The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission gets some 400 product reports a year, says CPSC spokesman Alex Filip. The reports come in through the CPSC’s Safer Products website, http://www.saferproducts.gov/, which it set up a year ago as an information portal for consumers. read more..
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
A Sampling of Recent Recalls
Death and injuries force recall: In May, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys “R” Us Inc. recalled some 21,000 inflatable Banzai water slides for in-ground pools after one woman died from a fractured neck and two people reported neck fractures, including a man who was paralyzed. All three injuries resulted from victims hitting their heads on a hard surface at the bottom of the slide because it had partially deflated. read more..
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Are Potential Employers Making Private Info Public?
Not being a computer aficionado, I cannot understand why anyone would list his or her comings and goings, likes and dislikes, private practices, pictures and relationships on the computer. In my opinion, this personal information is interesting only to the person who publishes it. I also thought that such information was private until I read about some companies requesting/demanding Facebook usernames and passwords from potential employees. This tactic hit home recently when my daughter was faced with this issue while applying for a job. read more..
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Innovation Overdue for Consolidated Premium Billing
Deploy the latest billing technology improves service and supports key strategies.
Consumers have become accustomed to high levels of personalization online. Retail sites greet them by name, offer tailored product recommendations and track their order history. Online banking posts purchases in real time and even helps account holders track the charges against their family budgets.
read more..
read more..
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Four Key Steps for Carriers to Digitally Empower Their Agents
Consumers’ desire to incorporate digital channels as part of their buying process is causing a shift in the role of agents and brokers, still the primary channel for insurance distribution. read more..
Monday, June 25, 2012
Pulling Off The Unthinkable
What Claims Can Learn From the NHL Playoffs
By just about any account, the Los Angeles Kings had a pretty ordinary regular season, finishing third in the Pacific Division and barely making their way into the NHL playoffs as a number eight seed. It was right about that time the 2012 version of the "Miracle on Manchester” began to happen when the team came together to systematically dismantle their opponents while tying a league best postseason record of 16-4 on their way to winning the Stanley Cup. read more..
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Employees: Your Greatest Asset and Your Greatest Challenge
People are the key to success in any organization. An organization may have the most advanced processes or innovative technology, but success will not happen without the right people to make it all work. In a day and age when cutbacks are the norm, having the right people is even more critical. Success only comes when the right people are in place; the wrong people can become an anchor in any organization. read more..
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Proving Damage In Fine Arts Claims
Measuring the Extent of Damage and Subrogation Potential
Fine art losses come in many shapes and sizes. Often, fine art is a relatively minor component of a homeowner’s or commercial property claim. Occasionally, however, damaged art represents the vast majority of a claim. read more..
Friday, June 22, 2012
Predictive Analytics with Predictable Problems
Evaluating Auto Accident-Related Injuries
Predictive analytics is a valuable tool and is being applied to a growing number of areas in auto insurance operations. In recent months, I have fielded questions about the benefit of applying predictive analytics to a combination of auto physical damage data and medical data to identify questionable injuries. read more..
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Top 10 Most Dangerous States to Drive In
Motor vehicle crashes kill more people between the ages of five and 34 than any other cause, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These crashes cause billions in losses for insurance companies as well as in lost production for the states they occur in. read more..
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
NCCI Study: Obesity Tied to Workers Comp Indemnity Benefit Duration
Indemnity benefit duration of obese workers’ compensation claimants is over five times longer than non-obese claimants, a new study says. The National Council on Compensation Insurance says it compared obese claims to comparable non-obese claims, matching all claim characteristics exactly except for age at injury. The matching claims were then analyzed using a model that accounts for the possible nonlinear influence of age. read more..
Monday, June 18, 2012
Contempt for Court and Other Governmental Entities
From Obamacare to PIP Reform
Having been a social worker and serving in Army hospitals during the Vietnam War, after which I tried my hand at selling medical insurance, I have acquired some vague understanding of the medical insurance world and its costs. read more..
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Proving Fine Art Damage: It’s All in the Details
To Maximize Subrogation Recoveries, Pay Attention
Fine art losses come in many shapes and sizes. Often, fine art is a relatively minor component of a homeowner’s or commercial property claim. Occasionally, however, damaged art represents the vast majority of a claim. You may have heard of the story in 2006 about casino mogul Steve Wynn, who accidentally poked a hole in his own Picasso painting, “Le Rêve,” which he had previously agreed to sell to another collector for $139 million. Given the impact of the damage on the painting’s value, Wynn decided to keep the painting after conservation. read more..
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Red Flags: Digging Deeper in Claims Investigation
Auto give ups, stolen vehicles, arson, padded injuries, inflated medical bills, drug diversions, and disability exaggerations are just a few of the scams that play out in the insurance arena daily. read more..
Friday, June 15, 2012
Analyzing Art Losses
To save or not to save? This is often the question asked after a piece of artwork has been badly damaged. The answer may not be clearly apparent to the owner or claims handler. A damaged item that may appear” hopeless” to the untrained eye may actually be an excellent candidate for conservation. While other items that do not “look that bad” do not justify conservation efforts. read more..
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Blake Scale: A New Rating System
Eloquence and Efficacy in Claims Documents
People are forever using the phrase, “On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least…” because it offers a range by which the listener or reader can judge the relative importance of a particular example. read more..
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Advanced BI and Analytics Transform Claims
Driving Customer Satisfaction and Regulatory Compliance
Given the intense competition and profound change that is underway in the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market, many insurers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves in the minds of consumers. Claims management has been an area of strategic focus and significant investment. Top-performing insurers recognize claims management as among the most important customer-facing processes, and one in which they can make or break customer relationships. That is the fundamental reason why insurers seek to enhance their service offerings and strengthen their ties to policyholders, brokers and agents through superior responsiveness, speed and user-friendliness. read more..
ROCKFORD MUTUAL AGENT MEETING NEWS
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, June 12 1-3 pm Fond Du Lac, WI South Hills G & C Club
Wednesday, June 13 9-11 am Black River Falls, Best Western Arrowhead Lodge
Tuesday, June 19 9-11 am DeKalb, IL Best Western DeKalb Inn
Wednesday, June 20 9-11 am Mt. Vernon, IL Krieger’s Holiday Inn
Thursday, June 21 9-11 am Galesburg, IL Prairie Inn
Monday, June 11, 2012
CFA: Insurers Can Tamper with Computer Systems to Underpay Injury Claims
NU Online News Service, June 5, 12:56 p.m. EST
Adjusters using computerized-claims systems to evaluate claims payouts can manipulate the systems to substantially lower injury claim payments, according to a report by the Consumer Federation of America. read more..
Adjusters using computerized-claims systems to evaluate claims payouts can manipulate the systems to substantially lower injury claim payments, according to a report by the Consumer Federation of America. read more..
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Corvettes Still Hot: NICB Reports More Than 1 in 10 Stolen
When the first Chevrolet Corvette rolled off a makeshift assembly line in Flint, Mich. on June 30, 1953, it penetrated a sports car market dominated by European models. read more..
Saturday, June 9, 2012
For Insurers, the Medium Might Be the Message
While Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message” back in 1964, his hypothesis still resonates today when it comes to personal-lines insurance marketing in that the medium itself—not merely the message it delivers—has intrinsic value for consumers. read more..
Friday, June 8, 2012
Summer Fire Prevention Tips
Servpro offers tips to prevent fires caused by three household items
House fires can start from simple, everyday household activities, especially during the summer months when barbecues and fire pits are lit up every night, causing millions of dollars in insured losses. In honor of National Safety Month, Servpro Industries offers a few safety tips to keep summer activities fun and safe. read more..
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Top 5 Most Costly Pet Insurance Claims
Monday, June 4, 2012
Lifecycle Technology Simplifies Producer Compliance
By Tim Owen, vice president, producer lifecycle management, Vertafore
Making sure producers can sell multiple lines of business through many carrier partners in one or more states is a complex web of back-and-forth communication. When performed manually, getting and keeping each of your producers properly credentialed to sell can take days or even weeks to complete. read more..
Making sure producers can sell multiple lines of business through many carrier partners in one or more states is a complex web of back-and-forth communication. When performed manually, getting and keeping each of your producers properly credentialed to sell can take days or even weeks to complete. read more..
Sunday, June 3, 2012
One Day in Joplin, One Year Later
One Day in Joplin, One Year Later
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Advanced BI and Analytics Transform Claims
Driving Customer Satisfaction and Regulatory Compliance
Given the intense competition and profound change that is underway in the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market, many insurers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves in the minds of consumers. read more..
Friday, June 1, 2012
Pre-Season Storms Do Not Alter Hurricane Forecast
NU Online News Service, May 30, 12:14 p.m. EDT
Despite the appearance of two pre-season tropical storms there is no change in the Atlantic hurricane forecast, which calls for an average year of storms, says one catastrophe modeler. read more..
Despite the appearance of two pre-season tropical storms there is no change in the Atlantic hurricane forecast, which calls for an average year of storms, says one catastrophe modeler. read more..
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