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The technology may seem a panacea to some, but for the insurance industry, there are still some unanswered questions concerning Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and data convergence implementation.Donald Light, senior analyst at Boston-based Celent Communications Inc., a research and advisory firm, confirms the pensive posture of the insurance sector. "Insurance is being a cautious adopter. Visualizing the curve, the insurance industry is just now stepping up into growth," he says.

For better or worse, the reinsurance industry is in the middle of its 15 minutes of fame. With regulators shining a spotlight-some might call it a blinding one-on the industry, insurance companies are being forced to take a hard look at their reinsurance practices.Regardless of the overall impact the attention will have on the reinsurance market-specifically on finite reinsurance (see "Regulators Focus on Finite Reinsurance" ), it's a safe bet to say that insurance carriers will start to more closely examine their reinsurance automation needs, according to Donald Light, senior analyst at Celent Communications Inc., a Boston-based financial services research and consulting firm.

Before Keith Hawkyard's employer implemented a Web-based enterprise incentive management (EIM) system, he spent several hours every month leafing thro-ugh paper reports looking for his cancelled accounts.Now, with a new EIM system in place, Hawkyard, who sells automobile and homeowners insurance for San Francisco-based California State Automobile Association (CSAA), spends minutes rather than hours locating those accounts-with more time for follow-up calls to turn those cancellations back into policies.

The evolution of real-time text communications technology, in which messages can be sent, received and viewed immediately-a.k.a. instant messaging (IM)-is a welcome one for most companies.As IM moves from being a novelty for teens and college students to a viable communications vehicle for business, many organizations realize its potential: to improve collaboration and productivity.

In spite of centuries of sales experience, most insurers rely heavily on price for acquiring and retaining customers. The reality is that customers base insurance purchasing decisions on many factors. While this does not mean that we can ignore pricing, it does mean that alternatives exist for insurers to remain competitive.For some companies, the frustrating cycle of hard and soft markets will not exist. By relying on the power of data mining, they can maintain the consistency and accuracy of their underwriting decisions; they can significantly reduce the impact of fraudulent claims; and they can have a better understanding of their customers' wants and needs.

San Diego, Calif. - According to a recent report issued by San Diego-based messaging security developer Akonix Systems Inc., some 25 new viruses were reported on corporate IM networks during the month of September.

Boston - In 2003, Allianz Life transformed its Individual Insurance Group Call Center with key features including a single converged voice and data network, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phones, simple and understandable 800 number access for agents and policyholders, and intelligent call routing.Allianz's new call center has produced both financial and nonfinancial benefits, according to a report from Celent Communications Inc., titled "Upgrading Call Center Technology at Allianz Life." Productivity (measured by utilization of internal sales reps) has increased from 85% to 92%. Current year sales are up 78% year-over-year with essentially the same staff count. Management has a much better ability to track performance both real-time and retrospectively. Perhaps most importantly, the introduction of skill-based routing has facilitated the matching of calls to sales representatives.

Mayfield Village, Ohio - One million consumers have heeded the call of the Drive Insurance from Progressive marketing campaign and visited driveinsurance.com to find out more about the benefits of buying auto insurance through an independent agent or broker, including personal service and advice, competitive rates, and choice.The Web site was introduced in December 2004 as part of the launch of the Drive brand, which promotes the more than 30,000 independent agencies that sell Drive Insurance products across the country. The Drive Group of Progressive Insurance companies is the country's number one writer of private passenger auto insurance through independent agents and brokers.

Brea, Calif. - ChoicePoint and The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. have co-led a $20 million strategic investment that funds the expansion of XDimensional Technologies Inc. in the independent insurance agency market. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.XDimensional's flagship product, Nexsure, is an agency management Internet service for the insurance industry. Nexsure is designed to put information at the fingertips of agents and carriers, delivering a progression of the entire customer/policy life cycle for any and all lines of business, from first contact, to submission, to sale and to in-force policy service.

Hartford, Conn., - Two insurers are partnering to bring advanced workers' compensation services to businesses throughout the Connecticut. The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Hartford, Conn., has contracted with Aetna to offer its customers the Aetna Workers' Comp Access (AWCA) network of health care providers. This arrangement, which became effective Sept. 1, follows a June 1 initiative when

Kansas City, Mo. - State insurance regulators, working cooperatively through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), are working to ensure that survivors of Hurricane Katrina are being treated fairly and in compliance with the state insurance laws. To help respond to consumers' needs, the NAIC is creating an Emergency Responder database of state resources. This database will serve as a network of consumer assistance representatives from around the nation, who will help support state insurance departments in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, as they respond to losses associated with the disaster.

Alexandria, Va. - The national board of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) has adopted a new policy on producer compensation disclosure by carriers.

New York, N.Y. - The insurance commissioners of several large states will convene a summit November 15 and November 16 to develop a National Catastrophe Insurance Program, which would more effectively spread insurance risk and help survivors cope with the tremendous financial damage caused by natural catastrophes and acts of terrorism.

Boston - Will Katrina change the insurance industry in fundamental ways? Have loss patterns changed from "small and frequent" and "large and infrequent" to "very large and not infrequent?"In a new report, "After Katrina: What Now for the Insurance Industry?" Celent Communications Inc. examines the immediate and long-term implications of Katrina and describes best-case and worse-case scenarios of its impact on the insurance industry and select insurance providers.

Jersey City, N.J. - ISO's guide on state insurance laws and regulations, the State Filing Handbook, is now available in a new Web-based format designed to make it easy for insurers to access the information they need when they need it. The State Filing Handbook is available through ISOnet, ISO's secure Internet platform for delivering information to property/casualty insurers.The online State Filing Handbook features multi-state reports on a broad range of filing topics. Insurers can select a single topic, a type of filing and a number of states -- or choose all states -- and the handbook will generate a table summarizing the requirements for those states. A keyword search feature includes regulations, bulletins and forms to make it easier to locate the exact topic or section.

Los Angeles - In response to unprecedented demands on independent adjusters due to Hurricane Katrina, Marshall & Swift/Boeckh (MS/B), a supplier of local building cost information, residential and commercial property valuation technology and services for the property and casualty insurance sector, has extended its help desk hours. Its fully staffed technical support is now available weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. CST and on weekends from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The help desk can be reached toll free at 888-337-9665.

Philadelphia - Mutual of Omaha has implemented COMPASS, an enterprise group benefit administration system from Philadelphia-based SunGard. In 2004 the Omaha, Neb., carrier created a sales force dedicated solely to group life, disability and dental products. It purchased COMPASS in July 2004 to support product development, billing, collections and administration and to help it manage its group life, disability, dental and voluntary insurance offering. COMPASS, a participant recordkeeping and plan administration system, supports a range of plan types, including group pension, group and life disability, individual pension and annuity, and corporate profit sharing.

Boston - New York-based MetLife and Babson Executive Education held their second annual Thought Leadership Conference this week in Wellesley, Mass. The meeting brought together key players in the Internet and multi-channel marketing arena to discuss innovative practices for understanding the multi-channel marketing mindset.

San Diego, Calif. - Mitchell International Inc., a provider of information and workflow solutions to the automotive insurance and collision repair industries, has acquired ClaimIQ, a leading San Francisco-based provider of claims decision optimization applications for insurance carriers.ClaimIQ will join the Mitchell organization as a business unit of Mitchell's medical division. All products of both Mitchell and ClaimIQ will continue to be supported and expanded, and a new set of integrated products that combine the strengths of decision support, bill review, and collision estimating will be introduced.

Kansas City, Mo. - The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has redesigned its Web site to be more user friendly to both NAIC members and first-time visitors. Work on the new site began in May after an internal audit was conducted to focus on potential areas of improvement and enhancement, with the goal in mind to create an easier, more accessible online resource for all audiences."Improvements made to our Web site should make finding information much easier for anyone who is seeking insurance information," says Catherine J. Weatherford, NAIC executive vice president and CEO. "We've grouped information into categories that should simplify searches for specific topics."