Core systems

Seattle - Many companies advertise great service, but how many have been recognized for this by a non-partial third party such as J.D. Power and Associates? To receive recognition, companies must score higher than 730 out of a possible 1000 points. PEMCO received 911 points, a score that was noted as unusually high by J.D. Power and Associates."We come to work every day committed to giving our customers the absolute highest level of service and value," says Jon Osterberg, spokesperson for PEMCO, a provider of auto, home, boat, life, and umbrella insurance to Washington state residents. "This certification demonstrates that. Service is the bedrock of PEMCO's culture, and it's extremely gratifying to see our customers recognize that."

Skokie, Ill. - A survey of more than 100 senior IT and data security professionals at Fortune 1,000 and other major companies across the United States found that 28% percent had little or no confidence that they had detected all significant security breaches in the past year. In addition, 26% rated their current IT environment as more vulnerable than it had been a year before. The survey was released by Forsythe Solutions Group.Respondents cited regulatory pressure as the major catalyst for updating their technology, processes and staff. Legislative guidelines and industry standards demand increased control of and additional funding for security programs. Those experiencing increased vulnerability overwhelmingly attributed this to organizational change, such as mergers or acquisitions, the implementation of new applications or outsourcing.

Oconomowoc, Wis. - Trends indicate that the role of the IT manager requires more focus on business strategy and less time spent on end-user service in today's age of widespread technology, according to Paragon Development Systems (PDS), a provider of IT services and products."Companies are beginning to realize that their IT professionals can be indispensable in identifying and pursuing competitive advantages if given the freedom and time to do so," said Austin Park, vice president of infrastructure services for PDS. "More and more, successes or failures in business hinge on technology, so why shouldn't IT managers spend their time focusing on business rather than putting out fires."

Armonk, N.Y. - IBM has launched a companywide initiative that combines its software and industry consulting expertise to help companies tie data together across disparate business processes"Next to people, information is a company's greatest asset, but it's value can't be realized if it's not effectively managed and delivered to the right people, business applications and processes," says Steve Mills, senior vice president, IBM software group. "While there's no shortage of individual piece-part products out there to help manage, search, secure and store information, companies drowning in data need a holistic approach if they have any hope of using their information for real business advantage. By combining our software and consulting expertise, IBM is helping clients unlock the real value of their business information."

Cleveland - Insurance.com, an online auto insurance agency, claims that consumer car insurance quote requests on its Web site increased by more than 20% in 2005, the fourth straight year of growth."During the past five years we have seen a tremendous growth on our site as a result of customers' increased confidence level with the Internet," says Insurance.com President Lou Geremia. "We've embraced this new growth by adding over 100 licensed insurance agents to our sales center and have extended our sales center hours to 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Standard."

New York - In an effort to enable Korean-speaking policyholders and agents to access and learn more about its products and services, New York Life has launched a Korean-language Web site at www.newyorklifekorean.com. "The Korean-language Web site is part of New York Life's continued effort to serve the Korean community in the United States," says Janet Choi, assistant vice president of the Korean market at New York Life.The Web site contains information on insurance and financial products. An education center provides helpful tips for first-time life insurance buyers dealing with life-changing events including the birth of a child, purchasing a home, getting married and entering retirement. Customers can use the interactive forms and e-mail addresses to submit questions and requests. The site also provides access to information on career opportunities at New York Life.

Hartford, Conn. - The Industrial Hygiene Laboratory of St. Paul Travelers has added a state-of-the-art instrument that helps customers address OSHA's proposed lowering of the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for hexavalent chromium (CrVI). St. Paul Travelers purchased this instrument to help its customers better protect their employees and reduce workers compensation losses.Hexavalent chromium (CrVI) is a human carcinogen for which OSHA has proposed a 50x reduction in the PEL from the current standard. The new Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) has enabled the Industrial Hygiene Laboratory to develop a method for the analysis of CrVI below OSHA's proposed PEL.

San Diego - CareGroup Healthcare System has gone live at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) with an application that delivers automatic healthcare information updates every 15 minutes to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. The bio-surveillance system, which feeds the CDC with information key to early identification of disease trends, is built on the CACHE post-relational database. InterSystems Corp., a health care database provider, spotlighted the bio-surveillance implementation at the HIMSS 2006 conference in San Diego, Calif.BIDMC is one of 10 U.S. hospitals that were approached by the CDC to provide medical data on an ongoing, around-the-clock basis. The initiative is part of a mandate by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt, who chairs the American Health Information Community (AHIC), a group charged with advising the federal government on standards for electronic health records (EHRs). Bio-surveillance and public health monitoring are among the first focus areas for AHIC and Leavitt has stated that he wants a system for streaming emergency department (ED) data to public health authorities in place by the end of 2006.

Washington, D.C. - Health insurance plans' cutting-edge information technology (IT) strategies are adding value to health care for employers, health care practitioners and most importantly, consumers, industry leaders said today on Capitol Hill.Participants in the briefing stressed that health insurance plans are using IT not only to process claims more efficiently, but also to promote evidence-based care, add value to health care services and empower consumers through access to better information and decision tools.

Boston - As some insurance companies have learned the hard way, a market conduct exam uncovering noncompliance violations has the potential to cost millions of dollars in fines and lost business. To help insurers steer clear of costly noncompliance risks, CCH Insurance Services, a part of Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, has identified the top 10 reasons property/casualty insurers are found to be out of compliance during a market conduct exam.CCH's research has shown that the most common market conduct compliance criticisms are:

Chicago - The company stockholoders of CCC Information Services Group Inc., a supplier of software, communications systems, Internet and wireless-enabled technology solutions to the automotive claims and collision repair industries, voted to adopt a merger agreement with entities affiliated with Investcorp, a global investment group.

San Jose, Calif. - Business Objects S.A., a provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Firstlogic Inc., a La Crosse, Wis.-based global provider of enterprise data quality solutions and services.

Harford, Conn. - The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has won the 2006 Annual CIO magazine Enterprise Value Award in the insurance category. The honor is presented to companies in a range of major industries that demonstrate their innovative use of information technology (IT) to further business goals. The Hartford received this ward for implementing its industry-leading automation tool known as ICON 2.0. This electronic quoting and submission system helps agencies and their front line representatives streamline the process of placing small business insurance with The Hartford. ICON 2.0 is accessed through the company's Electronic Business Center (EBC), an intranet site dedicated exclusively to agents that represent The Hartford, and is a user-friendly tool that requires little training.

Kansas City, Mo. - Vision may be the most important element required to underwrite liability risk, says Ajay Gupta, marketing leader of GE Insurance Solutions, a provider of reinsurance and commercial insurance and risk management services. Gupta says insurers tend to look backward at historical loss experience but not forward to factors that may impact future losses.Gupta's article, "Crisis or Opportunity: The Liability Dilemma", appears on GE Insurance Solutions' Web site at: www.geinsurancesolutions.com/erccorporate/theinstitute/pc/0601_cris.htm.

Yonkers N.Y., - An investigation in the March 2006 issue of Consumer Reports magazine contends that a national system of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) being developed by the federal government, states, HMOs, and PPOs to link the medical records of every American has potential for abuse. Consumer Reports claims that while such electronic medical records systems could save lives and billions of dollars in health-care spending, it may also jeopardize the security of personal health care information.The advantages of EHRs are many, according to Consumer Reports, include: more precise patient care from doctors, greater participation by patients, and an early-warning system for medical disasters such as the appearance of avian flu are among the hoped-for achievements for an electronic medical records network.

Needham, Mass. - In the next five years, analysts predict more than 77 million individuals in the U.S. will be of traditional retirement age, and this segment of the population is predicted to be the dominant demographic for a period of 20 years or more. TowerGroup, a Needham, Mass., research firm, expects that this explosion in the retired market will ultimately redefine the U.S. financial services industry, accelerating industry consolidation across banking, securities and investments, and insurance.

Chicago - It was a year with more storms in the Atlantic than any other on record, and it was also the costliest hurricane season ever. Impact Forecasting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aon Corp., studies some of the possible reasons for the activity, including shifts in the frequency of storms and the impact of El Nino, behind a year that produced more Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin than any other.The report, "Atlantic Ocean Basin Hurricane Frequency Shift," is available at http://www.aon.com/.

Orlando, Fla. - Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) has released a mold risk reduction program that certifies the design, construction and ongoing operations of newly constructed multifamily and commercial properties. Greenguard Mold Protection Program is designed to ensure that buildings use industries' best practices for safeguarding against the damage and resulting losses caused by mold.The program fills a void for lenders, insurers and building owners that has grown increasingly serious over the last several years. As large court judgments for mold continue to cloud the construction and financing of new buildings, more are turning to mold prevention measures as a way to manage their financial risk.

New York - While to date there exists no standard economic capital methodology in the U.S., it is becoming increasingly clear that the insurance industry needs to move in this direction. This is the conclusion of the 2006 Industry Outlook report issued by the Insurance and Actuarial Advisory Services (IAAS) practice of Ernst & Young LLP, New York. The report, released this week, addresses key life and property/casualty sector issues, including economic capital, catastrophe modeling and risk recalibration, and mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity.

Waterloo, Ont. - Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (IMS), a of provider of usage-based insurance (UBI) technologies, is launching a year-long iPAID pilot program in North America and the United Kingdom.The pilot will allow the media, advocacy groups and government policy makers to evaluate the effectiveness of UBI programs in improving driver safety, potential insurance savings, and its ability to alleviate traffic congestion and decrease the levels of vehicle-emitted pollutants.