Insurance and Technology

Insurers Target Single Sign-On Capabilities

Michael Fergang, CIO, Grange Insurance

COVER STORY

Flexibility, New Technology Key to Attracting Young IT Workers
Insurers are finding that both newer technology environments and more flexible working environments are keys to attracting top IT talent from younger generations.

FEATURE

Policy Admin System Replacement: Insurers Shift Focus From Systems to Functionalities
Carriers are recognizing that capabilities, not systems, create modern, competitive insurance organizations.

UPDATE

Fiserv/Trident IV Deal Demonstrates Investor Confidence in Insurance Tech
As with the insurance technology investments of large horizontal players such as Oracle and HP, a private equity firm's purchase of a majority share of Fiserv's insurance business shows that investors believe insurance carriers will continue to spend on technology.

Regence Drives Successful EMR Pilot
Portland, Ore.-based Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer Regence demonstrated the economic viability of a Web-hosted electronic medical record system for an entire medical community through a one-year pilot in La Grande, Ore.

Santam Launches Text-Based Fraud Hotline
South Africa-based Santam has implemented a text-based fraud reporting system to provide tipsters with an easier, more confidential way to report fraudulent activity.

Zurich Launches Emerging Tech Business Producer Site
The carrier's Zurich Technology Insurance Services site provides an array of resources to help producers understand rapidly evolving technology-related business sectors.

BPO Continues to Evolve
With financial services-specific expertise increasing among business process outsourcing providers, knowledge process outsourcing looks to be the next generation of outsourcing services.

CASE STUDIES

Main Street America Group Dumps Legacy Claims Applications for Guidewire
Jacksonville, Fla.-based super-regional Main Street America Group moves from green screens to Web-based architecture to streamline claims processing.

Max Specialty Supports Fast Start-Up With ImageRight
New insurer chooses ImageRight's insurance-focused document management and workflow solution to support projected growth.

FROM THE EDITOR

Beijing Olympics Offer Business Lessons for Insurance Industry
There are likely to be useful lessons about emerging markets, distribution, customer analysis and risk for insurance company executives following the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Liberty Mutual Agency Markets
Liberty Mutual Agency Markets needs its IT team to continue its strong integration work if it wants its Ohio Casualty and Safeco acquisitions to be successful.

Sidebar
Q&A With James McGlennon, VP and CIO, Liberty Mutual Agency Markets
Liberty Mutual Agency Markets CIO James McGlennon discusses the status of the Ohio Casualty integration, vendor relationships and IT talent retention.

Exclusive Photo Gallery
On location with Liberty Mutual Agency Markets.

Fighting Claims Fraud -- Industry insiders discuss emerging technologies, including predictive modeling and other tools, that allow special investigations units to be more proactive in addressing fraud.

Fraud Detection and Prevention Starts With Good Data
Tom Brennan, Director of Special Investigations, Highmark (Pittsburgh)
Neural nets, predictive modeling, and other analytics technologies allow insurers to address potential issues proactively.

Analytics Key to Proactive Detection and Prevention of Fraud
Ellen Melchionni, President, New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud (Albany)
Daily data mining and analytics technologies to red flag outlier policies and claims are key to fraud prevention and efficient claims handling.

Predictive Analysis Allows Insurers to Stay Ahead of Constantly Evolving Fraudsters
Dennis Jay, Executive Director, Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (Washington, D.C.)
When used with data mining tools and street investigations, predictive analytics can be among the biggest electronic enemies of the fraud rings that cost insurers tens of billions of dollars annually.

Insurers' Fraud Technology Is Behind the Times
Stuart Rose, Global Insurance Marketing Manager, SAS (Cary, N.C.)
But network link analysis, voice stress-recognition software and other new analytics technologies, along with fraud propensity scoring, can bring carriers up to speed.

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Allstate Names a President of Social Networking
Desiree Rogers has been named president of social networking at Allstate Financial.

Christopher Maguire Prioritizes IT at Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Newly appointed COO Christopher Maguire will oversee the delivery of straight-through processing and the establishment of manufacturing-standard capabilities in Philadelphia Insurance Companies' IT organization.