Policy adminstration

Roughly two-thirds of life and annuity producers surveyed by Deloitte (http://www.deloitte.com) expect to change carriers within the next 12 months. Twenty-nine percent plan to add carriers and one-third expect to both add and drop carriers. Sales support, speed of underwriting and policy issue, and carrier brand are the top factors influencing these decisions. Forty percent are not satisfied with the support they currently receive. And, with more than 80 percent of a producer’s total compensation coming from two favored carriers, there is room for improved producer loyalty and sales through better support, said Rebecca Amoroso, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and insurance leader.

A group of 13 U.S. Senators are questioning a provision of the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2011 that would require homeowners and businesses to purchase coverage from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

A number of insurers have released financial results for Q3 2011. The following is a compilation of their announcements:

In its second setback in less than a week, BP Plc learned this morning that it is not entitled to insurance claims reimbursement from Transocean’s insurance carriers as a result of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Business necessity – or perceived lack thereof – holds back many modernization efforts.

Unabashed consumer desire and expectations are spurring the implementation of voice recognition into automobiles, yet questions regarding the technology's effectiveness and driver safety abound.

Prolonged low-rate environment presents both short- and long-term challenges for life insurers, a new report says.

Balancing innovation and cost leadership, agility and action-oriented methodologies among topics to be covered.

Former founders of Axiom Re selected to head the new brokerage operation in North Carolina.

Regardless of whether the IT industry's glass ceiling has been broken, entrepreneurs make for an industry of unprecedented opportunity for women.

Growth of spending on risk management tools projected to outpace the growth of overall IT spending, making it the hottest corner of the IT market.

New data from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods shows catastrophe losses impacting insurers’ bottom lines.

The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) recently honored Caliper Corporation's Founder and CEO Dr. Herb Greenberg, for his role over a five-decade period in improving the performance of its state associations and member agencies. In particular, Greenberg was noted for his development of the Caliper Profile, a proprietary personality assessment.

Insurers waiting for an end to the soft market will be waiting awhile.

Acquisition of an estimated $675 million in assets to solidify Pan-American Life's presence in the in the Andean, Central American and Caribbean regions.

According to a new study from Strategy Meets Action, social media has become a nearly universal practice among insurers (nine percent reported not having a social media strategy or initiative planned), however, very few are beyond the basics of posting and monitoring.

The investment income woes of property/casualty insurers did not begin with the 2008 financial crisis, new analysis from Fitch Ratings reveals.

MIT Sloan and IBM survey points to organizational differences as main factor in competitive advantage with data.

As future leaders are identified, groomed and mentored, it is important to know the traits that must be innate and those that can be developed.

There can be, if insurers become fully aware of the ways to secure data.