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The insurance industry showed strong support for The National Transportation Safety Board after it announced yesterday that it recommends all 50 states and the District of Columbia pass legislation banning the non-emergency use of portable electronic devices by motorists while driving.

Potentially simpler interconnectivity and cheaper information dissemination processes could make insurers, and insureds' wallets, very happy.

The National Transportation Safety Board said today that texting, emailing or using a cell phone while driving has been proven to be too dangerous to be allowed anywhere, and recommends that all states impose a total ban, except for emergencies. The recommendation would also apply to hands-free devices, the federal safety board said.

FINEOS Corp., a provider of claims management software, is including the IBM Insurance Framework in its product. FINEOS says insurance solutions offered by IBM are built on the IBM Framework and aim to create more flexible, responsive insurance companies through the progressive transformation of operational processes. FINEOS, a partner of IBM, offers FINEOS Claims, a solution to manage claims for life and disability, P&C, London market and government insurance.

XL Group Plc.'s North American P&C unit hired Ken Riegler as president of its North America Casualty group. Riegler will be based in New York and report to Seraina Maag, XL's chief executive for North America P&C.

New survey puts insurance companies at the bottom of the list in terms of consumer-friendliness on the Web.

On the heels of reports coming out of Washington on the government’s scramble to protect the country’s power grid from cybercriminals, CSC reports the launch of an Insurance Cybersecurity Advisory Council for life insurance and annuity providers and property/casualty insurers. The goal of the council is to facilitate the development of best practices and technology strategies that effectively mitigate the risk of cyber attacks on the insurance industry.

The International Underwriting Association has established an enhanced lobbying presence in the Americas, the group reports.

More evidence of a hardening market has arrived via the most recent Commercial Lines Insurance Pricing Survey (CLIPS) from Towers Watson.