Core systems

WOLTERS KLUWER INTRODUCES NILS INCOMPASS

HARLEYSVILLE ROLLS OUT POLICY ADMIN PLATFORM

AIG AWARDS SPECIALTY PROGRAM UNDERWRITER

Chicago - While winter storms do not attract the attention of mega-catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes, these smaller events can add up to impact insurers' bottom lines say experts. However, insurers can now avail themselves of such risks by using new technology to better assess the risks from winter storms and fires, risk modeling experts report.

Sircon Corp. an Okemos, Mich., provider of comprehensive producer lifecycle services for the insurance industry, announced a partnership with the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors - Pennsylvania (NAIFA-PA), a statewide trade association representing approximately 2,300 licensed professionals who provide life, health and multiline insurance and related financial services in Pennsylvania.

Washington – President Bush gave his imprimatur to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization and Extension Act of 2007.

St. Paul, Minn. - IT executives overwhelmingly identify user interface as a key criteria when considering an upgrade or replacement purchase, according to a survey conducted on behalf of St. Paul, Minn.-based Lawson Software.

Insurance companies—including actuaries and IT executives—will be under growing pressure to enhance their financial management system capabilities as they face changing financial reporting requirements, and more extensive risk management challenges in 2008.

Frisco, Texas - Mark Depker, president of Hall Financial Group's management division, announced Skywire Software signed a new 49,500-square-foot lease for its new worldwide corporate headquarters at 3000 Internet Blvd. in the Hall Office Park development in Frisco, Texas.

Portland, Ore. - Kryptiq Corp., a provider of healthcare connectivity solutions, was recently acknowledged at the annual Portland Business Journal banquet honoring the most-admired companies in Oregon. The company received recognition as the fifth most-admired technology company, as determined by a survey of more than 2,000 Oregon CEOs.

Washington – The House passed a seven-year extension to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) by a margin of 360-53. The passage of bill, which mirrors a version passed by the Senate, paves for the way for a signature by President Bush, who had threatened to veto a more ambitious TRIA extension passed by the House in September.

There is overwhelming evidence that spending on servers is slowing down significantly across a number of market sectors, in some cases by up to a factor of five, according to research conducted by TechNavio from Infiniti Research.

Cary, N. C. - Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. is bolstering its enterprise risk management (ERM) program with the implementation of business intelligence from SAS, the companies report.

On the heels of its merger with LIMRA, LOMA is offering conferences at the beginning of the new year designed to help insurers capitalize on the technologies that will enable them to do more business, and do it better.

Windsor, Conn., and Atlanta - Member companies of LIMRA International and LOMA voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal to unite two of the world's largest insurance and financial services trade organizations. The merger will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2008.

Washington – A bill that would provide $100 million in grants to help local officials enforce building codes has been introduced into the House. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., sponsored the legislation, which is dubbed The Community Building Code Administration Grant Act of 2007.

Atlanta - Connecture Inc., provider of Web-based sales, service and process automation solutions to the health insurance industry, has been awarded the Robinson College of Business (RCB) Eagle Award. The business school selected Connecture as a high achiever among fastest growing private companies in the Southeast.

Approaches to policy administration systems may differ from region to region, but the factors driving replacement are similar.

Customer service, risk management and demographics will mark 2008.

New York — Execution is taking precedence over profit and top-line growth as a focus for CEOs around the world, according to a survey of 769 global CEOs from 40 countries from The Conference Board report, CEO Challenge 2007: Top 10 Challenges. The annual report, conducted during the first quarter of 2007, details specific challenges that CEOs face across regions, as well as by the company’s size, industry, and level of success—all factors affecting the concerns of CEOs.