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Decatur Ga. - The Progressive Group of Insurance Cos., broke ground for its new Service Center in Decatur, Ga. Georgia Insurance Commissioner, John W. Oxendine, was on hand for the ceremony.Scheduled to open late this year, the site will feature a 19,000 square foot service center and marks Progressive's expansion in Atlanta of its "concierge" claims service that oversees all elements of the claims and repair process on behalf of drivers involved in accidents. Progressive claims its concierge service reduces the time drivers spend on repairs from four days to about 15 minutes.

Hartford, Conn. - With fewer large books of business changing hands recently, insurance agencies are relying on staff-driven, organic growth to expand their operations. Compensation packages and new recruitment and training strategies have shifted to reflect this trend, and also to address the shortage of trained sales professionals, according to the recently-published Business Management Group, Inc.'s "2006-2007 Owner, Executive and Producer Compensation Survey."Business Management Group (BMG), a subsidiary of The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., is an independent agency/broker consulting firm that has surveyed and published agency compensation studies since 1990. The surveys enable agencies to benchmark their compensation plans against industry norms by looking at various factors, including revenue size and region.

Alpharetta, Ga. - ChoicePoint (NYSE:CPS) is acquiring the assets of Memphis, Tenn.-based USCerts, which provides technology and data management services to facilitate the remote ordering of certified birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.USCerts combines technology with user-friendly interfaces to provide a secure, remote vital records ordering system. The company also provides a network for processing vital record requests by telephone, facsimile or the World Wide Web.

Des Moines, Iowa - The Principal Financial Group is introducing an online tool--called the Treatment Cost Advisor--designed to help members evaluate the price of specific procedures as well as medications. The tool responds to a growing need from employers who are encouraging employees to make smarter health decisions."Understanding health care costs is complicated, so we wanted to offer a way for our members to identify and compare pricing for everything from minor procedures to surgeries and hospital stays," says Carey Jury, senior vice president of the health division for the Principal Financial Group. "As consumer driven health care continues to evolve and more responsibility shifts to employees, we must provide tools and resources to help our members make informed health decisions."

Worcester, Mass. - The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. is trying to make it easier and faster for independent agents to do business with the company by revamping its point-of- ale (POS) system for Avenues Commercial Auto. Using the enhanced POS system, it takes agents just minutes to fill-out five pop-up, screens and obtain a commercial auto quote for a client."We are pleased to provide agents with the latest improvements to our Commercial Auto POS system because it makes placing business with The Hanover simpler and more efficient," says Marita Zuraitis, president of The Hanover's property and casualty companies.

San Mateo, Calif. - Progressive Insurance ranked as the No. 1 site in two studies conducted by Keynote Systems Inc., an Internet performance firm. The two studies line provide a comparative examination of online customer experience and best practices implementation by leading automobile insurance Web sites.Keynote's customer experience study shows that consumers are turning away from obtaining auto insurance quotes over the phone and increasingly turning to the Web for those same quotes. This study uncovered that in the highly competitive $158 billion auto insurance industry, price competitiveness and the online quote process are the leading indicators of success in landing new customers online.

Kansas City, Mo., - Health insurance--critical to the peace of mind of most Americans--has become increasingly complex and expensive, according to The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). A maze of options and cost considerations--from health maintenance organizations to health savings accounts--now confront consumers.To help individuals clear up the confusion and gain a better understanding of the costs of their coverage, the NAIC has assembled useful information about health insurance--all organized by life stage needs--on its new consumer education Web site called Insure U at http://www.insureuonline.org/.

Chicago - InsuranceNoodle Inc. is introducing the new AIG "WorldRisk" portfolio of international products which provides insurance protection for small U.S.-based companies that sell products or whose employees travel overseas.InsuranceNoodle is an Internet-based distributor of small business insurance. More than 2,500 active NoodleNetwork agencies across the country use the e-broker's patented proprietary, Web-based technology platform to write and service small commercial business. InsuranceNoodle's current line of commercial products includes property, general liability, package, business owners' policy (BOP), directors' and officers' liability, commercial auto, umbrella liability, workers' compensation, employment practices liability (EPLI), professional liability and surety bonds.

Jacksonville, Fla. - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is introducing what it claims is an industry first capability called CareCalc. a tool designed to help BCBSF providers and members understand the financial responsibility for a particular service prior to or at the time of an office visit."Providers of health care and their office staff want simple and effective processes so they can focus on their work instead of navigating the payment system. At the same time, our members want to be sure they are paying the right amount when they go to the doctor's office," says Elana Schrader, M.D., vice president, provider services, BCBSF. "CareCalc will not only help our members better understand their financial responsibilities, but it also will help streamline processes for those who serve them -- our physicians and providers."

Phoenix - A new tool is available for Arizona employers who seek to improve employee wellness and boost productivity in the workplace. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) has introduced My BluePrint, a virtual health advisor and health measurement tool. By inviting employees to take an interactive assessment, employers receive an overall summary of results so they can identify risk factors in four key areas--fitness, sleep, nutrition and stress management--and implement the most appropriate wellness programs."Employers who offer the My BluePrint program are becoming increasingly engaged in the health of their employees while helping to improve company performance," says Dick Hannon, senior vice president of marketing and provider affairs for BCBSAZ. "Employers have the ability to take more control over the invisible costs of health care by promoting simple steps toward healthier living."