THE NEW RULES OF RISK MANAGEMENT Demand for Risk Management Sophistication Increasing The financial crisis has increased demands -- both internally and from regulators and raters -- on insurers' risk managers to deliver reliable, accurate and up-to-date views of risk exposure, real and potential. UPDATE Healthcare Reform Will Require Massive Insurance IT Spending Caught off guard by the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, insurers must modernize IT while increasing operational efficiency. Recent Natural Catastrophes Should Alert U.S. Insurers to Dangers Experience with seismic events mitigated the human and property toll of the February Chile earthquake -- lessons that should inform insurers' planning in parts of the U.S. CargoNet Expands Its Insurance Membership The ISO-managed national information-sharing network -- which unites insurance company, transportation, manufacturing, retail and law enforcement participants -- seeks to reach a critical mass of participation to reduce cargo theft. REGULATION WATCH Insurance Associations Express Concerns About Financial Reform Bill Sen. Christopher Dodd's reform bill proposes only modest changes to the existing insurance regulatory regime, but industry associations are pushing back against resolution funding requirements and potentially duplicative regulation. CALL CENTER WATCH Tower Life Transforms Its Call Center with Zeacom Platform The integrated capabilities of the Zeacom Communication Center platform enable better management of CSRs, convenient direct and self-service options for customers, and enhanced reporting capabilities. CASE STUDY Pacific Life Saves $1.1 Million With IT Services Management Pacific Life Insurance reaps $1.1 million in savings by embracing the ITIL best practices framework and deploying BMC's IT services management suite. New Policy Admin System Fuels Trust-Based Pay-as-You-Drive Launch Sydney-based Real Insurance is the first to market, worldwide, with trust-based PAYD coverage thanks largely to a new policy admin platform from Exigen Insurance Solutions. |
FROM THE EDITOR What Insurers Can Learn from '30 Rock' As a recent episode of "30 Rock" taught us, there are always uptapped markets to discover and new customers to find. Insurers that have embraced those ideas are increasingly turning to analytics solutions to help them generate growth. IT/BUSINESS ALIGNMENT 10 Insurance Technology Imperatives There is no one-size-fits-all technology priority for the insurance industry, but there is a set of IT imperatives that every carrier must address in some way, according to SMA founder Deb Smallwood. SPECIAL REPORT: BILLING Carriers Look to Billing to Improve Customer Service and Retention Billing is a critical but often overlooked aspect of customer service and retention — not only for policyholders, but for agents and distributors as well. 3 Factors Behind Carriers' Renewed Attention to Billing Insurers that do billing well reap huge operational and retention dividends -- while those that do it poorly end up with unnecessary costs and dissatisfied customers, reports Matthew Josefowicz, director of Novarica's insurance practice. IFBI Cuts Costs and Improves Service With Billing Solution Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance develops 'All-in-1' customized billing to meet customer demands and reduce costs. NAMES IN THE NEWS What's IT Worth? Northwestern Mutual Life CIO Knows CIO Tim Schaefer's team puts hard-dollar values on IT systems as assets, and boldly says the language IT uses is important. 
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