Core systems

UnitedHealth Group Inc., the biggest U.S. health insurance company, agreed to pay about $4.9 billion to buy 90 percent of Amil Participacoes SA, a Brazil-based insurer and hospital chain that gives the American company a stake in the world’s second-biggest emerging economy.

Insurance software solutions provider Dovetail Insurance has won the Palmetto Pillar Award for cloud computing, which is sponsored by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Columbia Information Technology Council. The award is intended to honor the Midlands' technology leaders, innovators and IT executives.

Insurer deploys the Toughbook mobile computers in all 50 states, enabling appraisers to write estimates on site and upload reports.

The U.S. property and casualty sector’s profits got a boost in the first half of 2012, largely as a result of underwriting improvements resulting from a quiet catastrophe year to date. According to ISO, a Verisk Analytics company, and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes jumped to $16.4 billion in first-half 2012 from $4.8 billion in first-half 2011. Measuring insurers’ overall profitability as an annualized rate of return, policyholders’ surplus on average climbed to 5.9 from 1.7 percent.

Forecasted savings reached by 90 percent that adopt cloud technology.

More than half of U.S. insurers surveyed expect rise in personal property, workers' compensation and auto insurance fraud losses.

Based on a review of 35 major health plan websites, most issuers are still struggling to provide the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), even while the SBC provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) law took effect last week, according to Tyrula LLC. The law requires insurers to provide a paper SBC document within seven days of application, renewal, or the first day of coverage.

Program to provide review of building characteristics, factors that affect a building's wind resistance.

According to one Gartner analyst, precision, personalization and collaboration will motivate a new wave of business analytics.

The Federal Reserve sets January 5 as deadline for insurer to show it can handle severe economic stress.

Subscription service to track and review web resources for 16 providers of defined contribution plans, including ING, New York Life and Principal.

Two-thirds of life/annuity insurers plan to increase spending on analytics in the next two years as they seek to enhance the customer experience.

Surplus lines see spike in direct premiums written, experience turnaround as standard market insurers express the need to increase rates.

A new report from Forrester outlines potential mobile-enabled innovations and market transformations that could transform the insurance marketplace by 2020.

Spending is expected to nearly triple from current levels by 2016.

Insurer hopes e-signature capabilities will improve mobile distribution strategies, enable straight-through mobile processing.

Erie Insurance and IIHS study finds the teen driving death rate triple that of adult drivers.

ARCLand title specialists expect continuing growth and record premium levels for Q3 2012.

Stephen Halfpenny, formerly of Allstate and Munich Re, joins firm to lead Canadian business development.

By charting processes and performance as though it were a game, P&C and life insurers may have a cheap, engaging way to instill behavioral change within an organization.