Core systems

Overall, spending barely increases; CIOs lack confidence in budget plans.

For many adults in the United Kingdom, insurance is a “grudge purchase” – bought to insure against the possibility of something unfortunate happening – and the value test is the customer experience at claim time, according to “The Reality and Opportunities in Claims Management: Consumer Experiences in the United Kingdom,” a new report from Celent.

The research firm cut back its expected increase in overall enterprise application spending for this year to 4.5 percent, down half a percentage point from its outlook for the year in Q1 2012. That near-term reduction still amounts to $120.4 billion spent in the business software and solutions marketplace, up from 2011’s total of $115.2 billion in 2011, Gartner stated.

Enterprise content management firm to partner with Volly for the integration of its Digital Mail Gateway software.

A pair of new reports assess the top social media presences within the insurance industry and provide metrics and tactics to effectively harness your social networks.

Survey conducted at America’s Health Insurance Plans Institute 2012 reveals health insurance executives’ opinions on reform, increasing health care costs and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The United States Senate passed the Senate 2012 Farm Bill in a 64-35 vote. The Senate version of the bill would cost $498 billion, save $23.6 billion over the next 10 years and eliminate $5 billion per year in direct payments. The Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) would become the primary risk management tool for farmers.

SAP report shows companies with mature best practices double operating margins and triple revenue growth.

Winning papers to be published in a special edition of The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Issues and Practices.

In response to concerns raised about land-use restrictions and insurance mandates, the Senate and Banking Committee agree to scale back requirements.

As workers hope to prevent income shortages throughout retirement, insurers turn to new mediums to provide new advice.

While almost half of respondents to a recent survey emphasize that a prolonged low interest rate environment is the greatest threat to their business, 71 percent expect increases in new life and annuity premiums of 4 percent or more in the first quarter of 2012.

Principles intended to provide a framework that aligns investment objectives with the values of society at large.

Insurer also picks up agent self-service and electronic billing software.

Annual report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau outlines the downward trend in thefts as well as the 10 areas with the most vehicle thefts per capita.

Second annual StoneRiver survey indicates a lack of enterprise risk management, readiness for changing regulatory climate.

In the report, entitled “Data Agility: Turning a Liability into an Asset,” Tabb assesses spending and implementation plans at financial firms, and their ramifications with enterprise information sharing and distribution. Tabb found that spending on internal resources will drop to 39 percent of the overall IT budget by 2014, reflecting a 5-percent decline from 2012 and a 27 percent decrease since 2000.

Payment error decreased nearly 10 percent from 2011 to 2012, according to the American Medical Association's fifth annual National Health Insurer Report Card.

Research using the websites of State Farm, Allstate, Progressive and GEICO indicates good drivers who live in moderate-income areas are being quoted higher prices for auto insurance, and rates vary widely across providers.

For the third year in a row, USAA takes the No. 1 spot, while 10 other insurers receive mention in Computerworld’s 100 Best Places to Work in IT.