Online health insurance provider Digital Insurance Co., East Norriton, Pa., has acquired Houston-based InsureRate, an online source for high-value insurance products including term life and annuities, from HomeCom Communications Inc., an Internet application services provider in Atlanta. As part of the transaction, Digital Insurance purchased InsureRate's retail and financial institution-focused Web site-related assets and certain hard assets, as well as the assumption of certain liabilities. InsureRate will continue to operate as a separate entity and manage its operations in Houston.ePolicy.com Insurance Services Inc. has forged a multiyear agreement with Shaker Heights, Ohio-based OfficeMax, Inc. to offer the superstore chain's customers ePolicy's suite of small-business and professional insurance policies online through OfficeMax.com, OfficeMax's e-commerce business unit. Visitors to www.officemax.com can select from ePolicy's comprehensive selection of low-cost insurance products for small businesses and professionals.
Fort Worth, Texas-based InsureZone, an insurance online marketplace for small-businesses, has formed a strategic commerce partnership with Santa Monica, Calif.-based BizBuyer Inc., a business-to-business, request-for-quote sourcing solution for growing businesses. InsureZone will be the exclusive provider of small-commercial property and casualty insurance for BizBuyer's business customers throughout the United States. InsureZone offers policies from many major carriers, including The Hartford, Kemper, The St. Paul, CNA, and Zurich U.S. Small Business.
Agents of Utica Mutual Insurance Co., New Hartford, N.Y., will have access to rates and underwriting tools in the multicarrier environment provided by TowerStreet, an AMS company delivering point-of-sale products and insurance information via the Internet. As an exchange partner of TowerStreet, Utica Mutual will offer its personal lines products through TowerStreet. Agents will order all the underwriting reports they need, and use this information in the tier selection process according to Utica Mutual's rules. All this activity will take place on TowerStreet at the point of sale.
InsureNewMedia.com, a New York-based outsourcing company specializing in insurance products for startup Internet and emerging technology companies, has merged with InsureCast.com, a provider of insurance for medium to large technology businesses. InsureCast's customers will have access to a broader array of products offered by InsureNewMedia, including group health and life insurance. The relationship will enable InsureNewMedia to increase its exposure and client base through the marketing efforts of InsureCast, and both companies hope to receive additional traffic to their Web sites.
Agents and planners using Financial Profiles' Advisor Web site program can invite clients and prospects to their Web sites, and have them receive a quote for term life insurance and file an application online. Through a strategic alliance between Carlsbad, Calif.-based Financial Profiles Inc. and Acentas.com Inc., Stoneham, Mass., Acentas will provide online term life insurance quotes and application capabilities to advisors who use Advisor Web sites. The Financial Profiles' Web site program enables financial services professionals to create and maintain a presence on the Web.
A strategic alliance between eAutoclaims.com and Alamo Rent A Car, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will enable the two companies to link their Internet-based systems to enable a seamless rental transaction. The partnership provides Palm Harbor, Fla.-based eAutoclaims and Alamo's insurance company clients direct access to the Alamo Mpowerment system through eAutoclaims' Bricks to Clicks system once the assignment form has been completed. Insurance adjusters and Alamo representatives will be able to dispatch and track their rental assignments without launching multiple browsers through the eAutoclaims data repair centers.
PRC Corp., Hartford, Conn., has entered into an agreement to purchase 100% of the stock of Atlanta-based Insurity Solutions Inc. from an internal management group and private investors. The acquisition is a key step in the evolution of PRC's business model to be a one-stop shop for a variety of insurance distributors' processing requirements. The acquisition will enable both companies to extend products to a broader audience including carriers, MGAs, brokers and financial services institutions. The deal is PRC's second major acquisition during the last three months.
