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Some consumers don’t seem to be crying out for usage-based insurance and evidence shows some of the models in use are only mildly predictive at best. Why is that? Why is it that auto insurance companies have not found a way to significantly improve on the traditional metrics of age, zip code and the like despite all the technological advances of the last few decades?

McKeel Hagerty’s parents were into wooden boats and saw an unmet need to underwrite them. Hagerty, however, has been a car nut from day one. When the family’s marine insurance business finally began to offer auto policies in 1991, he saw a chance to join the fold and, along with his sisters, Tammy and Kim, stomp on the pedal.

Allstate and John Hancock recently announced a partnership to reward John Hancock Vitality members with points if the policyholder is also a safe driver with the Allstate Drivewise program. The alliance is the first of its kind and could be an indicator of where the insurance industry may be going.

The pandemic and industry challenges that lie ahead have fast-tracked innovation and a push for much needed modernization in the industry.

The Singapore-based company is working with financial advisers and a formal funding round may kick off later this year, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. It plans to use the proceeds for expansion, they said.

Mobile Appraiser Pro uses photo capture technology and AI-powered mobile estimation and valuation tools to provide nearly real-time insight to field appraisers.

Insurance companies are rolling out digital capabilities to revolutionize the claims process. Are customers coming along?

As we look ahead, evolving technologies are presenting home and auto owners with new potential risks. Hacking and ransomware, once confined to computer networks, may become an endemic cyber vulnerability for our increasingly connected vehicles and “smart home” devices. Yet many of these same technologies could create new data sources and risk mitigation options for personal lines insurers.

In other news: Online embedded insurance, Bubble launches; Obie partners with Munich Re company; Nintex, Insuresoft team up on digital transformation.

Breakthroughs in AI over the past decade mean we can now use it to train computer vision algorithms to perform visual tasks as accurately or more than humans. Smartphones can be turned into visual experts in your pocket, which can appraise some aspects of the environment better than people.

In a report titled Shifting Powers, academics at the University of Cambridge and experts at the insurance marketplace Lloyd’s of London try and imagine what that reshaped world is likely to look like.

Research shows rapid adoption of predictive algorithms and digital identity technology will stem the pandemic-driven fraud deluge. Insurance fraud causes more than $80 billion in losses annually in the U.S. alone, according to the report.

The unique partnership comes amid an increase in vehicle crash-related deaths and a desire to help customers understand how their choices could potentially support their overall health.

Insurtechs are everywhere, covering every sector and raising money at record-setting clips. But the legacy insurance businesses, from carriers to agencies, have already been here and have the deep pockets to remain. So naturally the story has become about competition for market share.

Digital Insurance spoke with Brett Jurgens, the CEO of Notion, a DIY smart home monitoring company, which is owned by Comcast, about how Notion works with insurers and what benefits smart home monitoring has for policyholders.

Ben Simmons, VP of insurance at Gravie, delves into how his company provides users with health insurance plans that have neither deductibles or copays.

Millennials are the most eager to go electric, followed by Generation Z, who also expect to see autonomous vehicles in the next five years. However, 40% of respondents said they expect to never use an autonomous vehicle in their lives. The reason for the EV interest is mostly motivated by money.

As we emerge from the pandemic and look to the future, the case for cloud must be elevated beyond the limitations of IT savings, to how insurers can use it to address their biggest business challenges.

Travelers IntelliDrivePlus allows customers more opportunity to increase their usage-based discount at a time when prices are going up.

According to a Breeze survey, 55% of consumers would be interested in buying a hypothetical insurance product from Amazon that used data analytics to determine policy pricing, over a legacy carrier.