Policy adminstration

A recently published study from Diamond Management & Technology Consultants Inc. finds that roughly 33% of organizations prematurely terminated at least one business process outsourcing relationship during the past year.

New York — Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. has named former ACE Ltd. CEO Brian Duperreault as president and CEO of MMC. Duperreault, who retired from Hamilton, Bermuda-based ACE in 2006, succeeds Michael Cherkasky in the lead role at MMC. The New York-based company announced last month it was seeking to replace Cherkasky, citing a need for new leadership amid disappointing financial results.

Wausau, Wis. — Susan Doyle was appointed president and COO of Wausau Insurance. Wausau Insurance comprises the operations of Employers Insurance Co. of Wausau, Wausau General Insurance Co., Wausau Business Insurance Co. and Wausau Underwriters Insurance Co. Wausau Insurance is part of the Commercial Markets business unit of the Liberty Mutual Group.

Brookfield, Wis. — Fiserv Inc., a provider of technology solutions, announced its appointment of Denis O’Leary, a private investor and consultant with expertise in enterprise technology, financial services and consumer payments, to its board of directors.

The Hague — AEGON N.V. announced that Johan van der Werf has stepped down as CEO of AEGON The Netherlands, as of Jan. 21, 2008. van der Werf, who also serves on the Management Board of AEGON N.V., has led the Dutch organization since 2002, and has worked for AEGON and its predecessors since 1982. He will serve as an advisor to the executive board for the remainder of the year.

New York — Haier New York Life, the joint venture between New York Life Insurance Co. and China's Haier Group, opened a branch in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, China. Haier New York Life, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, is the first Sino-U.S. life insurance joint venture with a license for the economically important city of Wuhan. The operation received approval from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission to establish its Wuhan branch in November 2007.

Chester, Pa. — AdminServer Inc. added two industry veterans, Roger Soppe and John Connell, to the AdminServer sales team. Both will report directly to Jim Rourke, AdminServer's chief marketing officer, and will be instrumental in AdminServer's continued focus on sales and aggressive expansion in all insurance markets: life, annuity, property/casualty, health and reinsurance.

New York — Fifty-five percent of well-insured adults go online six or more times a week, according to Experian Research Services. As the insurance industry has the highest customer acquisition cost in business today, an online strategy is necessary to attracting these well-insured prospects.

Jersey City, N.J. — ISO Senior VP Richard Boehning will retire on Jan. 31, 2008, concluding a 20-year career supporting the insurance industry.

Schaumburg, Ill. — Zurich recently named Domenick DiCicco as chief claim counsel for its North America Commercial division. DiCicco will be responsible for managing claims’ legal operations in Zurich’s Schaumburg, Ill., and Baltimore offices.

New York — James Schiro, CEO of Zurich Financial Services, was honored as the 2007 Insurance Leader of the Year at St. John’s University’s School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Sciences. The award, which was presented at the school’s 13th Annual Insurance Leader of the Year Award Dinner at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, raised more than $2.4 million for students and programs at the School of Risk Management

Brookfield, Wisc. — Fiserv Inc., a provider of information management systems and services, announced that Richard Jones will join the company as executive VP and CIO. The new position, which will report to the CEO, will have oversight responsibility for global infrastructure, technology governance, and spearheading programs to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the company’s dispersed technology resources.

New York — Two New York-based companies are partnering in their support of FUTURITY FIRST, a life insurance distribution organization that will be headquartered in Hartford, Conn.

Paris — Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), a Columbia, S.C., provider of insurance technology solutions, will work in collaboration with SUADEO, a French company that provides business intelligence (BI) solutions for health, and risk and protection insurance businesses, to integrate CSC’s health, risk and protection software, GraphTalk A.I.A., with SUADEO’s BI solution, SUADEO Plateforme.

Columbia, S.C. — In business less than one year, EagleEye Analytics, an insurance technology company that concentrates on predictive analytics and data information services, has chosen Columbia, S.C. for its new corporate headquarters.

Presenters at Insurance Networking News’ 1st annual Web Services and SOA summit stressed an incremental approach, and an emphasis on communication when undertaking SOA initiatives.

Margin compression and continued pricing erosion is pressuring the insurance industry to achieve top-line objectives in 2008, according to Ernst & Young's Global Insurance Center.

Alexandria, Va. — When 10 Generation X independent agents attending the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big I) Young Agents Leadership Conference in San Diego this past September discussed their future, technology was at the forefront of their success strategies.

A new Web site marketplace offers insurers and brokers a chance to market their voluntary benefits packages to employers and their employees.

Cambridge, Mass. — Is business rules technology finally hitting its stride? That's the question posed by Forrester Research Inc., a Cambridge, Mass.-based research firm, which says business rules are now a key enabling technology for dynamic business applications.