Newport Beach, Calif.-based eAgency Systems Inc., a wireless sales force automation provider, and Research in Motion Ltd., a mobile communications company based in Waterloo, Ont., are working together to jointly market the eAgency solution to connect insurance and financial services professionals to their corporate databases via BlackBerry handheld computers.Claimsnet.com Inc., a Dallas-based provider of Internet-based business-to-business solutions for the healthcare industry, and Atlanta-based National Electronic Attachment Inc. (NEA) have agreed to incorporate NEA's FastAttach to facilitate the electronic transmission of dental claim attachments. FastAttach enables dental offices to transmit attachments, such as x-rays, perio charts, intra-oral pictures and narratives via the Internet to NEA's repository where payers can view them.
HNC Software Inc., a San Diego-based provider of high-end analytics, and the National Fraud Center Inc. (NFC), a LexisNexis Group provider of fraud and risk management services based in Horsham, Pa., have formed a global alliance. The alliance will combine HNC's risk suite of products with NFC's consultative and investigative expertise. HNC's products enable companies to detect risky and fraudulent transactions, while NFC's products and services help them investigate those cases.
New York-based The BISYS Group Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the Hemisphere companies. Bermuda-based Hemisphere is one of the largest hedge fund administrators. The acquisition extends BISYS's position as a provider of value-added services for the investment management industry, and expands its presence in the rapidly growing hedge fund and alternative investment products markets.
Aetna Group Insurance, a division of Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna Inc., will provide its group life insurance customers access to free investment planning services due to a new arrangement with Chase Investment Services Corp. (CISC), an affiliate of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. The new program is available to all beneficiaries regardless of their benefit payout and provides investment planning from a CISC Financial Consultant through a toll-free number.
At a time when Corporate America is trying to find ways to increase sales while reducing travel and training costs, LTC Consultants, a third-party training company for long-term care insurance, and e-learning specialist Little Planet Learning, have formed a training venture. The new Web-based program at www.LTCUniversity.com is a three-year joint project between the two Nashville, Tenn.-based companies to train agents.
The Ohio Casualty Insurance Co. and Summit Insurance Co. are two new partners in the Independent Insurance Agents of America's (IIAA) Trusted Choice branding initiative. The Trusted Choice brand was created by IIAA to increase customer awareness of the benefits of independent agents. Others partners include Safeco, MSA Group, Progressive, Encompass Insurance, Selective Insurance Group, MetLife Auto & Home and The Hartford. All forms of media promotion of the brand will direct consumers to www.trustedchoice.com.
Siebel Systems Inc., San Mateo, Calif., has validated the integration of its Siebel eInsurance version 6.0 e-business applications software with Decision Smart System version 4.0, a real-time underwriting decision solution from Fair, Isaac and Company Inc., San Rafael. Calif. With this validation, clients of Fair, Isaac and Siebel Systems can improve consistency of their underwriting decisions.
