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Former California Blues CIO will oversee all of IT, including maintenance and development of software applications that support Esurance’s growing policyholder base, expanding state coverage and product offerings.

The MGIS Companies Inc. (MGIS), a provider of insurance products and services for physicians, has named Michael Green as VP, IT operations. Green will lead the development and implementation of strategic IT systems for MGIS and its subsidiaries.

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), a subsidiary of insurance broker Marsh Inc., is expanding its presence in the Florida market with the acquisition of Eidson Insurance, a $3.4 million revenue property/casualty and employee benefits agency based in Orlando, Florida.

As Costa Rica sends rescue teams to an area hit yesterday by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake, risk modelers have more natural catastrophe data to contend with: flood loss. Flood losses are on a rapid upswing, according to a report issued today by Swiss Re. Affecting an estimated 500 million people worldwide annually, the increase in flood-related claims has been significant, notes Swiss Re’s new report, “Flood - an Underestimated Risk: Inspect, Inform, Insure.”

Data and cloud continue to pave the way to profitable initiatives such as telematics and customer management.

American International Group Inc., the bailed-out U.S. insurer, is raising as much as $2 billion selling a stake in AIA Group Ltd. as Chief Executive Officer Robert Benmosche accumulates funds to repurchase his company’s stock from the Treasury Department. AIG is offering about 600 million AIA shares at HK$25.75 to HK$26.75, according to a term sheet obtained by Bloomberg News. AIG plans to spend as much $5 billion buying back its shares, it said in a statement released via Business Wire.

CNA Financial Corp. has named Cheryl Paton as the assistant VP for umbrella teams, and Andy Cohen as the VP of field operations.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. will use Guidewire PolicyCenter as its underwriting and policy administration system and Guidewire BillingCenter for its P&C insurance lines. Nationwide Mutual already is in the process of deploying Guidewire ClaimCenter for claims handling for all P&C lines of business.

SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc., a software and services provider, has launched CAMRA I-Risk for insurance companies to address emerging solvency standards by combining CAMRA’s financial reporting capabilities with a position-based stochastic simulation model.

CUNA Mutual Group has promoted Robert N. Trunzo to president of CMFG Life Insurance Co., a role in which he is responsible for the products, distribution and service of the company’s U.S. credit union businesses as well as its 401(k) business.

WellPoint Inc., the second-biggest U.S. health insurer, is planning a four-part debt offering to help fund its $4.9 billion acquisition of Amerigroup Corp. The operator of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance plans may sell three-, five-, 10- and 30- year notes as soon as today, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

Long-term care insurance decisions are not being made only by the elderly, according to a new report. A study conducted by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance notes that the youngest claimant was 24 years old when he began receiving benefit payments from his long-term care insurance policy. Now in his seventh year of receiving payments, the coverage was purchased when the claimant was 21 years old.

IT managers and data architects can take steps to make sure data applications get same level of testing as software.

Results of a Towers Watson survey of risk calibrations being used for specific market and non-market risks, revealed that the largest challenges still include interest rates, credit spreads and mortality and lapse assumptions, with up to two-thirds of firms still looking to make considerable progress in these areas.

Munich Re, Swiss Re and Allianz among A.M. Best’s review and ranking of the top 50 reinsurers based on gross premiums written.

The combined retirement businesses will have approximately $120 billion in assets under management and 3 million participants.

Mobile usage-based solutions offer choices designed to provide customer-centric data, feedback.

As businesses in the Gulf Coast are finding out again, having a disaster recovery plan is critical to a business’ survival. According to the “Gulf Coast Back to Business Act (2007),” 43 percent of businesses that close after a natural disaster never reopen, and an additional 29 percent permanently close within two years. However, in the wake of the ongoing financial crisis, many disaster recovery plans are now out of date, says Victor Janulaitis, CEO of Janco Associates.

IT contractor hiring is on the rise; researchers say forecasting the hiring of experts is a “net positive."

Poll results reveal that majority of Americans connect life insurance to feelings of security, yet don’t fully understand how such a vehicle can help meet long-term financial goals.