Policy adminstration

Novato, Calif. - AT&T Inc. reports that Allianz of America (AZOA), parent company of Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. and Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America, has signed a new four-year managed network services agreement with AT&T.

Naperville, Ill. - INSTEC, a Naperville, Ill. , provider of rating and policy administration software for the insurance industry, struck a deal with Conshohocken, Pa.-based NSM insurance Group for implementation of INSTEC’s QuickSolver Workers Compensation rating and policy administration solution.

Needham, Mass. – New research from Needham, Mass.-based TowerGroup Inc. finds that in today’s global business model, electronic commerce is no longer a “nice-to-have” capability, but a necessity, yet the insurance industry continues to hold onto the traditional paper-based, wet-signature contract execution model.

Wellesley , Mass. - The division of Sun Life Financial is broadening its universal life product portfolio with the addition of its Sun Universal ProtectorPlus offering, a new flexible premium universal life (UL) product featuring affordable death benefit protection plus high cash value accumulation. ProtectorPlus complements Sun Life's no-lapse guarantee UL by appealing to a wide spectrum of clients seeking value and flexibility in a single product.

New York - With location-specific terrorism risk exposure data, TerrorRisk is a unique risk assessment model that provides the insurance industry with targeted and actionable terrorism risk forecasts to help maximize opportunities and mitigate risk. Developed by New York-based Pitney Bowes MapInfo and Exclusive Analysis, TerrorRisk utilizes fact-based, location-specific metrics to score the propensity and likely severity of violent and political risks on more than 3,700 global points of interest to help insurers and risk managers make more insightful underwriting, rating, coverage and risk selection decisions.

El Segundo, Calif. - ELM Insurance Brokers Inc., a wholesale brokerage firm, is rolling out a new suite of products for specific professionals called Comprehensive Coverage Care. The suite consists of the following products: D&O, employment practice (with optional 3rd party extensions to eligible insureds), fiduciary liability, crime and professional liability and is available on a national basis with an admitted market.Target risks include: accountants, architects & engineers, consultants, insurance brokers,real estate brokers, title agents, mortgage brokers and certain miscellaneous classes.Coverage is issued by a nationally recognized "A" rated company.Limits can be shared or segregated; although the Crime is written almost exclusively on a segregated basis. Minimum limits can be as low as $500,000 or as high as $10,000,000 for qualified risks. The company is located in El Segundo, Calif.

Bolivar, Mo. - Surrey, England-based Duck Creek Technologies Europe, backed by New York-based Pequot Ventures and Duck Creek Technologies Inc., Bolivar, Mo.,announced its intention to bring to market software applications that enable insurers to rapidly define, develop, deploy and manage their insurance products and services.

Minneapolis - The Allianz Income Management Services division of Allianz Life Insurance Co. released its "PONG" annuity product, the Minneapolis-based insurer announced. PONG, broken down liberally, spells "P" - paychecks forever (lifetime income annuity payments), "O" - opportunity for a pay raise each and every year (payouts indexed to the S&P 500), "N" - never less income than what you start with, and "G" - guaranteed return of remaining premium to the beneficiary upon death, plus a 10% bonus (if taken as income). The PONG analogy, quite naturally, comes from the early and first real video game that helped spawn a revolution.It was quite simple and direct, much like the AIMS product, claims the company, which really goes under the name of Command Provider.

San Antonio, Texas - Wi-Fi is now being offered to BlackBerry customers. AT&T Inc., San Antonio, Texas and Research In Motion Ltd., Waterloo, Ontario have announced that the first cellular and Wi-Fi BlackBerry handset-the BlackBerry 8820-is available for purchase.

Eatontown, N.J. - Quaker Special Risk, Eatontown, N.J. , launched a new homeowners policy coverage enhancement.The "Protecting Your Family" option provides medical expense, miscellaneous expense and reward payment reimbursement related to incidents of home invasion, stalking or car jacking. The coverage is exclusively available to new and current customers of Quaker Special Risk's High Valued Homeowners Program.

Santa Ana, Calif. — First American Title Insurance Co. announced that Kenneth Manqueros has been named president of the company's National Agency Services division. In his new role, Manqueros will plan and execute the division's strategies, as well as coordinate the activities of the regional offices that service the company's agents nationwide.

Bermuda — Argo Group International Holdings Ltd., an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in niche areas of the property/casualty market, announced that Chief Financial Officer Robert Myron has decided to leave the company to pursue another business opportunity.

Houston — CAIC Holding Co. Inc., Houston, Texas, announced that they have begun offering surety coverage through their wholly owned subsidiary Commercial Alliance Insurance Co. (CAIC), and has appointed Sterling Emens III as vice president of CAIC to head up the new surety division.

Madrid — Charlotte, N.C.-based Transamerica Reinsurance, an operating unit of Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Co. and part of the AEGON Group since 1999, continues its expansion into the European life reinsurance market. The second-largest life reinsurer in the United States, and a presence in Latin America and Asia, Transamerica announced its entry into the European market last year at the REAVIE Conference in Cannes, France. The reinsurer has announced the opening of a representative office in Madrid, Spain.

Springfield, Mass. — MassMutual's Retirement Services Division has added six new sales representatives to its institutional sales team over the past several months.

New York — David Kahal has joined AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co., a provider of life insurance and annuity products and services for the financial services market, as national sales manager for its life insurance wholesale organization headquartered in Farmington, Conn.

New York — New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC (NYLIM), a provider of retirement plans for corporations, multi-employer trusts and individuals, announced the appointment of David Bedard as senior managing director and chief financial officer. Bedard will be responsible for all financial aspects of the firm. He will report directly to Brian Murdock, president and chief executive officer of NYLIM.

Torrance, Calif. — Innovative Care Systems Inc. (ICS), a third-party leave-of-absence and disability claims administrator based in Torrance, Calif., announced that Robert Trotta has joined the firm as president. Trotta fills the position previously held by Deborah Kweller, who has been promoted to chief executive officer of ICS.

Windsor, Conn. — ING, a global financial institution offering banking, insurance and asset management to private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide, has opened a new office building in Windsor, Conn. The 475,000-square-foot structure will house more than 2,200 people who currently work in leased office space in Hartford, Conn. The site also houses ING's retirement services business.

Fredericksburg, Va. — Kevin Grenier has been named head of underwriting activities for GEICO's regional headquarters in Fredericksburg, Va. Grenier, an assistant vice president, previously held management responsibilities in GEICO's underwriting and product management department at its corporate headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md.