Digital Platforms

Worchester, Mass. - The Hanover Insurance Group Inc., a regional property/casualty company based in Worchester, Mass., is offering Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) bonds through the company’s online point-of-sale system, BONDirect. The federal government’s ERISA bonds protect employee benefit plans against losses caused by fraud and dishonesty committed by employee trustees.

Toronto-based kanetix, Canada's online insurance marketplace, compared the average lowest auto insurance premium quoted at www.kanetix.ca in Q2 2007 with the average lowest premium quoted from the same period in 2006, and found that the average lowest price had decreased by almost 17%.

El Segundo, Calif. - To remain competitive in the life and annuity industry, insurers should exploit technology to create more innovative products and introduce them faster, according to insurance industry analysts speaking at Computer Sciences Corp.’s Life and Annuity Users’ Forum.

Washington- The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) is reiterating its opposition to the National Insurance Act of 2007.

Washington— The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) is reiterating its opposition to the National Insurance Act of 2007.

In the wake of insurers increasing their efforts to utilize the Internet to broaden their accessibility, streamline efficiency and reduce time and costs, two insurers have recently ramped up their online customer service capabilities.

Washington, D.C. - The House Financial Services Committee today passed H.R. 2761, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision and Extension Act of 2007 (TRIREA) by a vote of 49 to 20.

Richmond, Va. - Markel International Ltd., the company's London-based operation, will enter the Asian market with marine and professional liability products, the company reports. Markel Vice Chairman Steven Markel told INN that the push in Asia is in conjunction with its operations as a syndicate of Lloyd's of London.

Frisco, Texas – The consolidation in the vendor arena continues as Skywire Software, making its third major acquisition of the year, snapped up Canadian automation and compliance solutions provider Whitehill Technologies, Inc.

SC BLUES WINS CALL CENTER TECH AWARDBlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C., took top honors in the "Best Use of Technology" category during the 3rd Annual Call Center Excellence Awards held recently in Las Vegas.

FEE REDUCTION FOR INSURANCE SERVICESThe Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation's (DTCC) Insurance Services New York business reports its first fee reduction in history, reflecting growing usage of its services. Insurance Services has automated linkages and data exchange between carriers and their broker/dealer, bank and other distributor partners who market insurance products.

Reinsurance firms are gripped by a series of major challenges, from increased consolidation in the industry to the rise in securitization and the greater risk primary insurers assume. Although the firms' brokers remain intent on winning clients by accentuating the personal touch, many reinsurers are aggressively adopting technology to confront the stiff obstacles they face.A principal new challenge for reinsurers is the rise in the use of securitization to support life insurance products. Both life and P&C insurance firms are turning to securitization to access capital markets, which has helped lead to a decline in recurring reinsurance since 2005, according to the recent study, "Emerging Trends in U.S. Life Reinsurance: Challenge or Opportunity," from the Hartford, Conn.-based firm Conning Research and Consulting Inc. While recurring reinsurance increased significantly from 1995 through 2000, it flattened out from 2001 until 2004, and then began declining in 2005. "To the extent that some primary insurers, initially several larger ones, use securitization as a substitute for reinsurance, it presents a threat to reinsurers," the study notes.

DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER INSURER CHOOSES RULES MANAGEMENT SYSTEMPrecedent Insurance Co., a subsidiary of American Community Mutual Insurance Co., headquartered in Livonia, Mich., chose Redwood Shores, Calif.-based Corticon Technologies' Business Rules Management System as a critical component in the development and management of Precedent's direct-to-consumer healthcare insurance solution. Precedent plans to deliver a suite of health insurance solutions called REMIX, which includes "Coverage on Demand" plans that charge the insured for only the health insurance coverage they need.

A study of European insurance policy holders by Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research Inc. revealed an overarching reluctance to manage their accounts online. Given many of the major carriers’ desire to drive more customers to the Internet for routine sales and service interactions, the data points to an uphill battle.

Hartford, Conn. - The economics of distribution channels in personal auto insurance can be difficult to understand, and this can present both opportunities and challenges in a softening rate market, according to a new study by Hartford, Conn.-based Conning Research & Consulting.

Ipswich, Mass. - The Customer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their online customers, released findings from its Third Quarter 2007 Online Customer Respect Study of the Life Insurance Industry.

New Delhi and The Hague, the Netherlands - Insurers outside the U.S. are actively creating partnerships in a business affecting the banking and insurance industries.

Philadelphia – To support high-quality patient care, Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross (IBC) is providing physicians with enhanced data about members with chronic conditions.

Needham, Mass. – Leaders in claims operations are beginning to break away from traditional processes and seek technology to assist them in managing a complex business process that has, to date, been extremely people intensive, according to new research from TowerGroup, Needham, Mass. Claims departments have been historically reluctant to adopt technology solutions, perceiving technology as incapable of duplicating the decision-making process of an experienced claims adjuster.

Washington, D.C. - NAVA has struck an alliance with Atlanta-based Financial Services Institute (FSI) to automate electronic annuity sales for independent broker-dealers. The alliance is the latest in a series of actions that play into NAVA's straight-through processing (STP) initiative, a comprehensive set of standards for managing new annuity business electronically. With the goal of reducing redundancies and costs, and increasing efficiencies across the industry, the STP standards, published in December 2006, address e-signatures, e-document management and regulatory acceptance, and includes built-in compliance capabilities to help prevent unsuitable sales. NAVA and the FSI, a membership association of broker-dealers that serve registered representatives who are independent contractors, will work together to augment the STP standards and enable broad adoption among FSI members. The group comprises 110 broker-dealer member firms with more than 130,000 independent registered representatives.NAVA reports that independent brokers represent a significant and fast-growing channel for the distribution of variable annuities - FSI members account for more than 36% of all annuity sales. Mike DeGeorge, NAVA's general counsel, told INN that one of the group's goals is to have broader participation from the independent channel. "FSI gives us access to a larger group of advisers," he says. "We have similar alliances with ACORD, and we've been working with the American Council of Life Insurers." DeGeorge says that NAVA already counts 19 of the top 20 insurers on its executive council, including Allianz Life, Hartford Life, Pacific Life, Principal Financial, Prudential Financial, Transamerica Life and Wachovia Securities. Major wire houses, such as UBS and Morgan Stanley, along with 10% of the bank channel, are also involved, DeGeorge adds. NAVA is also in the process of working with other trade associations as well as federal and state regulators to secure wide-spread acceptance and approval of STP."We want to let them know what we are doing and why we are moving to electronic commerce," DeGeorge says.The group is now working on implementation guides for the standards, model consent documents, and on suitability standards that provide common interpretations of regulatory requirements.This series of actions, reports DeGeorge, is designed to encourage more brokers, advisers and representatives to sign on. "Now it's paper intensive, time-consuming process," he says. "Reps feel it's a good product, but hard to sell because of all the paper. We want to make it easier for the consumer-make it less like buying a house with all the paper-retirement planning can be made very easy with this." Source: NAVA

Pearl River, N.Y. - Building upon the success of its initial rollout, the insurance standards body organization ACORD announced the expansion of its testing and certification facility to include test capabilities for ACORD Reinsurance & Large Commercial (RLC) Placing message implementations.

Hartford, Conn. - A new, automated system introduced by The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. significantly hastens the creation and modification of personal lines insurance policies.

Seattle – Teenagers may liken Teensurance to George Orwell's all-knowing “big brother.” But Safeco is hedging its bets that parents will appreciate its new technology and services designed to help protect their teen drivers as they gain experience behind the wheel, and drive competitive advantage in the process. Safeco released its Teensurance product, which employs a set of online tools based on an on-board GPS and notification technology called the Safety Beacon. This new bundle of tools enables families to take proactive steps to monitor their teen’s behavior behind the wheel. Parents can set speed, distance and curfew limitations. A real-time notification service tells parents when their teen drivers are in danger. Teensurance is available to customers with Safeco auto insurance policies, and includes free installation of the Safety Beacon, which is guaranteed for two years. Safeco’s goal with Teensurance is to keep communications open about driving and the responsibilities that come with having a driver’s license. “Teensurance is a proactive solution to help our customers keep their families safe on the road, and the first in a series of Safeco innovations that push beyond traditional insurance to impact our customers on a broad scale,” said Jim Havens, vice president of consumer solutions at Safeco. The Teensurance program’s set of tools includes set “safe driving” zones to gradually ease new drivers into the driving experience; the ability to unlock a car door remotely using a simple code; access to 24/7 roadside assistance, a parent/teen contract and pertinent educational materials, including a “TeenDash” survey. Source: Safeco

New York – Aiming to capitalize on the record pace of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), Zurich has created a new business unit designed to cater to the companies involved. The unit, part of Zurich's global corporate business division, will offer customized products and services to help companies manage M&A transaction-related risks, the company says.

London - Though still nascent, enterprise risk management (ERM) programs are becoming more established amongst European insurers, a report from Standard and Poor's (S&P) has found. In its report, "Enterprise Risk Management Assessments on Europe's Insurers," S&P surveyed 70 European carriers about their adoption and use of ERM programs.

Boston - A new research report from financial research and consulting firm Celent predicts that online sales of insurance will double by 2011. Titled "Online Insurance Sales and Marketing: What's Happening and What's Next" the report projects that the Web will play a increasingly prominent role in personal insurance purchases.

Edison, N.J. - In the latest of several insurance-specific outsourcing vendor mergers and acquisitions, insurance software provider MajescoMastek has acquired Indianapolis-based Vector Insurance Services LLC (Vector), a technology solutions provider and third-party administrator that focuses on the North American life & annuity insurance industry.

London - Navigating the international regulatory landscape and addressing the challenges of catastrophe exposure reporting are among the subjects that will be broached when ACORD convenes its London Forum in October. ACORD is intending that the forum be a "meeting of the minds" that will unite insurers, reinsurers, solution providers, brokers and cedents from the UK, EU, and US. Dennis Mahoney, Chairman of Aon Global, is slated to deliver the keynote address. The forum will be held at Gibson Hall in London on October 17 and 18.

Waterloo, Ontario - Manulife Financial reports that it is launching the Canadian insurance industry's first new business notification feed that meets new national standards for delivery of information to agencies and their advisors dealing with the company. The feed, once processed, allows agencies and their advisers to view the underwriting status of policies on a daily basis, greatly reducing time spent on inquiries and follow up calls about their clients' applications. The process is the first to meet new guidelines outlined by the Canadian Life Insurance Electronic Data Interchange Standards (CLIEDIS). "This is a significant advance in service to our Managing General Agencies and National Accounts. These organizations are focusing on improved technologies to increase their office and business efficiency so they can spend more time working with clients," said Andy White, AVP, Distribution Systems, Manulife Financial. New Business Notification feeds provided through this new standard contain current advisor, policy and underwriting status of new business pending policies, based on the Canadian Insurance Transaction Standardization (CITS) Pending Case Status Implementation Guide from CLIEDIS. The Canadian Life Insurance Standards Association coordinates development of public standards for the Canadian life insurance industry. A distributor's feed will be available for download to its back office system through a phased launch on Manulife's advisor Web site, says the company. Manulife Financial is no stranger to best practice IT models, as the company has already made commitments in the areas of ITIL and CMMI, and expects their business units and subsidiaries in 19 countries to follow suit. For example, as reported in Insurance Networking News (December 2006), Manulife-Sinochem Life Insurance Co. Ltd., a joint venture of Canada's Manulife Ltd. and China Foreign Economic and Trade Trust & Investment Co., designed a customer-oriented service at the front-end, which requires CRM system support at the back-end. "Their product design is closely connected with the IT system and the IT accommodates the product quite well by playing a supporting role," says Thomas Wong, chief analyst at Beijing-based Analysys International. Source: Manulife Financial, Insurance Networking News

Armonk, New York - IBM has released more details about its SOA roadmap for the insurance industry. At a conference in May, the company said it would provide roadmaps for eight different industries, including insurance. The roadmaps are based on long-term industry outlooks and new IBM Business Blueprints that enable organizations to better align business and IT. The insurance roadmap provides real-time access to policy, claims and related data through multiple modes of communication with IBM's insurance for agent collaboration framework, the company says. IBM also announced the results of a survey of clients that concludes the strategic decisions about (SOA) adoption are shifting away from the realm of IT staffers to business executives. The survey was conducted for IBM by the Link Group and consisted of a sampling of clients at the IBM Impact 2007 event, which drew more than 4,200 technical and business leaders The survey revealed that 67% of the respondents said the key decision makers responsible for moving to an SOA strategy are business leaders including C-level executives and business managers. Additionally, 65% of clients said that business leaders are also primarily responsible for selecting an IT partner to help achieve business goals in an SOA. At the same time, the survey also found that there is an increasing need for training staff so they possess the unique combination of both business and IT skills required for a business to realize the potential of SOA. Source: MarketWire

Lexington, Mass. - FirstBest Systems, a Lexington, Mass.-based developer of underwriting management software has announced the formation of an Underwriting Knowledge Center.

Las Vegas - A feature on its Web sites that links directly to a physician's office has garnered an award for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. The feature, called STATchat, took top honors in the "Best Use of Technology" category during the 3rd Annual Call Center Excellence Awards held recently in Las Vegas. STATchat allows a physician's office staff to call BlueCross over the Internet and gives them priority for customer service. Physician office staff members simply click on the STATchat icon to call for assistance without dialing any numbers by using an inexpensive headset with microphone. STATchat links the staff member with a BlueCross provider services agent, ahead of calls from physician offices using traditional phone lines. Both the awards and the conference are organized by the International Quality & Productivity Center (IQPC). Experts and practitioners in the call center field judged this year's award entries. "Providers who utilize our STATchat feature receive the help they need with little or no wait time," said David Boucher, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's assistant vice president of health care services. "This allows our providers to better focus on their vital role of caring for their patients." Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Source: PR Newswire

Oakland, Calif. - Web-based options are playing a larger role in doctor-patient interaction, notes Kaiser Permanente. The Oakland, Calif., health insurer released a study that was published in the American Journal of Managed Care and describes how secure e-mail changes the way patients choose to access medical care. "Patient access to electronic health record with secure messaging: impact on primary care utilization" examines the use of secure e-mail between Kaiser Permanente members and physicians. According to the study: Patients with online access to an electronic health record (EHR) are choosing to use secure e-mail, thereby decreasing the number of primary care office visits and telephone contact rates. The study noted that the use of secure e-mail linked to an EHR decreased annual adult primary care outpatient visit rates by 7 to 10% and led to 14% fewer phone contacts than those not using online services. "The access to personal health management tools, including secure email is helping our members get care how and when they want it," states Yvonne Zhou, PhD, one of the authors of the study. "It is valuable to have been able to document an evolving trend that shows consumers are choosing to replace office visits and phone calls with electronic communication with their doctors." More than 1.4 million Kaiser Permanente members are registered to use the company's secure online services. Since launching secure e-mail services, more than 2.7 million e-mail messages have been sent to providers. Source: PR Newswire

Zurich, Switzerland - In the latest in a series of insurance-related executive announcements, Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) announced the appointment of Christian Orator to the position of Global Chief Claims Officer. He will assume his new role as of August 1, 2007. Orator, 44, and a Swiss and Austrian citizen, will succeed Jane Tutoki who was appointed Chief Claims Officer for Zurich North America Commercial. In his new position, Orator will be responsible for leading a global network of claims professionals and driving continuous improvement in the group's claims capabilities and customer service. He will be report to John Amore, CEO General Insurance, and will be located in Zurich. Orator currently heads special initiatives within the office of the Group Chief Administrative Office. He has extensive experience in the strategic planning, underwriting and claims fields having held numerous executive and operational positions in Austria, the US, Germany and at Corporate Center since joining Zurich in 1989. These roles include serving as a member of the German Executive Board, responsible for commercial lines and broker distribution. He holds a Ph.D. and master's degree in law from the University of Vienna as well as a master's degree in comparative law from Dickinson School of Law in the United States. Source: Zurich Financial Services Group

Los Angeles – At a time when acquisitions are plentiful in the insurance industry (see "More Acquisitions For the Insurance Industry") Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announced the completion of its acquisition of non-standard auto insurer, Davie, Fla.-based Bristol West Holdings Inc.Bristol West began providing private passenger auto insurance to Florida residents in 1973. Since that time, it grew to be a provider of liability and physical damage insurance at competitive prices. Bristol West operates in 26 states.

Alexandria, Va.-Agents are taking a more active role in the agent/carrier relationship. Agents want to do more than simply view or access forms on a portal; they want to enter data and communicate with multiple carriers and vendors for quoting, policy issue and inquiry-and they want to enter the data once.

CIGNA HealthCare, Hartford, Conn., announced yesterday that it will begin providing online precertification this fall to more than 365,000 physicians in its national network.

Jersey City, N.J. - The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry's net income after taxes dipped to $15.8 billion in first-quarter 2007 from $16.7 billion in first-quarter 2006 and $17.7 billion in first-quarter 2005. Reflecting the declines in net income, the property/casualty industry's annualized rate of return on average policyholders' surplus (statutory net worth) dropped to 12.9% in first-quarter 2007 from 15.5% in first-quarter 2006 and 17.9% in first-quarter 2005, according to Jersey City, N.J.-based ISO Properties Inc. and Des Plaines, Ill.-based Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI).

Brussels – Under a new measure that may be proposed as early as July 10, insurers within the European Union that conduct business across various borders may be supervised by regulators representing larger groups. EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy is expected to propose Solvency II, a law designed to help regulate how insurers set aside money to cover risk and provide increased policyholder protection while creating a more competitive insurance marketplace. But Peter Skinner, who is expected to steer the measure through parliamentary channels, said lawmakers were already considering a "plan B" if no deal is reached on the supervisory aspects of Solvency II. Conflicting news reports state that the Solvency II deadline may be moved to 2010. Currently, multinationals such as Allianz, Generali, Aviva and Axa, account for 85% of total premiums in Europe, and represent 14 of the bloc's 27 member countries. The fear, say analysts, is that if a new measure is passed, national watchdogs could be given a limited role as supervisors in London, Frankfurt and Paris, home to many of the big groups, take charge. Lawmakers say that the assembly and EU states have joint say on Solvency II. A 28th regime would likely be a voluntary scheme outside existing legislation in the 27 EU member states. Skinner reportedly wants home regulators to be responsible for approving an insurer, with local watchdogs keeping a day-to-day eye on how much capital groups have locally to cover domestic risk. Sources: Reuters, The Insurance Insider

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - A recent online survey on P&C insurance technology reveals that leading carriers have become adept at dealing with customers and business partners online. However, virtually all carriers recognize that there is room for improvement and that they must continuously improve their underlying technology to better serve their customers and enhance their competitive position. The results from a survey conducted by Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based technology provider Fiserv Inc. indicates critical business needs and the projects and technologies insurance carriers have underway to address them.Seventy-five percent of respondents agreed that one of their next three large-scale projects would involve their core system for maintaining insurance coverage information. Access to complete and immediate information allows the carrier to respond more effectively and efficiently. Sixty-seven percent said an agency interface or comparative rating system would be on their list of projects planned. Billing and claims projects to make things smoother for the customer tied at 42%.

BANKS SHOULD SET SIGHTS ON RELATIONSTo entice customers to buy more financial products and services, financial services companies need to focus on improving their relationship strategies, according to Gartner Inc., a research firm headquartered in Stamford, Conn.

ISTREAM TO INCLUDE NEW FUNCTIONALITYWhitehill Technologies Inc., Moncton, New Brunswick, announced new functionality in the IStream document automation suite, including IStream Publisher and IStream Document Manager. The IStream suite is designed to enable business users to create 'model documents' that control the language, layout and look of complex files, such as policies and contracts. IStream can be used to create and control virtually any kind of insurance document, from contracts to welcome kits to group booklets. New functionality includes add-ins for Microsoft Word and Adobe Reader, letting users create complex documents in a familiar, easy-to-use, interactive environment. As data or standard wordings change, users can automatically update their documents to reflect those changes. Leveraging industry-standard applications gives insurers the power to create and update documents easily as part of their normal processes.

Insurance carriers need product development flexibility and "speed to market" to maintain competitive advantage. To help accomplish those goals, INN asked Doug Roller, CEO of Bolivar, Mo.-headquartered Duck Creek Technologies Inc., to describe his "product in a day" concept.INN: How would you define "product in a day?"

The founders of Boston-based Homesite Insurance Group came together nearly a decade ago to create a progressive homeowners insurance company. In the quest to make their dream real, they got some help from software that links risk to geography.Today, Homesite sells in 43 states, and its underwriters evaluate the risk associated with each potential policyholder's address, says one of the founders, Manuel Rios, who now serves as Homesite vice president and chief underwriter. They do it with GeoStan geocoding technology from Group 1 Software Inc., a Pitney Bowes Co. in Lanham, Md.

XL GLOBAL TO USE INTERCEPT TO MANAGE PROCESSESStamford, Conn.-based XL Global Services Inc., a part of the XL Capital Ltd. group of companies, will use Intercept Studio, a flagship product from Baltimore-based AVIcode, to manage business processes worldwide.

Converting a book of business to a new system can be viewed by some as the riskiest part of a new system implementation. However, with proper time and resources, conversions need not be feared. They are all part of the system migration, which is to enable the company to improve its ROI and competitiveness. Each company needs to assess the cost, time and benefits, and if sufficient resources and time are allocated, success is manageable.In single-phase conversions, all data is converted at one time with two options. Sufficient history levels (number of years) are converted that enables the discontinuance of the existing system. And the latest versions of data are converted to allow the new system to be used for all future transactions. The existing system is retained for a period of time for inquiry purposes into past transactions.

Boston, Mass. – Insurers around the country are making changes to their technology areas with the naming of new executives. Three such examples are Liberty Mutual Group, The Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America and NYMagic.James McGlennon has been appointed vice president and CIO for Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a strategic business unit of Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group that consists of property/casualty and specialty insurance carriers that distribute their products and services primarily through independent agents and brokers.

Waltham, Mass. - Failure to properly terminate a policy tops the list of reasons property/casualty insurers are found to be out of compliance during market conduct exams, according to research from Waltham, Mass.-based Wolters Kluwer Financial Services' Insurance Compliance Solutions group. On the life/health side, failure to acknowledge, pay or deny claims within specified time frames is the most common market conduct compliance criticism for life/health.

Ipswich, Mass. - When it comes to the larger issues of Web site usability, communication and trust, Progressive and GEICO lead the way, according to consumers answering a survey for the Customer Respect Group (CRG), an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their online customers. This marks the fourth study in a row in which Progressive is ranked at the top. The Ipswich, Mass., firm released findings from its second quarter 2007 Online Customer Respect Study of the Automobile Insurance Industry. The study evaluated the Web sites of a representative sample of auto insurance companies. Using a common set of criteria, it analyzed corporate performance from an online customer's perspective. A directly comparable customer respect index (CRI) is provided for each company. The CRI is a qualitative and quantitative in-depth analysis and independent measure of a customer's experience when interacting via the Internet, reports CRG. Comprising six sub-indices that factor into three meta-concepts identified by customers as their critical concerns when using Web sites, the CRI includes: * Site Usability - How usable is the site to a wide range of users? This includes simplicity (ease of use) and attitude (accessibility). * Communication - How willing is the company to engage in a one-on-one communication to answer specific questions? This includes responsiveness (quality of e-mail replies - both speed and helpfulness -- response tone and other communication methods). * Trust - Can this site be trusted with your personal data? This includes transparency (clarity and comprehensiveness of privacy policies), Principles (respect for data privacy, cookie explanations) and privacy (respect for data privacy, clarity and comprehensiveness of privacy policies). The average rating for the industry was 5.4 on the 10-point CRI scale. This score represents an improvement since the last report, notes CRG, primarily in the area of privacy policy transparency and responsiveness to e-mails. As a result, auto insurers have moved up to the mid-range of all industries from the bottom quartile previously. The industry provides better and more concise information about policies and practices. GEICO and Progressive tied to lead the table, marking the fourth study in a row in which Progressive came out on top. GEICO showed improvement from its fourth place spot in the previous evaluation. American Family showed the most improvement overall from the previous study.

San Francisco - Mergers and acquisitions have become the norm in the insurance industry, and two recent acquisitions prove this. More than a month after Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group announced its acquisition of Fairfield, Ohio-based Ohio Casualty Corp. for $44 per share in cash, Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc., a subsidiary of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co., announces it will acquire Universal Insurance Services Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich. The acquisition is expected to close July 1, 2007, according to Wells Fargo.

Chicago - The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), Chicago, has established physician and employer advisory groups to further enhance the market development of its Blue Health Intelligence (BHI) initiative, the nation's premier healthcare database comprised of de-identified claims information from up to 80 million lives. "The addition of these groups will help BHI maintain its leadership in healthcare informatics," said BCBSA President and CEO Scott Serota. "We look forward to working with this esteemed group of employers and physicians. Their hard work will result in a database that will enhance the quality of information available to consumers, providers and employers." Launched in 2006, BHI will provide sharper insight into healthcare trends, delivery and best clinical practices, and information about the efficacy of treatments and new medical technologies. BHI compiles, analyzes and organizes data, which can then be used as benchmarks to conduct comparative analyses across a range of healthcare components. The first sets of benchmark data were released to participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies in December 2006. "The advisory groups will provide high-level strategic counsel and recommendations that will help us provide insight into important health issues," said Bob Greczyn, Jr., president and chief executive officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and co-chair of the BHI board. The employer and physician advisory groups will be responsible for contributing research-based insights into issues critical to the public's health. In addition, they will monitor new market initiatives in the areas of healthcare costs and quality data, and track healthcare literature and trends in practice and technology. With this knowledge, these advisory groups will help identify opportunities for BHI to form new healthcare solutions in quality and transparency for employers, providers and consumers. "This input from the groups will guide BHI as it continues to establish itself as the most comprehensive collection of healthcare information in the industry," added Alice F. Rosenblatt, executive vice president, integration and information management officer and chief actuary, WellPoint Inc., and co- chair of the BHI board. The groups will meet separately with the first meetings convening this summer. Members will serve one, two-year term. The following is a roster of BHI's employer and physician advisory groups. BHI Employer Advisory GroupMember / Title / Company-- Delia Vetter, Senior Director of Benefits, Employee Services & Programs, EMC Corporation-- Bill Greer, Vice President, Benefits, Kellogg Company-- Mike Stoll, Vice President, Benefits, The Kroger Co.-- Greg Heaslip, Vice President, Benefits, Pepsico-- Bob Ihrie, Vice President, Compensation and Benefits, Lowe's Cos. Inc.-- Steve Lampkin, Vice President, Benefits Department, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.-- Mark Cullen, M.D., Professor of Medicine & Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine; Senior Medical Director, ALCOA-- Jeanne Denz, Director, Global Benefits, General Mills-- Martin Storey, Director of Benefits, Michelin North America-- Tom Jecklin, Manager, Healthcare Benefits, State Farm-- William Strahan, Vice President, Compensation and Benefits, Comcast-- Daniel Green, Deputy Associate Director, Center for Employee and Family Support Policy, Office of Personnel Management-- Anna Fallieras, Program Leader, Health Care Initiatives, GE Company-- Pascale Thomas, Director, Benefits, Corporate Human Resources, Verizon Communications Inc. BHI Physician Advisory GroupName / Employer / Contact, Title / Company-- H. Frank Farmer, Jr., M.D., Chairman and Practicing Physician, Florida Board of Medicine-- David Blumenthal, M.D., MPP, Samuel O. Thier Professor of Medicine and Health Policy, Harvard Medical School; Director, Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital/Partners HealthCare System-- Thomas Henry Lee, Jr., M.D., Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Network President, Partners HealthCare System-- Joel Bender, M.D., Ph.D., Corporate Director of Health Services, General Motors Corp.-- James R. Claflin, M.D., Specialist, Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic-- Kelly Kelleher, M.D., MPH, Professor, Ohio State University; Vice President for Health Services Research, Children's Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio-- David Filipi, M.D., MBA, Vice President, Medical Affairs for Methodist Physicians Clinic, Methodist Physicians Clinic, Omaha, Neb.-- William L. Roper, M.D., MPH, Dean, School of Medicine and CEO, UNC Health Care System, University of North Carolina-- Alan M. Garber, M.D., Ph.D., Henry J. Kaiser Jr. Professor; Director, Center for Health Policy; Director, Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford University; Staff Physician, Department of Veterans Affairs-- Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., MSHA, FACP, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Quality, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)-- Frederick L. Brancati, M.D., MHS, Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology; Director, Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University-- Mark Cullen, M.D., Professor of Medicine & Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine; Senior Medical Director, ALCOA-- Allan Korn, M.D., Senior Vice President and CMO, Office of Clinical Affairs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Source: Blue Cross Blue Shield

Washington - On-the-go consumers prefer to handle an increasing number of transactions themselves through self-service devices, and are more likely to do business with companies that make it easier to for them to do so, according to a new study conducted by BuzzBack Market Research for Dayton, Ohio-based NCR Corp. One exception though, according to the study, is insurance customers.