Claims

AIM Technology, a San Francisco-based provider of operational performance management software, has become a member of the Avaya DeveloperConnection program, offered by Avaya Inc., Basking Ridge, N.J. AIM Technology develops AIMCall, an application suite designed to optimize the operational performance of call centers. AIMCall's data analytics tool and workflow and notification capabilities augment Avaya's Call Management System, an application that enables companies to monitor and analyze the performance of contact centers.

LAW FIRM LAUNCHES HURRICANE WEBLOGMcGlinchey Stafford PLLC, a law firm based New Orleans, has launched an online resource for companies with business interests in hurricane-affected areas. The blog, found at www.hurricanelawblog.com, features up-to-date information about post-hurricane legal issues, including insurance, real estate, healthcare, environmental, finance and litigation. The Hurricane Law Blog also offers insurance brokers, finance and real estate professionals and attorneys a recovery resource center and legal articles.

The challenges inherent in big corporate changes can be a losing proposition, but they can open doors to great opportunities.When Merastar Insurance Co. of Chattanooga, Tenn. became an independent property and casualty firm in 2004, CIO Ken Lytle grabbed the chance to update the company's aging systems, and devised a five-year plan that will replace its technologically grizzled V4 legacy system, which runs on an AS/400, with all-new applications.

POLICY ADMINISTRATIONTwo insurance companies have chosen the same vendor for their commercial lines policy administration systems. Secura Insurance, Appleton, Wis., is implementing policy administration, integration and self-maintenance software from AQS Inc., Hartland, Wis. Secura will use the AQS/Advantage Suite for its commercial lines to streamline the underwriting processes and turn around new business and renewals more quickly. Capital Insurance Group, Monterey, Calif., is moving off its AQS legacy commercial policy administration to AQS' Web-centric policy administration solution. CIG will provide its 340 independent agents across the Western United States with the AQS/Advantage Suite.

As companies expand their product and service offerings to become more competitive, it's common for customers to have multiple relationships within a company.From your customers' perspective, they may carry health and disability insurance, as well as long-term care and life insurance coverage with you as their single provider. It may be more convenient for them to do business in one place, and they'll probably get preferential treatment for being a good customer.

Boston - Under an amended Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act (TRIA) law, insurance companies' loss retention will grow incrementally over the next two years, but will vary depending on the severity, location and timing of any future attack and on an individual insurer's actual book of business, according to AIR Worldwide Corp., (AIR). The Boston-based risk modeling company, which helps insurance companies manage the financial impact of catastrophes and weather, conducted an analysis of TRIA's potential impact on insurers. The Act was signed into law last week and extends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA) through the end of 2007.

Jersey City, N.J. - With insurers still calculating their losses from a year of catastrophic events, the U.S. P & C industry's net income after taxes rose 4.4%, or $1.2 billion, to $28.8 billion in nine-months 2005 from $27.6 billion in nine-months 2004.

Jersey City, N.J. - The Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005, signed into law by President Bush, does not contain revisions that would affect insurers' use of a portfolio of terrorism insurance tools, endorsements and related rules from ISO, a New Jersey-based risk management services provider.

Washington, D.C. - The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has launched a new Web tool linking consumers with Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans offering Medicare products in their local communities.In 2006, 29 Blue Plans will sponsor Medicare Advantage products and 24 Blue Plans will sponsor Medicare Prescription Drug Plans.The Medicare Blue PlanFinder is designed to help consumers navigate the complex maze of Medicare offerings. The tool can be accessed by going to www.bcbs.com and clicking on "The Blues and Medicare."

Hartford, Conn. - "Convergence products" will play a critical part in the competitive landscape of the property-casualty industry in coming years despite being a relatively small segment, according to a new study by Conning Research and Consulting, Inc., Hartford, Conn.

Blue Bell, Pa. - The PMA Insurance Group, a property casualty insurer specializing in workers' compensation, is achieving high levels of client satisfaction with its services, according to the results of a recent survey.According to the survey of its clients conducted by an independent opinion research consultant, 95% of clients responded that PMA has exceeded, fully met, or generally met their service expectations.

Des Moines, Iowa - The Principal Financial Group has launched an online claim submission form for group long-term and short-term disability customers."Even a brief disability can be difficult to overcome, which is why we stress early intervention and ongoing claim communication throughout the process," says Cindy Ford, claims director, the Principal Financial Group. "Offering online submission is simply one more way we can expedite the process to ensure the best possible outcome for our members."

Hartford, Conn. - Six months after introducing its enhanced Select Accounts products for small businesses, St. Paul Travelers reports the feedback from independent agents has been overwhelmingly positive.According to a survey of more than 1,300 agents, 96% rated the breadth of product eligibility and 88% rated the pricing and coverage features to be the same or significantly better than the competition.

Cheshire, Conn. - Chicago-based Aon Consulting has set its sights on beefing up the real-time health claims data it delivers to its customers.

Indianapolis - When the Market Regulation & Consumer Affairs Committee at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) agreed to do no further work on a model law regulating the use of claims databases for underwriting purposes, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), Indianapolis, praised the decision. The decision by NAIC was made at the organization's winter meeting last week in Chicago

Atlanta, Ga. - The fact that the USA Patriot Act requires that all entities defined as financial institutions for Bank Secrecy Act purposes establish anti-money laundering programs has not been lost on LOMA, an Atlanta-based insurance and financial services industry trade association. The group is releasing an online anti-money laundering (AML) course on LOMALearn Online-LOMA's growing e-Learning portal.

Columbus, Ohio - Nationwide introduced a new look and feel for its main consumer web site, nationwide.com. The re-design represents the first phase of a multi-year overhaul, the company reports.

Westlake Village, Calif. - The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has been recognized for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program. The Hartford property and casualty sales and service centers are the first in the insurance industry to be certified under the program.Through its direct personal lines business, the Hartford, Conn.-based carrier handled more than 10,000,000 telephone, e-mail and fax interactions in 2004 from its call centers in Southington, Conn., Allentown, Pa., Santee, Calif., and Oklahoma City.

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill extending a federal program that guarantees the government's support of some losses from terrorist attacks, a measure that insurers and property owners call critical to the economy.

Stamford, Ct. - The lack of IT budget and resources, and perceived higher priorities for spending elsewhere will no longer be a barrier for P & C carriers making major investments in claims technologies, according to a report released today from Gartner, a Stamford, Ct. research firm. In fact, tight profit margins and high operational costs, as well as consumer demands for quality service, are now driving insurers to address these problems, says the report's author, Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, who predicts that claims technology and process improvement projects will increase by more than 20 percent in 2006 among P&C insurers.