Digital distribution

ATLANTA-- SellingLTC.com, LLC, the leader in providing long-term care sales and marketing solutions for insurance producers, today announced the release of its new LTCI Mobile Support feature which allows SellingLTC.com subscribers to download the best of SellingLTC.com's sales support modules to a laptop computer and access the information even when it's not possible to access the Internet.

NEW YORK -- Technology has become critically important to how insurers manage risk, share information with producers and support Internet sales and customer service, a panel of carrier CEOs said June 16 at Standard & Poor's 20th annual insurance seminar in New York City.

In their quest to expand their long-term care (LTC) products lines, many insurers have been challenged not only by the risk management and underwriting aspects of the coverage, but they've also struggled with finding the best agents tp market this coverage.

MELVILLE, N.Y. -- AutoOne Insurance, a Limited Assignment Distribution (LAD) servicing carrier accepting assigned risks on behalf of client insurance companies, announced today that they are expanding their LAD services into other states and new markets. Assigned risks are those drivers who are unable to obtain automobile insurance in the voluntary market. AutoOne currently offers LAD services to automobile insurance companies in New York and New Jersey.

Seattle-based Safeco Corp. and Aon Risk Services have introduced an online interface designed to improve communications between the two companies, thereby improving service for risk managers and contractors.By making it easier to report new bonds, and eliminating errors in the renewal and billing of in-force bonds, Aon and Safeco will reduce the day-to-day involvement of risk managers and contractors without compromising their control.

EXTON, Pa. -- Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company's (GTL) Impaired Risk Division has contracted with iPipeline to syndicate their insurance forms and product information to its distributors' Web sites. GTL Impaired Risk has also taken advantage of iPipeline's proprietary Web-based forms and database software, as well as their Web professional services to completely redesign its Web site, giving GTL's impaired risk producers greater access to the tools they need.

UnumProvident Corp, Chattanooga, Tenn., has selected customer data integration (CDI) software from Atlanta-based DWL Inc. The software, DWL Customer, will provide consolidated views of customer and producer information across UnumProvident's multiple lines of business.UnumProvident will be using DWL Customer, an enterprise customer hub to replace and enhance its existing customer index, providing increased availability to information currently contained in more than 30 business systems.

To support insurers’ initiatives in the health savings account (HSA) market, Portland, Ore.-based MyHealthBank is collaborating with HSA Bank, Howards Grove, Wis., to provide insurers with a highly integrated banking and technology offering for health savings account-based plans.Through this relationship, MyHealthBank will integrate technology from HSA Bank for health savings account banking transactions with MyHealthBank’s Unify platform, a Web-based, self-service platform for broker quoting, member enrollment and benefits administration.

Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), El Segundo, Calif., has signed a seven-year agreement with Trinity Universal Insurance Co., a subsidiary of Chicago-based Unitrin Inc. CSC will support Unitrin Multi Lines Insurance's commercial lines of insurance with business process outsourcing (BPO) and Internet-based services.A CSC client since 1982, Unitrin Multi Lines Insurance, which provides insurance products in 30 states, used CSC's technology to establish its X-Sell-A-Rate agent Web site two years ago. Under the new agreement, CSC will help Unitrin extend its Web capability to include a full range of commercial insurance services to more than 2,000 independent agents.

Answering the market's call for security, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company of New York introduced Manulife New York Survivorship UL-G, the Company's first survivorship universal life insurance product to offer lifetime guaranteed coverage.

Madison, Wis.-based CUNA Mutual Group is using a high performance database engine from Objectivity Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., for its credit union member database. The Objectivity-based service provides CUNA Mutual with an improved ability to track customer records and help its sales staff cross-sell financial services products.Called Objectivity/DB, the engine has enabled CUNA Mutual to build a scalable application that generates a unified, consolidated view for each individual credit union member. With Objectivity/DB, CUNA Mutual provides an integrated set of product offerings tailored for each individual. The system enables CUNA Mutual to access comprehensive credit union member histories as well as provide members with products and services customized for their individual circumstances.

Noodle Specialty Brokers (NSB), a new division of Chicago-based e-broker InsuranceNoodle Inc., has been created to offer professional liability and specialty small commercial property/ casualty insurance products nationwide using technology developed by InsuranceNoodle.Based on InsuranceNoodle's proprietary single entry (SEMCI) technology, Noodle Specialty Brokers provides retailers and wholesalers online access to specialty small commercial products not available from national standard lines small commercial P&C carriers. NSB will offer admitted and non-admitted products as a program manager for nationally recognized carriers.

AIG Technologies Inc. (AIGT), Livingston, N.J., has expanded its Web-based Automobile Liability Insurance Reporting (ALIR) system to support South Carolina's recently announced automobile liability reporting mandate.AIGT's ALIR system enables insurance carriers nationwide to electronically report personal and commercial automobile insurance verification and cancellations.

eAutoclaims Inc., an Oldsmar, Calif.-based claims management services company, has executed the final closing of approximately $2.5 million in new financing. Of the $2.5 million, $2.25 million was a sale of equity to multiple investors at $0.28 per share and $250,000 was an 8% convertible debenture from one of the company's directors.Both the equity and convertible debentures include warrant coverage. This represents additional capital of $900,000 from the company's previous announcement on May 5, 2004. Noble International Investments acted as placement agent on a material portion of this raise and will continue to advise the Company as its investment banker.

BOSTON--John Hancock today introduced a new, highly competitive variable universal life policy for small- to mid-sized businesses, called Performance Executive Variable Life (VL). The product focuses on high early cash values and offers strong cash value accumulation. It has an outstanding selection of investment options, and benefits and features that are among the most comprehensive in the industry.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The process of proofreading 17-digit automobile VIN numbers or lists of property coverages can consume as much unproductive time for an insurance agency as recording account information with a quill pen. New tools are needed to match the insurance business with the competitive needs of a new century. Thanks to one major insurance company, agencies will soon find they have more time to devote to managing customer relationships, time which used to be spent knee-deep in paperwork.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-- Sprint announced plans today to launch Sprint Mobile Claims Adjustor, a mobile solution that will allow insurance claims adjustors to process claims on-site using wireless handheld devices.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -Sun Microsystems, a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services, and Brixlogic, a provider of industry-standard Web Services solutions for the financial services industry, today announced that the two companies are partnering to deliver the first integrated solutions for the ACORD messaging standards.

BLOOMFIELD, Conn.-- CIGNA HealthCare and WebMD Health today announced a multi-year agreement that will offer help to millions of CIGNA HealthCare members in making vital health care decisions and in understanding and using their health care plan. Under the agreement, CIGNA will integrate WebMD Health's comprehensive suite of online health information and decision support tools into myCIGNA.com, the personal health benefits Web portal for CIGNA HealthCare members.

Uniondale, NY--OnlineBenefits Inc., provider of Internet-based HR solutions, announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Captiva Systems, a producer of agency management software for group insurance brokers.