Going Mobile: Have Insurers Caught the Trend?

September 22, 2011   By Mark Breading

It seems as if the whole world is going mobile. As the famous group, The Who, sang some years ago, “…The world’s my home… When I’m mobile.” Although they were not referring to the mobile technologies so prevalent today—with the likes of smartphones, tablets and GPS devices—the concept still applies. Rapidly evolving technologies are changing the way we interact, exchange information, transact business, manage our schedules and spend our leisure time. The fundamental question for our industry is: Are insurers on board with the mobile trend?  read more..

Overcoming the Obstacles of Subrogation Response

September 26, 2011    By Christopher Tidball

When it comes to the life of a claim, arguably some of the greatest organizational challenges arise during the subrogation process. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than subrogation response, a task often left to line adjusters struggling to manage ever-increasing workloads.  read more..

Accepting Mistakes for What They Are—Temporary Roadblocks

September 16, 2011   By Robert Regis Hyle, PropertyCasualty360.com

No one likes to make mistakes. In insurance technology, mistakes cost money; mistakes set you back; mistakes cost people jobs.

Yet, mistakes sometimes lead to greater success in the future if people avoid the urge to panic and are willing to learn from their failures. Mistakes can be teaching moments that otherwise might never be learned.  read more..

Key Metric for Accurate Claims Settlements

September 20, 2011    By Christopher Tidball

How do you know if your claims organization is producing a quality product? After all, there are numerous ways to identify quality, right? While no two carriers or claims processes are alike, there are often similarities. From the first notice of loss (FNOL) abandonment rate and contact timeliness to cycle time and average indemnity, there seems to be no shortage of usable metrics. But is this the optimal way to gauge performance?  read more..

Study Says WC Premiums Tied to Stock-Market Performance Rather Than Claims

September 20, 2011

By Phil Gusman, PropertyCasualty360.com
NU Online News Service, Sept. 20, 1:30 p.m. EDT

A new study says rising workers’ compensation premiums are more closely associated with decreases in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and interest rates on U.S. Treasury bonds rather than higher claims payments, an assertion challenged by an industry association.  read more..

New NAMIC Chairman Puts Emphasis on Leadership

September 22, 2011   By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com

NU Online News Service, Sept. 22, 9:04 a.m. EST

INDIANAPOLIS—Effective leadership within the membership of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies will promote increased success for the association and its members, says the association’s new chairman.  read more..

Mutual Insurers Addressing Trying Challenges With Healthy Attitude

National Underwriter P&C September 19, 2011

By Mark E. Ruquet

To say the past few years have been a challenge for mutual insurers would be an understatement as they have dealt with an almost decade-long soft market, a prolonged economic downturn and record catastrophe claims in 2011.   read more..