Digital Platforms

New York - Eliot Spitzer of New York nominated Eric Dinallo, General Counsel of Willis Group Holdings, to serve as New York State Insurance Superintendent in the new administration.Dinallo, 43, will replace Howard Mills, who was appointed in 2004 by Republican Governor George Pataki. In 2003 Dinallo resigned as chief of Spitzer's Investment Protection Bureau to become head of regulatory matters for Morgan Stanley, and was hired as general counsel for insurance broker Willis Group Holdings Ltd. in March.

Harleysville, Pa. – Harleysville Insurance Inc. has appointed Jonathan Griggs as vice president of insurance management systems, and named Brahm Sharma as vice president of resource management.

Washington - America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) are working together to grant consumers their wish for portable personal health records (PHRs).

Naperville, Ill. - The thieves who made off with computer tapes containing the names and Social Security numbers of 130,000 Aetna Inc. customers appear unlikely to exploit the information, the Hartford, Conn.-based health insurer says. "There is no indication that data theft was targeted," Aetna says. Aetna announced yesterday that a lockbox containing the computer back-up tapes was stolen in late October from the Naperville, Ill., satellite office of a vendor, Addison, Texas-based Concentra Preferred Systems. Concentra audits medical clams and performs other cost containment services for insurers, and the tapes contained information on customers of "several" other undisclosed carriers, according to published reports. Information on an undetermined number of WellPoint Inc. customers may have been stolen in the burglary, reports say. "We believe the total number is an extremely small percentage of our membership," a spokesman for Indianapolis-based WellPoint says. In a report on the incident, Aetna quotes law enforcement officials who say the burglars also stole cash, pharmaceuticals, DVDs and movie passes, and did not appear to be looking for information to use in fraudulent schemes. The law enforcement agency characterized the perpetrators as "common thieves" looking for cash and other property to pawn. The thieves forced their way into the space occupied by Concentra, as well as the offices of five other businesses in the suburban Chicago building, Aetna says. Property was taken from all the tenants. Concentra officials, who notified Aetna of the loss on Nov. 3, say retrieving the data from the tapes would require a complex combination of commercial equipment and specialized software. The data was stored in unlabeled, difficult-to-understand formats, Concentra says. "These tapes cannot be used on a standard PC," Concetra officials say. Concentra reconstructed the data on the tapes and turned it over to Aetna on Nov. 10. Aetna's IT team worked around the clock to determine what information was stolen. They found the data included member names, hospital codes and either Social Security numbers or Aetna ID numbers for about 130,000 people. The names and Social Security numbers of about 750 medical workers were also on the tapes. Aetna is apologizing and notifying members and providers whose personal information was on the tapes. The insurer also is arranging free credit monitoring to help detect any misuse of the information. Concentra is offering a $10,000 reward in connection with the theft, according to published reports. Source: Aetna Inc.

New York - Ameriprise Financial Inc. has promised to hire a consultant to review company laptop policies as part of an agreement with Massachusetts securities regulators. A year ago, the theft of one of Ameriprise’s computers exposed the personal data of more than 150,000 clients.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is urging Congress to create a Natural Catastrophe Commission that could establish a disaster fund, strengthen and enforce building codes, and provide community support.

Kansas City, Mo. - The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the trade group for state insurance officials, has established a Web site to provide motorists with tips on purchasing auto insurance.

Chattanooga, Tenn. - An insurance company was among the four winners of the 2006 Process Innovation Awards. UnumProvident Corp., a Chattanooga, Tenn., disability insurer, received the honor for work in Sarbanes-Oxley solution compliance.

Washington – If lawmakers such as Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., as well as the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) get their way, insurance companies will be forced to disclose total-loss vehicle claims information to the general public. Thanks to catastrophic storms such as Katrina and the recent flooding in the Pacific Northwest, the public is more aware of the problem of flooded and totaled vehicles being resold to unsuspecting buyers. Lawmakers believe that a rule mandating disclosure of total-loss vehicles is one way to manage the problem. In the 109th Congress, Lott and a bipartisan list of colleagues sponsored S.3707, the Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act, to require that insurance companies permanently red-flag totaled, flooded or stolen vehicles. Rep. Stearns introduced a similar bill, H.R. 6093, in the House of Representatives. Seattle-based PEMCO Insurance last month announced that it voluntarily reports cars totaled with flood damage to CARFAX, an auto database available to consumers. Other insurance companies are expected to evaluate their reporting procedures. Sen. Lott also affirmed his plans to reintroduce legislation in the 110th Congress to reduce title fraud and title washing of insurance-totaled vehicles. According to lawmakers, although an insurance company may declare a vehicle a “total loss” due to water damage, severe accident, theft, etc., these vehicles often are sold at salvage auctions. They are then rebuilt and re-enter the market with clean titles, so consumers, wholesale auto auctions and dealers may have no way to learn about the total loss. The bill would require insurance companies to reveal the reason for the total loss (flood, collision, stolen, etc.), the date of total loss, the odometer reading on that date, and whether or not the airbag deployed. The NADA-supported effort by lawmakers would permanently red-flag these vehicles, reducing the likelihood that the “total loss” vehicles will end up back on the street. This federal legislation would not preempt state titling laws or require changes in state laws. “With more than five million vehicles totaled by insurance companies just last year -- more than half a million of them coming from the Gulf Hurricanes of 2005 -- something has to be done to permanently notify consumers about these severely damaged vehicles," said David Regan, Vice President of Legislative Affairs for NADA, McLean, Va., was quoted as saying. Sources: PR Newswire, Yahoo News, The National Automobile Dealers Association

New York - American consumers want electronic copies of their medical records and believe that having greater access to their information will reduce medical mistakes and costly repeat procedures, according to a new survey commissioned by the Markle Foundation, a New York research organization. But eight in 10 Americans are very concerned about identity theft or fraud and the possibility of their data being used by marketers without their permission - with three-quarters of those surveyed saying the government has a role in establishing privacy and confidentiality protections for electronic health information. For one of the custodians of consumer health care, health insurers, a cost/benefit analysis may involve deciding which is worse: the legal and potential business-loss ramifications incurred if a health insurance policyholder's private information is lost, or a potential regulatory chokehold on the management and transmission of a policyholder's data. In either case, as health insurers face increased scrutiny as one of the many "gatekeepers" of private consumer information, they also understand the importance of "big picture" thinking when it comes to doing whatever is possible to promote patient health. Companies such as Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare (HPHC), a 25-year old provider of health insurance products to more than one million members, has taken painstaking efforts to protect its customers information while making certain data is securely available to policyholders' caregivers. The Wellesley, Mass., not-for-profit company's mission statement--to be the most trusted name in healthcare-means the company must provide secure data access to HPHC's internal work force of 2,200 users as well as to a growing number of constituents, including 130 hospitals and 22,000 physicians. "Americans understand that quality of care could improve and costs decrease when their health information is available over the Internet to them and those who care for them," said Zoë Baird, president of the Markle Foundation, which funded the research. "And they are clearly ready to do their part to improve our health care system. But consumers also have significant privacy concerns, which must be addressed if we are to have sufficient consumer confidence to support a national commitment to electronic health records. People expect the federal government to establish rules that protect electronic personal health information from being used inappropriately." The survey, conducted by bipartisan polling firms Lake Research Partners and American Viewpoint, shows that: *97 % think it's important for their doctors to be able to access all of their medical records in order to provide the best care; *96 % think it's important for individuals to be able to access all of their own medical records to manage their own health; *Two in three Americans (65 %) would like to access all of their own medical information across an electronic network. This interest spans demographic groups - with a majority (53 %) of Americans 60 and older and high proportions of minority groups expressing interest; *When given the scenario of changing doctors or moving to a different city, an even greater majority - 84 % - said it would be important for them to have electronic copies of their medical records that they keep and control; and *Three-quarters of Americans are willing to share their personal information to help public officials look for disease outbreaks and research ways to improve the quality of health care if they have safeguards to protect their identity. The survey shows that large majorities of Americans see a number of benefits from accessing their medical information online. Consumers say they want access to their medical information in order to ensure that it's accurate, to improve doctor-patient communications and to help prevent medical errors. *91 % say it's important to review what their doctors write in their chart; *88 % say online records would be important in reducing the number of unnecessary or repeated tests and procedures they undergo; *82 % want to review test results online; and *84 % would like to check for errors in their medical record. Americans also see ways in which they could gain more control over their health care by making use of personal health records: *90 % say it would be important to track their symptoms or changes in their health online; *83 % of parents would be interested in using a network to track their child's health, such as tracking dates for immunizations; and *68 % say having their information available online will give them more control over their own health care. "It is encouraging to see that so many Americans recognize the opportunity to improve their health care - and their own health - by accessing and using their health information," said Carol Diamond, M.D., managing director of the Markle Foundation Health Program. "People not only want to see their medical records, they want to use the information to communicate with their doctors and be more involved in managing their care." While the survey notes high recognition of the benefits made possible by accessing personal heath information electronically, most respondents express concern that their medical information could be misused: *80 % say they are very concerned about identify theft or fraud; *77 % report being very concerned about their medical information being used for marketing purposes; *75 % say the government has a role in establishing rules to protect the privacy and confidentiality of online health information; *66 % say the government has a role in establishing rules by which businesses and other third parties can have access to personal health information; and *69 % say the government has a role in encouraging doctors and hospitals to make their personal health information available over the Internet in a secure way. "Despite the overwhelming interest in being more active participants in their own health care, and having their medical information available online to themselves and their physicians, Americans have very serious concerns about the privacy and security of their medical information," said David Lansky, Ph.D., senior director of the health program at the Markle Foundation. "People want to have control over whether their data are used for non-medical purposes and expect the government to establish rules that will protect them." Connecting for Health, a Markle-operated collaborative group of more than 100 organizations, released a new white paper to stimulate national discussion on the use of information technology to meet the critical needs of consumers, patients, and their families. The report describes a networked health information environment in which consumers could establish secure connections with multiple entities that hold personal health information about them. "It is difficult for a consumer to manage her personal health information since it is scattered among various organizations such as insurance companies, pharmacies, hospitals, etc.," Lansky said. "Several projects are currently underway to deploy personal health records, which are designed to help individuals manage their electronic personal health information. But because our health care system is so fragmented, and your health information is typically held by many unconnected entities, these electronic applications today struggle to provide a convenient way for consumers to access all of their data." The paper begins with a brief discussion of how consumer participation in networked environments has transformed other sectors, such as travel and finance. It contends that the health care sector would benefit greatly from a properly designed secure network that enables consumer participation. For more information, go to www.markle.org. Source: The Markle Foundation, INN archives

London - In order to better manage risk in an insurance business cycle fraught with uncertainty over market conditions and pricing, carriers in the U.S. and abroad should invest in the latest risk management tools, says a new report from Lloyd's, "Managing the Insurance Cycle." Lloyd's, which provides specialist commercial insurance coverage to customers in more than 200 countries and territories, published the report as part of its 360 Risk Project, an initiative to generate discussion on how best to manage risk in today's business environment. The report warns of "considerable uncertainty remains over prices and conditions in the commercial insurance market following last year's record hurricane season." Among other suggestions, it cautions underwriters to beware of the tendency to follow on market trends, and reminds them that "disciplined insurers... are prepared to walk away from markets when prices fall below a prudent risk-based minimum." Investing in state-of-the-art risk management and measurement tools, says Lloyd's, will support insurers' ability to create the best possible pricing models, as well as their ability to update them regularly to reflect the latest scientific evidence. "The models should more easily permit sensitivity analysis to show the impact of the many assumptions that are being made by the modellers on the insurer's behalf," notes the report. Lloyd's report cites "seven key steps for ensuring that the industry becomes less unpredictable and underwrites on a sustainable basis for the benefit of both policyholders and insurers," including: -- Don't follow the herd. -- Invest in the latest risk management tools. -- Don't let surplus capital dictate your underwriting. -- Don't be dazzled by higher investment returns. -- Don't rely on 'the big one' to push prices upwards. -- Redeploy capital from lines where margins are unsustainable. -- Get smarter with underwriter and manager incentives. More information onLloyd's report is available at www.lloyds.com/360. Source: Lloyd's

New York - Driven in part by increased demands from regulatory and rating agencies, enterprise risk management (ERM) has become integral to insurers' business processes around the world. Sixty percent of survey respondents explicitly factor risk management considerations into their decision-making, according to the fourth biennial survey of risk and capital management practices among insurers worldwide by the Tillinghast business of Towers Perrin. Conducted in summer 2006, the study of executives from more than 200 insurance and reinsurance companies around the world focuses on a number of issues, including risk measurement, quantification competencies, how companies calculate and use economic capital (EC), risk reporting and areas where the global insurance community is seeking to improve their risk management capabilities. In addition, a special section has been included that focuses on the impact of Solvency II on the European community. Key findings from the study: * External pressures are raising the bar for risk management globally. While most companies globally (78%) cite "good business practice" as the principal driver for their current risk management efforts, rating agency considerations are a significant factor for North Americans (72%) whereas changes in insurance solvency regulations are a major driver for European Union insurers. * Two-thirds of the insurance industry globally uses EC as a risk quantification tool. This is a significant increase over 2004 where only half of the respondents indicated they were using EC. * A further 19% of the participants indicated they are considering the use of EC. * Insurers are using a diverse set of risk metrics. Insurers assess the impact of risk on their capital, value and earnings in a variety of ways, with 63% using at least three differing measures. The most common are statutory or regulatory capital and surplus (56%), economic value (42%) and GAAP or IAS measures (38%). "Companies are clearly more disciplined in their use of ERM today than ever before, as catastrophic events, capital efficiencies and competitive pressures have driven companies to adopt less of a 'seat-of-the-pants' approach to risk issues," said managing director Tricia Guinn, who oversees both the Tillinghast and Reinsurance businesses of Towers Perrin. Risk Management Raises Its Profile "As risk issues have gained importance, so has the role of the chief risk officer," said Prakash Shimpi, Practice Leader with global responsibility for ERM. "Insurers are not only examining risk more closely, but they are also holding executives more accountable for the results." Almost half of the respondents (43%) report having a chief risk officer (CRO) with primary responsibility for risk management, up from 39% in 2004 and only 19% in 2002. The study also indicates that risk management is gaining importance in board rooms, with nearly all respondents (92%) reporting on risk to their board of directors at least annually, up from 84% in the 2004 survey. 53% of all respondents report at least quarterly to their board. Risk reports to senior management have become a common practice, with 39% reporting monthly and another 35% reporting quarterly. Risk reporting varies regionally: * Bermudian (89%) and Canadian (82%) insurers are more likely than U.S. or Asia/Pacific companies (53% respectively) to report quarterly on risk to their boards. * European life insurers (65%) and p/c insurers (60%) are twice as likely to report to senior management monthly as their North American counterparts (31% respectively). Solvency II Shapes Risk Management European insurers generally agree that the new Solvency II regime will require significant improvements to their risk management capabilities, including enhancements to risk quantification capabilities (63%) and enhancements to actuarial and accounting tools (59%). However, there are markedly different results between continental Europe and the U.K. in their approaches to Solvency II which is not surprising given the U.K.'s ICAS regime: * Enhance risk quantification capabilities (76% continental Europe, 41% U.K.) * Enhance risk governance and organization (61% continental Europe, 19% U.K.) * Improve risk identification capabilities (52% continental Europe, 15% U.K.) "U.K. insurers clearly feel better placed as a result of regulatory changes introduced by the FSA in advance of Solvency II. Their focus is now on developing the right tools to suit the new environment," said Ian Farr, principal. "The increased risk sensitivity and flexibility of Solvency II provides will trigger greater product innovation, more innovative capital management, capital raising and financing structures." Room for Improvement While ERM has made significant progress in recent years, there are still growing pains: * Most respondents (77%) are highly focused on improving risk measurement and quantification processes to enhance their overall ERM efforts, particularly in the U.K. (97%) and Japan (95%). * Respondents are generally not satisfied with their current capabilities in many of the risk management areas they see as important. They are significantly dissatisfied with their ability to quantify operational risks and their ability to reflect risk in performance measures. "Insurers now recognize the potential impact a single event like a security breach or systems failure can have on their operations, as well as on their financials. Operational risks can be complicated and difficult to quantify, so many are turning to scenario analysis to achieve meaningful results," said Shimpi. "We expect operational risk modeling and management practices to steadily improve over the next few years." Economic Capital as a Key ERM Tool The survey also found that many insurers are moving toward the use of economic capital (EC) as a risk management tool. As stated previously, nearly two-thirds (65%) of all respondents calculate EC and an additional 19% said they are considering calculating EC, implying that it may soon be a universal tool. EC use is already at 99% in the U.K., where the FSA requires companies to perform an Individual Capital Assessment. Almost all respondents (89%) are planning to make further improvements to their EC modeling capabilities. More information is available at www.towersperrin.com/tillinghast Source: Towers Perrin

Ipswich, Mass. - The life insurance industry achieved the dubious distinction of having the highest percentage of companies failing to adequately respect the online user. Such are the findings from a survey conducted by The Customer Respect Group, an Ipswich, Mass., research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their online customers.

Fairfax, Va. - The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), a Fairfax, Va., nonprofit risk management training and educational organization, has released a resource guide for controlling workers' compensations costs that focuses on using telephonic nurse injury reporting and triage as important early intervention. The PERI Day of Injury Resource Manual outlines an effective strategy lays out a proactive approach for addressing rising costs of workers' compensation by establishing processes for responding to employee injuries starting right on the day of injury, says Gerard J. Hoetmer, executive director of PERI. "Our research presents compelling evidence that employer actions on the day of injury have a profound impact on the overall cost of workers' comp claims." The PERI Day of Injury Resource Manual builds on the findings of a study PERI jointly sponsored with the Schools Insurance Authority (SIA), a joint powers authority based in Sacramento, California. In partnership with SIA, the PERI Day of Injury study assessed the relationship between employer actions on the day an employee was injured and workers' compensation costs. The study focused on injury reporting, directing medical care, and early return to work initiatives. A major component of the research focused on SIA's use of telephonic nurse injury reporting/triage. The study demonstrated that the nature, duration, cost and eventual outcome of a claim can be largely shaped and controlled by the employer's response on the day of injury. Based on the study, the manual details injury-reporting processes for organizations to put in place as part of an overall early intervention strategy. This how-to manual also highlights best practices for building a structured return-to-work program and provides organizations with sample forms, checklists, and training materials. For more information, go to www.riskinstitute.org. Source: The Public Entity Risk Institute

Alexandria, Va. - The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big "I") disagrees with, and is disappointed by, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's decision that four leading companies can no longer offer incentive compensation to agents and brokers selling their products. Spitzer announced on Nov. 30 that he has notified ACE, AIG, St. Paul Travelers and Zurich that, under agreements reached with his office earlier this year, they may no longer offer this form of compensation because they have crossed the 65% "tipping point" in those agreements as to homeowners', personal auto, boiler and machinery and financial guaranty insurance. Those agreements bar carriers from paying incentive compensation to their sales forces when more than 65% of that line of insurance is sold by companies that do not pay incentive compensation. "The independent agent and broker community is greatly distressed by this development," says Big "I" CEO Robert Rusbuldt. "These carriers are now unable to use what otherwise is a perfectly legal way to compensate their sales forces, just as is done in virtually all industries across America. It is ironic that the illegal activities uncovered by Mr. Spitzer occurred in commercial lines, not personal lines, and yet, it is largely in personal lines that the fallout is being felt today. The solution imposed on carriers and agents of banning incentive compensation is totally misplaced and directed at business that was never a problem to begin with." The Big "I" continues to defend incentive compensation as a legal, legitimate form of compensation that is employed in all sales-based industries. Any compensation system can be abused, but the problem lies with those few who abuse it, not the system itself. "There is no doubt that a few bad actors in the commercial lines area abused the system, and we have always agreed that those who break the law should be punished to the fullest extent possible," Rusbuldt says. "But it is absolutely wrong and indefensible to penalize the innocent majority for the misdeeds of a handful of people. This decision will impact thousands of agencies across the country as they face reductions in compensation that will hamper their ability to create jobs in their communities, train staff, invest in their agencies, and provide consumers access to insurance. On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of agents and brokers across America who had no part in the dishonest activity of a few, we will continue to fight to preserve the right of companies to pay legal incentive compensation." Founded in 1896, IIABA (the Big "I") claims to be the nation's oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance-property, casualty, life, and health-as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Source: The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America

Its negative connotation is deserved. For insurance companies, a data breach spells instant trouble-the least of which is potential loss of reputation, brand and revenue. If a court of law rules the insurance company is negligent, a data breach has the potential of ultimately shutting the carrier's doors.Recent research by the Chief Marketing Officer Council, Palo Alto, Calif., revealed that a company loses, on average, from 0.63% to 2.10% value in stock price when a breach is reported-equivalent to a loss in market capitalization of $860 million to $1.65 billion per incident.

We've been lucky this year - after being told to brace for another catastrophic hurricane season, we felt the ocean breezes grow calm and saw storm-related losses remain at a minimum.The insurance industry dealt with an estimated $61.8 billion in losses from Katrina and other storms in 2004-05. Yet surprisingly, many companies have rallied with record earnings. How? Some carriers asked for record-setting rate increases to offset what they believed would be more dire catastrophe-related losses for 2006. Many insurers reacted by shrugging off new business along the coasts. Some attributed their good fortune to technology that reduces claims leakage, some pointed to "underwriting discipline," some to expert predictive modeling systems that support improved rating. Some said it's simply a matter of expert reserve management.

According to a survey conducted by Fierce-Wireless-Bluefire Wireless Security this year, more than 80% of financial services respondents say their organization's use of handheld devices had increased over the past two years. Meanwhile, 87% say they are concerned about the security of e-mail access to corporate server-based accounts and of remote access to corporate networks, and 85% say that access to Web-based e-mail had become a significant security concern.

What do Carriers Need to Increase Market Share?

TOOL HELPS EMPLOYEES MANAGE THEIR BENEFITSPlanAdvisor, a benefits management tool from Milwaukee-based Zywave Inc., features a Plan Selector module to enable employees to review their own health costs. PlanAdvisor generates management reports without carrier data feeds, analyzes the effects of changes in the plan design and calculates projected plan costs, based on trend and claims information. It also offers benchmarking, modeling, and analysis to allow brokers to deliver information based on industry comparison data and actuarial factors, which can help clients make informed decisions.

CAPITOL SELECTS STG BILLING SYSTEMMiddleton, Wis.-based Capitol Insurance Cos. chose Renaissance Billing Solution from New York-based Systems Task Group International Ltd.'s (STG) to support billing and accounts receivable operations. The system will replace Capitol's existing billing systems and will enable the consolidation, centralization and the streamlining of Capitol's cash management and accounting operations. It will provide Capitol with advanced technology support, flexibility and configurability.

Boston - As helpful as technology can be, insurers are not immune to technology glitches. One such case, as reported by The Boston Globe, hit Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The Boston-based insurer found itself sending out automated phone calls to Massachusetts senior citizens with Medicare drug benefits, asking them to repay up to $1,400 because the monthly premium automatic deduction from their Social Security checks failed to work.In March, The Tampa Tribune reported that hundreds of thousands of seniors received inaccurate Social Security payments because of problems with Medicare Part D drug coverage premiums, according to The Boston Globe. Most were overpaid because the premiums were not being deducted. Others received accidental refunds that averaged $215 and were asked to return the money.

Boston - Senior insurance IT executives are increasingly focusing on strategic spending to meet market demands and showing some concern over a softening property/casualty market, according to Celent LLC's new report, "Insurance CIO/CTO Pressures, Priorities, Projects, and Plans for 2007 Survey Results.""There is continued focus on meeting market demands for speed to market and ease of doing business, and on new projects involving core systems, data mastery, and distribution," says Matthew Josefowicz, manager of Celent's insurance group and author of the report. "Budgets and staffs are generally flat or growing modestly, but strategic investments continue. However, there are some indications that large property/casualty insurers may be keeping their powder dry until they can gauge the impact of the softening market."

Hartford, Conn. - Claims effectiveness is fast becoming a differentiating competitive feature among property/casualty companies as new measurement and process controls change the way claims are quantified, according to a new study by Hartford, Conn.-based Conning Research & Consulting Inc.The study, "Property-Casualty Claims Management: Unlocking Value" is based on a survey of senior property/casualty claims executives and on statutory data analysis. It examines changes in the insurance environment, and particularly in claims, including technology, staffing, outsourcing, regulatory and catastrophe issues.

Needham, Mass. - In 2007 and beyond, the global financial services industry will increasingly grapple with three major strategic shifts: reinventing financial services at its core; repurposing financial services relative to the global diversity of a changing customer base; and helping restore confidence in an uncertain world, according to a series of research reports from Needham, Mass.-based TowerGroup.The reports examine the top business drivers, strategic responses and technology priorities that will fuel core sectors of the global financial service industry in 2007.

Washington - The U.S. Department of Justice recovered a record $3.1 billion in fraudulent claims in fiscal 2006, with 72 percent of the recoveries in health care. A single hospital chain, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., paid back $920 million in one of the year’s largest settlements with the federal government, according to the Justice Department.

Philadelphia - With a focus on customer service, Philadelphia Insurance Companies launched a new corporate Internet site, www.phly.com. The Philadelphia company, which designs, markets and underwrites specialty commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products for select target industries or niches including nonprofit organizations; the health, fitness and wellness industry; select classes of professional liability; the rental car industry and more, says the new Web site will provide self-service functionality to all agents and policyholders. The project quickly evolved into an Internet "program," reports the company. The creation of a program provides the framework to efficiently and strategically prioritize and bundle enhancements that will ensure alignment with business goals. The new Philadelphia Insurance Web site is designed to make doing business easier for a select group of "preferred agents" and a broader network of independent agents, which consists of 38 regional and field offices across the United States. The new site includes enhanced menu navigation, and updated search functionality. Also enhanced is the site's login authentication, now featuring one login per agent or customer. Visitors to the site can browse policies, view claims, invoices, active lists, quotes, and auto ID cards. The carrier also added an online payments feature. The project goals included an aggressive timeline, and the carrier's IT department and automated services division (project management/business requirements group) collaborated using in-house tools to manage information. The ultimate goal, says a company representative, is to provide feedback capabilities that enable a two-day response to any incoming question. Source: Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Cincinnati - A technology overhaul is continuing at Cincinnati-based Great American Insurance Co. with the decision to replace the company’s policy and customer system of record.

Sydney, Australia - Insurance Australia Group Ltd. (IAG), announced its intention to make its global operations carbon neutral within five years."As an insurance company we have been very concerned about the risks and impact of climate change on our community for a number of years," says Mike Hawker, IAG's CEO. "We have been working on ways to reduce our own CO2 emission footprint, alerting the community about the risks of climate change, and researching opportunities for our customers to benefit from CO2 reducing activities. We are furthering our efforts, by announcing our intention to be carbon neutral within the next five years."

El Segundo, Calif., - Insurers feel the need to develop original approaches to attracting and retaining customer in various market segments. During a two-day conference hosted by Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), a few insurers gave examples of these approaches.Panelists at the conference noted that insurance marketing programs must appeal to three distinct generational groups: Generation Y (ages 18-29), Generation X (ages 30-40) and baby boomers (ages 41-59). Each group has distinct demands for service; therefore, insurers must offer different Web-based services that address their consumers' varying levels of comfort with technology.

Blue Bell, Pa. - Almost one in every three of the more than 1,700 senior-level corporate and technology leader respondents in a new international survey do not trust their companies' own abilities to handle private or sensitive information, and that same number are either unsure or don't believe that most of their business partners consider them to be trusted enterprises.These and other findings are part of a broad research project from Blue Bell, Pa.-based Unisys Corp., called the Unisys Trusted Enterprise Index, a survey designed to measure the importance, impact and influence of trust, privacy and security within the corporate world. Conducted in partnership with the Ponemon Institute, an Elk Rapids, Mich.-based privacy research organization, the study also found that despite a growing awareness of risk management and security issues in the corporate world, more than one-third of companies polled do not task senior leaders with protecting the trust that customers, investors and even their own employees have in those companies.

Hartford, Conn. - Aetna Inc. is offering an interactive voice response (IVR) system called Voice2Form to enable members with both Aetna disability and medical insurance to provide consent to participate in the insurer's Integrated Health and Disability (IHD) program. Aetna's integrated informatics studies show that the IHD program may reduce short-term disability durations by as much as 10.7% or 5.6 days per claim.

Orlando - The latest release of ISO HomeValue, a residential replacement cost estimator, now allows personal lines insurers to assess catastrophe risk for individual properties using Boston-based AIR Worldwide Corp.'s (AIR) industry standard catastrophe models. The goal, says the companies, is to provide access to essential catastrophe risk data from a single web-based application, ISO HomeValue enables improved underwriting decisions. "After the large hurricane losses of 2004 and 2005, companies were reminded of the importance of assessing a property's catastrophe risk as part of the underwriting process," says George Davis, vice president at AIR. "However, most personal lines insurers have historically had very limited and inefficient ways to assess the catastrophe risk for individual properties. Now, ISO HomeValue provides residential underwriters with immediate catastrophe risk information at the individual property level in a seamless manner." By accessing AIR's catastrophe models from within ISO HomeValue, underwriters can generate real-time estimates of catastrophe risk, as characterized by the estimated average annual loss. Insurers can use this assessment of the catastrophe risk to automate, for example, simple issue/decline decisions, rating plan selection, and price adjustment under consent-to-rate procedures. ISO HomeValue captures a variety of property characteristics necessary for catastrophe modeling, including location, construction, building type, and year built. Additional property characteristics that may mitigate damage-such as storm shutters for hurricane risk-can also be entered to assess rate credits for such structures. In many cases, basic property data can be automatically pre-filled using the ISO PushPin database. ISO PushPin contains specific and detailed data on key building features for more than 50 million residential properties in the United States. Agents, underwriters, and inspectors can enter additional property information into ISO HomeValue to enhance the completeness of the data. "By employing ISO HomeValue to gather and maintain high quality property data, insurers can obtain more reliable estimates of an individual property's catastrophe loss potential, in addition to its replacement cost," continued Mr. Davis. Source: AIR Worldwide Corp.

Boston - Insurance carriers have invested heavily in project management, but large projects continue to fail. A new approach is required, according to a new report, “The 18 Month Rule: Avoiding the Endless Project.” The Boston-based insurance practice of research firm Celent LLC released the report this week as a guide to address the pitfalls of large IT projects.

New York - More than three-quarters (77%) of life insurance CFOs cite the growing level and complexity of regulations as their biggest concern for the market and economic environment in 2007, according to the latest CFO survey from the New York-based Tillinghast business of Towers Perrin. Interest rates were a close second, with 70% of respondents citing concerns about potential volatility in rates as a key challenge.

Minneapolis - Thanks to the combination of rules-based management and mobile healthcare technologies, patients with long-term health conditions may be on the road to a faster recovery based on receiving early detection, continuous remote care, prediction of care demands, and quality of life improvement.Swedish technology company Kiwok AB is integrating Blaze Advisor business rules management technology from Fair Isaac Corp., a Minneapolis provider of analytics and decision management technologies, to enable intelligent out-of-hospital monitoring of patients via Kiwok's mobile healthcare monitoring network.

Waltham, Mass. - Results of a study analyzing the actual compliance-training records of more than 2.5 million employees (working at approximately 350 companies) who completed online ethics and compliance courses cite financial integrity as the respondents' number-one compliance issue. Insurers represented 10 of 350 companies studied, or roughly 153,000 employees, notes study author Integrity Interactive, a Waltham, Mass., provider of Web-based tools for managing and mitigating corporate ethics and compliance risk. The study reveals the top-12 ethics and compliance training topics addressed by major companies in 2006. Leading corporations have begun to address compliance risks proactively instead of waiting to react after problems arise, say the findings. The Integrity Interactive study quantifies which ethical violations companies fear most, identifies emerging compliance risk-management trends, and provides concrete examples of how top compliance-training topics map to corporate governance scandals dominating business headlines today. Financial integrity is the top compliance-training topic covered by major corporations today. Financial integrity has been among the Top-3 most-popular course topics every year since 2000, and also tops the most-popular list for the present decade, reflecting the persistent determination of many companies to proactively prevent compliance violations such as backdated stock options and inaccurate financial reports. Proper use of computers ranks second on the list of ethics and compliance topics, reflecting the desire of companies to protect their leaders, employees, and themselves from embarrassing, inappropriate, or even illegal uses of computers, the Internet, instant messaging and related information technologies. Four new concerns surfaced in the study: Sarbanes-Oxley & internal controls (ranked #6) and data safeguarding (ranked #8) appear in the top-12 list for the first time. The popularity of these course topics reflects corporate efforts to respond to important legislation adopted in recent years at the national and state levels. Human rights (ranked #10) and privacy (ranked #12): These two also appear on the top-12 list for the first time and constitute powerful evidence of senior management's desire to respond to broader values-based concerns gaining traction in society as a whole. Another aspect of the study revealed that company size influences risk-management priorities. Very large corporations (90,000+ employees) have made financial integrity their leading priority. Large (10,000+ to 90,000 employees) and mid-sized (1,000 to 10,000 employees) companies cite mutual respect as their top priority (closely followed by proper use of computers). And mutual respect appears among the top-3 most-popular training priorities for companies in all size buckets (mid-sized, large and very large). The near-universal applicability of the mutual respect course explains its popularity with companies of different sizes. Antitrust (a risk-area of particular concern to sales and marketing personnel) is another compliance-training topic popular with companies of all sizes. Source: Integrity Interactive Inc.

Springfield, Mass. - Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, Mass., is setting a best practice example that may not have a technology angle or result in increased premium revenue, but it has a long-term business benefit just the same. The company is bringing its LifeBridge Free Life Insurance Program to the Tucson, Arizona area. MassMutual's LifeBridge is a national philanthropic program in which the company issues 10-year term life insurance policies to eligible working parents to help pay for the cost of their children's education in the event they die. Through LifeBridge, $50,000 life insurance policies are issued to a trust on the life of qualifying parents or legal guardians to help pay for the education of their eligible children who -- in the event of a parent's death during the policy's term -- may not be able to afford to complete their schooling. All premiums are paid entirely by MassMutual, with no fees for qualified parents or their children. MassMutual has provided more than 5,800 10-year term life insurance policies since launching the now popular LifeBridge program in 2002, representing more than $290 million in free life insurance coverage. Louise Orozco, CLU, of Generational Wealth Strategies, LLC, a MassMutual Agent based in Tucson, teamed up with the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona to offer the LifeBridge Program to eligible families. "We are extremely excited to bring LifeBridge to the Tucson area," says Louise Orozco. "We want to help ensure that access to educational opportunities exists for children of working families and not just those who are lucky enough to have parents with adequate financial means. There is absolutely no cost to the insured for a policy under the LifeBridge program." To be eligible to apply for a term life insurance policy under the LifeBridge program, applicants must be: * Between the ages of 19-42; * A permanent, legal U.S. resident; * The parent or legal guardian of one or more dependent children under the age of 18; * Currently employed -- either full- or part-time -- and have a family income between $10,000 and $40,000 on their most recent income tax return; * The only family member who has applied for the LifeBridge program; and * In good health, as determined by MassMutual's underwriting guidelines. The money will be paid to a trust administered by The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB on behalf of the children. The trust will pay the educational expenses of the children directly to the educational institution they attend. Various types of schools qualify, including, but not limited to, pre- school, private school, vocational school, community college, universities, art and music schools or graduate schools. Some of the educational expenses covered include books, tuition, and room and board. Source: MassMutual

Hartford, Conn. - In the latest of several insurance-specific vendor mergers and acquisitions, Innovation Group, a U.K. provider of P&C outsourcing and technology, is acquiring Boston-based claims-reporting outsourcer First Notice Systems, Inc. from Concentra Operating Corp., Addison, Texas. Innovation Group counts among its U.S. customers the California State Automobile Association, Nationwide Indemnity and The Auto Club of Southern California. First Notice provides services to Pemco and The Hanover Group, among others. The announcement follows close on the heels of another outsourcing deal, Capgemini's acquisition of India-based Kanbay, a provider of outsourcing services to the financial services sector. Capgemini will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Kanbay for $29 per share in cash. Kanbay claims to have more than 200 customers in the insurance sector, which, say analysts, has the potential to strengthen Capgemini's presence in North America by providing it with an improved banking and financial services focus. The Boards of Directors of Capgemini and Kanbay have already approved the transaction, which is set to increase Capgemini's presence in India (+89% based on Q3 figures). The combined company will have headcount reaching 12,000 employees by the end of 2006 in India, reports the popular press. The Innovation Group, meanwhile, is set to pay (U.S.) $51.55 million in cash, comprising consideration of $50 million and related payments of $1.55 million for First Notice. The acquisition, which is subject, to shareholder approval and certain other customary finance and closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006, providing a platform for the company to grow its insurance outsourcing business in the U.S. First Notice's principal focus is on processing-on behalf of its clients-the first notice of loss (FNOL) made by an insurance company customer of a claim or a potential claim. First Notice currently processes approximately two million claims a year and makes 10 million outbound distributions on behalf of its client base, which comprises more than 100 insurance clients, including carriers, third party administrators and self insured businesses. With U.S. headquarters in Hartford, Conn., Innovation Group's deal adds claims to its portfolio software-led business processes for the handling of the breadth of the administrative processes of insurers and risk carriers - including back office functions such as claims management and sales, as well as software technology for both policy and claims administration that can be utilized in connection with its outsourcing operations or implemented on a stand-alone basis. Source: The Innovation Group, The Business Wire

Phoenix – Six of every 10 Arizona school principals believe their students don’t get enough exercise, but help has arrived from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ).

Dallas - It won’t be idle chatter when the words, “You’re hired,” are uttered Nov. 29 at an educational event scheduled for Dallas. For the second straight year, organizers are basing the program on “The IT Apprentice,” a take-off on Donald Trump’s hit TV show, with a lucky attendee chosen for a very real job.

NEEDHAM, Mass. -- Many executives concede that their companies are late in automating the life insurance underwriting process, according to a survey by the Needham, Mass.-based TowerGroup consulting and research firm. TowerGroup worked on the study in partnership with Insurance Networking News.

London -- Mergers and acquisitions increased by more than 70% in the U.S. technology sector during the first half of 2006, compared with the corresponding period a year earlier, according to Datamonitor, a London-based market analysis firm with regional offices across the United States.

Emerging nanotechnol-ogies have the potential to influence and change our lives in ways we could not have imagined as recently as a decade ago. A generic term for applications at the molecular level, nanotechnology will eventually influence every aspect of our lives; from the way we communicate to the methods used to diagnose and treat illness. Nanotechnology will improve efficiencies in energy, computer storage capacity and data processing, security, clothing, food, and shelter.The potential of nanotechnology is reflected by the amount of revenue currently projected for these technologies, between $1 trillion and $2 trillion within the next 10 to 15 years. And just in time, because according to World Resources 2000 and United Nations press releases, within the next 50 years-less than one lifetime-the world population is expected to grow by 50%, world economic activity is expected to grow 500% and world energy and materials use is expected to grow by 300%.

Insurance has always been about risk, and insurance companies, armed with actuarial tables and reinsurance, have generally handled it well. But there are risks that go beyond the ordinary-storms that wipe out a city's worth of houses and businesses and create enormous correlative exposure; lawsuits that result in liability where none existed before, or threaten to remove exclusions. These sorts of risks can drain capital reserves and put the entire company in jeopardy.To protect themselves, insurance companies increasingly step back and take a holistic, enterprisewide view of risk, and align their reserves to meet not just everyday actuarial and financial risk, but risks that cross organizational silos.

When it employees at Cincinnati-based Great American Insurance Co. got wind late last year that their new CIO would be Piyush Sing, former CIO of the Peoria, Ill., multi-line P&C carrier RLI Systems, they probably took a deep breath-rightly assuming that big changes would be coming in how the company uses technology to conduct its specialty commercial lines business. Sing's reputation for building front-end technology to match his previous company's unique requirements (RLI's motto was to provide "Fundamentally Sound Innovation" to the insurance industry) preceded him.As expected, Sing came to Great American Insurance with a similar plan, and a vision to overhaul the 130-year-old company's front-end applications for insurance processing with a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services approach. Especially critical to Sing's vision: the ability to manage the appointments, interactions and state-by-state compliance requirements of a U.S. distribution network comprised of 8,000 active agents.

HARTFORD TEAMS WITH TECH GROUPThe Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Hartford, Conn., is working with the largest technology trade association in Washington State to offer policies designed for the technology industry. The insurer will market the insurance to members of the Seattle-based WSA (formerly the Washington Software Association) through brokers and independent agents. Nationwide, the Hartford insures more than 50,000 technology companies.

WHITEHILL SOFTWARE HELPS CREATE POLICIESWhitehill Technologies, Moncton, New Brunswick, has shipped a new release of the InSystems product line, which helps create insurance policies. IStream Publisher 3.2 simplifies production of insurance documents by managing the process from the first draft of the contract language through the issuing of the policy. The software also supports service-oriented architecture (SOA), which increases IT agility, and includes predefined services for retrieval, assembly, rendering, delivery and storage.

Insurance Networking News asked David Pedersen, senior vice president at Insurity, Hartford, Conn., to explain how a data integration project can evolve from an enterprisewide objective to a successful way of life.INN: Do most insurance companies have a data strategy, and why is it important?

Liability Insurance Administrators (LIA), Santa Barbara, Calif., was drowning in paper and all the costs associated with generating it, filing it and keeping it around. With an average of 15,000 to 20,000 active existing insurance policy underwriting files, the firm, which provides error and omissions policies to real estate appraisers, found itself having to hire new clerical staff to handle processing, as well as finding new space for all the documents."In the beginning, we just had one clerical person who would answer phones, do the filing, issue quotes, and do all other clerical work," says Robert Wiley, LIA assistant vice president. "As the company grew year after year, we had to start divvying up those duties to stand-alone positions, receptionist, clerical staff and filing staff. Eventually we had to keep increasing our filing staff, and we're now at the point where we're an office of about 29 people. And we have four full-time file staff and three part timers."

CAT CLAIMSCustard Insurance Adjusters, a Norcross, Ga., independent loss adjusting company, contracted with Marshall and Swift/Boeckh (MSB), New Berlin, Wis., for MSB's IntegriClaim tool for field estimating and for its IntegriClaim Administrator, which provides a paperless, Web-enabled work environment, for use in Custard's catastrophe and home office claims divisions. The technology package will send claims seamlessly from the carrier to independent adjusters.

The rapid proliferation of enterprise content, such as electronic documents, audiovisual files, instant messaging (IM), recorded phone conversations and e-mail, is having significant impact on the global insurance industry.Insurers now face severe penalties if they are unable to produce legally viable records of business conversations and transactions. Additionally, globalization, the dispersion of data and strict compliance regulations are key drivers of this emerging industry mindset.