Core systems

New York - Lexington Insurance Co., a member company of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), has expanded it online training on its Web site at www.lexeplhelp.com for customers carrying employment practices liability (EPL) insurance.Launched in 1999 and formerly called www.eplselect.com, the Web site was developed to provide EPL insureds with free risk management resources and training tools.

Westborough, Mass. - According to a recent national survey, 54% of organizations have experienced cyber attacks, with 21% of the cyber attacks causing more than $100,000 in measurable damages, and 11% causing more than $500,000 in measurable damages.The 1st Annual Enterprise Security Survey, generated through an online survey of security decision makers spanning a wide range of industries, indicates that a vast majority of businesses are reliant on the Internet to conduct business and have experienced some form of cyber attack in the past year. Additionally, the survey demonstrates a trend in the change in security spending habits due to government regulations such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Hartford, Conn. - The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., is customizing its approach to the technology sector with the formation of a Technology Practice Group, which will leverage The Hartford's existing line of technology insurance products to serve both current and future players in the growing market. The new group will be headquartered at the company's home office in Hartford, Conn. It will be staffed by a team of underwriters located throughout the country, as well as legal, claim, product and risk management professionals, the group provides the tools, support and know-how to help agents protect their technology clients from a wide range of rapidly-changing business risks.

Framingham, Mass.– Financial Insights, an IDC company, has released its annual report identifying the Top 10 IT initiatives that will have key strategic importance for insurance organizations worldwide in 2006.The report, titled "Top 10 Strategic Initiatives for 2006: Insurance Industry Must Pick Up The Pace," describes these initiatives, examines why they will have an impact in 2006 and explains why they should be on the minds of business and technology executives at insurance companies and vendors serving the industry. Namely, the top 10 strategic initiatives for insurance are the following:

Milwaukee - CIGNA HealthCare will begin offering a debit card to holders of its flexible spending accounts (FSA). The card will be provided by MBI Benefits Inc., an affiliate of Metavante Corp."As a leading provider of FSAs, we chose MBI based on its ability to tailor a debit card product with proven technology that best provides our customers with electronic access to FSA funds," says Jake Biscoglio, head of product development, consumer products, CIGNA HealthCare. "This relationship with Metavante Healthcare Payments opens the door to exploring more healthcare payment services options for our consumers."

Competitive pressures will force insurance companies to get serious about rationalizing the number of operational systems they support, notes a report issued by research and advisory firm Financial Insights, a Framingham, Mass., IDC company. The focus on rationalizing operational systems is one of the top 10 IT initiatives that will have key strategic importance for insurance organizations worldwide in 2006, according to the firm.

Simsbury, Conn. - While a last will and testament is one of the most vital legal documents that can help protect a family's assets, almost 58% of adults do not have a will, according to recent research by legal publisher Martindale- Hubbell.To address this need, The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is offering EstateGuidance, a new online will preparation service that makes it easy and affordable for Americans to prepare a will. EstateGuidance can be purchased by new customers of The Hartford's group basic and supplemental life policies covering more than 1,000 employees or members.

New York - National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa. (National Union), a member company of American International Group Inc. (AIG), has released a Web-based system allowing brokers to quote and bind PrivateRisk Protector coverages in just minutes. PrivateRisk Protector is a portfolio of management and professional liability coverages designed for private companies.The system, called AIG ePro, was engineered for brokers to simplify the selection of coverages, generate quotations and electronically issue policies for private companies with up to $100 million in revenue or up to 1,000 employees.

Englewood, Colo. - InsureMe, a consumer-agent link for buying insurance online, announced the creation of a blog to help online marketers succeed in the affiliate marketing industry by sharing tips, tools and news.

Framingham, Mass. - Companies ranging from regionals to multinationals will spend 2006 wringing more efficiency from their data storage infrastructures and holding down costs through information lifecycle management (ILM) rather than improving security, according to the "2006 Storage Budget Survey" released by GlassHouse Technologies, a provider of enterprise storages services.Despite a rash of high-profile security failures in 2005, nearly 100 companies in every size category--with storage budgets from less than $10 million to $150 million and above --ranked improving their storage infrastructure usage as either their first or second concern.

Santa Monica, Calif. – National Planning Holdings Inc. has added a library of direct sponsor forms and applications to its Web-based representative workstation system, Electronic Order Entry (EOE). NPH is a broker-dealer holding company and an affiliate of Lansing, Mich.-based Jackson National Life Insurance Co.With thousands of providers and products represented on EOE, the new direct sponsor functionality is the latest step in NPH's effort to provide technology solutions that help representatives improve the efficiency of their practices.

Warren, N.J.- Applications for professional and management liability insurance products from the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. can now be submitted entirely online with an electronic signature. Previously, Chubb's eApplications required a "wet" signature before a policy could be bound."The launch of our new electronic signature capability is another step in making it even easier to do business with Chubb. We've now eliminated the need to send a signed hard copy of the application through the mail," says Judy Cook, vice president, Chubb & Son, and e-business manager, Chubb Specialty Insurance. "Our policy application process for these products is now completely electronic--an integral component of our expanding e-commerce capabilities. This important advancement will help speed up the application process for our customers, agents and brokers."

Pittsburgh - A full 90% of carriers have adopted some form of Web Services within their information technology architecture, and 58% of those have adopted the industry-specific ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) XML standards as part of their Web Services initiatives.These are the results of a recent survey of top insurance carriers conducted by SEEC Inc., a provider of business component software for the insurance and financial services industries.

Cleveland - Medical Mutual of Ohio's financial investigations unit reclaimed $5.4 million in fraudulent claims in 2005, the largest amount in company history.Calling it perhaps the costliest of all crimes, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) estimates more than $100 million is lost each and every day to health insurance fraud.

Wausau, Wis. - The people and technology that are making Wausau Insurance easier to do business with are main attractions on the newly designed Wausau.com, according to Wausau Insurance."At Wausau, we're proud to be both a high-tech and high-touch company that is improving our 'ease of doing business' with our agents, brokers and customers," says Wausau President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Fiebrink. "Our new look on Wausau.com conveys the essence of our Wausau TotalValue brand promise--that is, our people and technology translate into superior commercial insurance products and service."

New York - In the face of these ever-growing business challenges and public scrutiny, it's time for insurers to take compliance to the next level, said Glenn Pomeroy, vice president of governmental relations and compliance at GE Insurance Solutions. Pomeroy addressed The 2nd Annual Forum on Regulatory Compliance in New York.Pomeroy, a former NAIC president and state insurance commissioner, outlined the components of a traditional compliance program: leadership commitment, employee engagement and a system to detect potential problems, address them and ensure ethical and lawful behavior.

Kansas City, Mo. - The top three reasons consumers filed formal complaints against their insurance companies in 2005 were delays, denials and unsatisfactory settlement offers, according to data collected by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).Following these claims handling issues, consumers complained most about policy cancellations and premiums/insurance rating issues. That complaint pattern has remained relatively consistent during the past four years. A total of 199,639 complaints were filed by consumers in 2005, a 22.5% decrease from 2004.

Costa Mesa - NADAguides.com, the N.A.D.A. Appraisal Guides vehicle information Web site, and Geico, the Washington, D.C.-based private passenger auto insurer, have formed a partnership, whereby Geico becomes the exclusive provider of automotive insurance for millions of NADAguides.com consumers looking to insure their new or used car, truck, van or SUV online at www.nadaguides.com.In turn, visitors to Geico.com are now able to access NADAguides.com vehicle pricing and specification information. NADAguides.com links are available at Geico.com within the automotive, motorcycle, boats and manufactured housing sections and the marketing partner section of the Geico Web site.

Framingham, Mass. - A recent survey of 802 consumers carrying health insurance, conducted by IDC's Health Industry Insights, reveals one in three respondents (33%) cite medical information being made accessible on the Internet as a primary reason for feeling less comfortable about sharing information with primary care physicians (PCPs).Nearly half of respondents (47%) who are uncomfortable sharing information with PCPs also indicated "wanting control over who accesses their personal health information" as a reason, while 14% do not trust the health plan to adequately protect personal health information.

Atlanta - The Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA), Fort Worth, Texas, selected Online Insight Inc., as its bronze medal winner for the company's end-to-end sales solution for a major healthcare client. The award was distributed as part of PIMA's Marketing Methods Competition.