risk-based leverage ratio of 3%.

Weak economy, catastrophe losses continue to drag on insurance sector’s financial performance.

18-count indictment charts $100 million fraud scheme.

A noted Children’s Hospital is appealing a $250,000 fine for not reporting a data breach, but this should be a huge red flag for insurers.

Seeking to repay its debts, Liberty Mutual Holding Co. reportedly announced today that a unit providing coverage through independent agents will sell up to $1.41 billion in shares through a public offering.

Company will create unified coverage especially for drilling operations.

The Office of Financial Research is tasked with collecting data on behalf of the Financial Stability Oversight Board and analyzing it to spot risks to the economy.

Complete data is in: 2008 was the first year that payments for medical care were more than half of all workers’ compensation benefits, says the National Academy of Social Insurance.

HHS launched a Spanish-language version of the HealthCare.gov website, which was mandated under the health care reform law.

Version 10.5 features upgraded location analysis and customer data mapping for insurers.