Firstlogic Inc, a La Crosse, Wis.-based provider of data quality and commercial mail automation software, has introduced IQ Assurance, a set programs, methodologies, and strategic consulting services that assist a company's initial foray into data quality and offer practices that can be can used as a part of an enterprisewide program.

Fiserv Inc., a Brookfield, Wis.-based provider of software and outsourcing solutions to more than 2,000 insurance customers, has formed a strategic alliance with Lombardi Software, an Austin, Texas-based provider of the business process management (BPM) software called TeamWorks. The goal of the alliance is provide a BPM solution specifically designed for the insurance industry.

Novato, Calif.--Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. will provide identity theft restoration services nationally, offering customers access to a personal counselor who can help identify-theft victims with the legal and logistical burden of putting their lives back together.These services represent one of the first major programs by an insurer to deliver these services as part of an insurance policy. The enhancement comes at no additional cost, and with no deductible, to Fireman's Fund policyholders who have Prestige Home Premier with Added Measure coverage. This service became available effective March 30.

Don't throw away the sleeping pills just yet. If you're a senior executive or manager with financial accountability, chances are, over the past year, you've had trouble sleeping because you've been worried about complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley law--especially the part that holds you personally responsible for attesting to the adequacy of your company's internal controls over financial reporting.Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that SOX--passed in 2002--requires executive officers of public companies to annually attest to the effectiveness of internal controls over their financial reports. If you fail to establish and maintain appropriate controls, you can be fined and even sent to jail.

Data security is much broader than a technology concern for CIOs; it's a topic that's on the minds of many senior executives at U.S. corporations. From headlines about stolen data to federal regulations such as HIPAA to proposed Congressional legislation on data sharing and disclosure when a breach occurs, data security has become a front-burner issue for boardrooms and back-office data centers.Although many of the well-publicized incidents of large-scale data pilfering have involved hackers using computers to breach IT security, two recent incidents of stolen data occurred due to weak policies and procedures. In February, Bank of America confirmed that several data tapes were lost in transit to a backup data center. The tapes contained account and other personal information belonging to 1.2 million credit card holders that are employed by the U.S. General Services Administration.

As independent agents identify the best ways to download files from carriers, a controversy is brewing that pits the established value-added agency download technology against emerging alternatives.Over the past couple years, many property/casualty insurers have used download technology developed jointly by Old Greenwich, Conn.-based IVANS Inc. and Applied Systems, a University Park, Ill.-based agency management system vendor.

The recent disclosure that criminals illegally obtained personal information from ChoicePoint Inc. is prompting the company to take action to improve the security of its insurance databases.Although no insurance-related information was stolen, ChoicePoint executives say, the Alpharetta, Ga.-based company intends to establish new auditing procedures and implement other measures to ensure that a similar policy breach will not occur for databases that house insurance information.

The Contracts Update section includes announcements of contracts insurance information technology companies have signed with customers in recent weeks. Contract news can be faxed to Insurance Networking News magazine at (312) 913-1366 or by electronic mail to Stephen.Dwyer thomsonmedia.com Adaptis

Maybe it's because so many companies have focused most of their attention on complying with Sarbanes-Oxley this past year, but a significant portion of health insurers and health care providers will not meet the security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) by the April 20 deadline.Only 30% of payers and 18% of providers said they were already compliant with the HIPAA security regulations in a survey released in February by Phoenix Health Systems, a Montgomery Village, Md.-based consulting firm to hospitals.

CHICAGO--Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) Consumer Markets Division, as part of its ongoing effort to meet the growing demands of consumer-directed health care, announced today that it is offering two new Health Savings Account (HSA) compatible health plans: the BlueEdge Individual HSA and the BlueEdge Individual HSA 5000.

WESTBORO, Mass.---Ascential Software Corporation, an enterprise data integration provider, today announced that CNP Assurances, the leading personal insurance company in France, has standardized on Ascential DataStage, a core component of Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite, to reduce infrastructure costs, optimize the company's IT system, and achieve a single view of customer portfolios in real time.

WAUSAU, Wis--Midsized companies now have better access to expanded umbrella capacity since Wausau Insurance is more than doubling its in-house individual account coverage limits up to $25 million --the amount typically sought for such programs.

ORANGE, Calif.-- CalSurance, a national insurance sales, service and support organization comprising many diverse and specialized programs, today announced that it has enhanced its specialized errors and omissions program for broker-dealers with 75 or fewer registered representatives. Recently CalSurance and Quanta Specialty Lines Insurance Company teamed up to offer this program.The program enhancement now provides each broker-dealer with its own policy limits without sharing a master policy aggregate with other broker-dealers in the program.

WAUSAU, Wis.--Wausau Signature Agency has increased its focus on employee benefits by forming a Group Benefits Division in the upper Midwest states.

CAMBRIDGE, England--Autonomy Corporation plc, a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, today announced that Autonomy has been awarded a contract by Norwich Union Life, the largest provider of life, pensions and long-term financial services in the UK.

WASHINGTON, March 17--With health benefit costs still rising at double-digit rates, more employers are adopting health management and consumer-directed health care programs to help control costs. And some employers keep increases remarkably low by getting employees involved in health care decision making. These are among the major findings in the 10th annual survey of large employers conducted by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--- A single point of entry for access to insurance information, services and tools for consumers, regulators and industry will be available on March 16 through the National Portal for Insurance Regulatory Information on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) Web site at www.naic.org.The NAIC's Information Resources Management (H) Committee began demonstrations of the National Portal search engine at the NAIC Spring National Meeting in Salt Lake City.

Warren, NJ--The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has redesigned its Web site, www.chubb.com, to make it easier to do business with the insurer and help increase agent productivity. The upgraded Web site features new content, easy-to-use navigation, a simplified design and direct access for agents to @chubb, a secure Internet platform. "The clean, information-focused site will enable agents and brokers, customers, investors and journalists to quickly find the information they need," said Scott Wickstrom, Chubb's e-business manager.

SEATTLE, WA-- Only Financial Group (OFG), a national Insurance Brokerage and Lead Generation company has announced the launch of OFG Agent Web Sites for its nationwide network of OFG member agents and brokerages. OFG's new Agent Web Sites provide life insurance agents and brokerages across the country with a customized Web site that boosts new business and streamlines the sales and marketing process. Agents who use an OFG Web Site can:

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.--OneShield, Inc. and NetRate Systems are collaborating to address the rating system needs of small to mid-sized insurance carriers. The companies remain separate organizations but have agreed to combine efforts to address the needs of insurance carriers who want a tools-based configurable architecture provided by OneShield along with dedicated resources having over 25 years in the rating engine business offered by NetRate.