Chicago - InsuranceNoodle Inc. has received U.S. Patent Office notification that the patent application claims relating to innovations for its "Methods and Apparatus for Selecting an Insurance Carrier for an Online Insurance Policy Purchase" have been allowed for issuance within the next few months."We are extremely excited the Patent Office has made this decision after four years of extensive application review," says InsuranceNoodle CEO Kathryn Emmerson. "This approval--as well as the fact that more than 2,500 agencies across the country are active NoodleNetwork partners--supports and validates our proprietary, Web-based technology platform and its capability to provide fast, efficient online quoting from multiple carriers for a variety of commercial products."

Washington, D.C. - The Federal Emergency Management Association's National Flood Insurance Program has launched a Web site to provide educational materials and other new content to insurance agents.

London -- Companies that outsource their IT systems are increasing their potential vulnerability to security breaches causing possible long term damage to their business, according to London-based insurer ACE European Group Ltd. (ACE).ACE has uncovered a lack of awareness among many European businesses of the increasing risks that outsourcing poses to their networks. ACE is also aware that there is a degree of uncertainty among many businesses, both as to the level of protection given to their computer systems and the cover provided by their existing insurance policies.

Cupertino, Calif. - Software security provider Symantec announced today that it completed its acquisition of Houston-based BindView Development Corp., a provider of agent-less IT security compliance software.

Stamford, Conn.- Following a period of cost cutting and reactive spending, insurance organizations with more than $1 billion in revenue will be even more cautious when making their IT spending decisions in 2006, according to Gartner Consulting's Worldwide IT Benchmark Service.

This year may be the year of consolidation and legacy renewal when it comes to insurance carriers' IT spending, according to industry analysts. And IT budgets will increase slightly over 2005, although there may be trimming back in some areas.The wild card will be the impact caused by Katrina and other hurricanes that wrought such devastation in New Orleans, Florida and other locales in the Southeast.

Listening to an insurance executive talk about replacing an old mainframe-based administration system is a lot like listening to a farmer talk about getting rid of an old tractor.It still pulls a heavy load, but competing farms-especially the larger ones-are bringing in faster models with advanced features that enable them to produce higher yields more efficiently. But these new tractors cost a lot of money and change the way work is done on the farm. How can a farmer afford the new equipment, learn how to use it, modify the work processes, and get all the crops sown and harvested on nature's strict schedule?

In our conservative, risk-based marketplace, change is often described as an oxymoron. But thanks to free enterprise, keeping up with change is not only necessary, it's critical to your success. Perhaps the greatest change has taken place in technology, not only because of automation and the Internet, but because it's finally being recognized for what it is: a critical ingredient to successful business operations.Perhaps Mike Byam put it best during a recent Insurance Networking News Virtual Trade Show session. The vice president of e-business & technology transformation at The Hartford's Financial Services Group said: "The line is becoming blurred between IT and the business. At some point, IT won't be the focus of the discussion. The focus will be one of several elements comprising successful business strategies."

Over the past two years, many carriers, either to their dismay or bewilderment, saw key software vendors fall under new ownership. And it hasn't been simply a case of small fish being eaten by larger fish. Some of the largest names in the software business have been caught in the net. PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems, giants in their markets, for instance, were scooped up in acquisitions.Mergers and acquisitions are always sprung on the market by surprise, and it's difficult to predict or sense when a change in ownership may be pending. What's certain is that such market moves can disrupt even the most meticulously laid plans of IT executives.

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.

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.

Considering the insurance industry's adoption of current or emerging technologies, a scene from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey comes to mind. I remember a scene with a group of our earliest ancestors sitting around grunting and grooming when suddenly a large, polished black obelisk appears.Mayhem quickly ensues. The apes quickly get excited, sniffing and tentatively touching the object, jumping around and exercising their vocal cords.

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.

Should business and it alignment be a strategic initiative across the enterprise or can it be treated on a case-by-case basis within an organization?That question is the subject of some discussion as insurance companies begin implementing their 2006 IT plan. For carriers, the answer lies within the industry's unique approach to doing business, emphasizes Tushar Hazra, Ph.D., senior consultant with Cutter Consortium, an Arlington, Mass., IT consultancy.

Executives at Atlantic Charter Insurance Company wanted to take one step forward. But they didn't want to take two steps back in the process.Although the company had been successfully growing for many years, Atlantic Charter leaders realized they needed an integrated information technology system if the Boston-based workers' compensation insurer stood any chance of staying to course-or of moving ahead at a quicker clip.

FIRSTLOGIC, PITNEY MERGER CALLED OFFFirstlogic Inc., a La Crosse, Wis.-based provider of enterprise information quality solutions, and Pitney Bowes Inc., Lanham, Md., have agreed not to extend their merger agreement. This concludes Pitney's planned acquisition of Firstlogic, which had been publicly announced in September. After reviewing the second request for information issued by the Federal Trade Commission, the two companies decided not to proceed further with the acquisition, according to Eric Lieberman, president of Firstlogic.

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. - 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.

Newark, Calif. - Citing its latest win, catastrophe modeling is becoming increasingly important throughout financial markets, according to Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a Calif.-based provider of products and services for the management of catastrophe risk.

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.