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Vertafore Releases most Impactful AMS360 Update in Recent History

Vertafore®, the leader in modern insurance technology, announced the most impactful update in recent history to AMS360®, its market-leading agency management system, at its annual user conference, Accelerate, powered by NetVU™.

The enhancements include numerous improvements to core functionality and major new capabilities including automatic document processing and a modern, easy-to-use proposal builder solution. The update has the potential to reduce time spent on key processes by up to 50 percent.

According to a recent study by Independent Agent Magazine, eight in ten agencies use an agency management system to drive efficiency and value for the business. The same study shows Vertafore’s AMS360 is the most widely used agency management system in the U.S., relied upon by 17 percent of independent agencies.

“There’s a reason why agency management systems are so integral to the insurance business. Operational challenges such as poor content management or reliance on manual processes take time away from building relationships,” said Sharmila Ray, senior vice president of product and strategy at Vertafore. “This is why our overarching strategy at Vertafore is to significantly streamline business operations such as document processing, accounting, and building proposals so you can focus on the heart of your business – your customers.”

Accounting 

New accounting capabilities were developed to serve the need for larger brokers that have more complex needs. Now AMS360 users are able to track the origin of new business and align commissions directly to business type and source. Inter-divisional accounting mechanisms were updated to split invoices and commissions statements across multiple ledgers, saving time spent on manual tracking and coding complex commission structures.

Document Distribution 

One of the most time-consuming processes in an agency is written communication with large groups of customers. AMS360 now automates bulk customer communication with the potential to save days of time and effort.

Automated eDocs Processing 

With automated eDocs processing, AMS360 online now provides an efficient way to provide the most accurate policy documents throughout the lifecycle. Carrier documents are automatically attached to a client policy, which eliminates time spent manually routing eDocs messages, attachments, and downloads, as well as the need for staff to open email, scan, file, or shred paper documents. Automated eDocs Processing offers the potential for up to a 50 percent reduction in the time it takes to perform administrative tasks, thus providing more time to spend more time managing the business and serving customers.

“AMS360 has transformed every process in our business,” said Carl Schlotman, president and CEO at CAI Insurance Agency, Inc. “With this update, we expect to reduce document processing time by 50 percent, which will drive overall cost savings and increased profits. It’s really amazing to see.”

Proposal Builder 

A new direct integration with AMS360 online delivers the capability to create commercial P&C proposals – a feature that is unique in the insurance software industry. AMS360 Proposal Builder automatically combines accurate information from the management system with branded templates to generate client-ready proposal documents. Brand and template libraries standardize content across divisions and lines of business for professional, consistent results. This new capability is a modern, easy-to-use solution that significantly reduces time spent generating commercial P&C proposals while improving production quality.

The direct integration with AMS360 online pulls accurate customer and prospect information directly into the correct fields of the proposal, which saves time spent on data entry and reduces liability risk to data entry errors and omissions. Administrative manager users lock content and standard sections of the document to prevent accidental edits and a record of hard copies are saved in ImageRight for audit history. Brand and template libraries standardize content across divisions and lines of business for true customization and creates polished, professional client-ready documents. It ultimately saves producers at least 50 percent of time normally spent generating each proposal.

“Drafting proposals, including data entry and formatting, can take up a significant part of my day,” said Tandra Stacer, client service manager at Haas and Wilkerson Insurance. “With the proposals builder in AMS360, my day is freed up to spend more time doing the activities that brought me to insurance in the first place – talking to and helping people.”

Vertafore solutions are relied upon by 96 of the top 100 agencies, 80 of the top 100 carriers, and a community of over 500,000 users. To learn more about AMS360, visit https://www.vertafore.com/products/ams360.

About Vertafore

Vertafore’s comprehensive insurance management software solutions allow participants in the insurance distribution channel to adapt to an evolving insurance industry by efficiently scaling their businesses through deeper access to information and insights. The Vertafore platform features fast innovation, partnerships with leading technology companies, and customizable solutions to help companies remain independent during a time of industry disruption. As the leader in modern insurance technology with the largest customer base in the industry, Vertafore connects every point of the distribution channel, from agencies and carriers to MGAs, MGUs, and state governments. For more information about Vertafore, visit www.vertafore.com, read the company’s blog, and follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

©2018 Vertafore and the Vertafore logo are registered trademarks of Vertafore. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Safeco Insurance appoints Debra Pooley as Vice President and General Manager for the Southeast Region

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Debra PooleySafeco Insurance is pleased to announce that Debra Pooley has been appointed Vice President and General Manager for the Southeast Region. She replaces Carl Canales who has been named Vice President and General Manager for the Northeast Region.

Debra, who most recently served as Regional Operations Manager for Safeco in Suwanee, GA, is a CPCU and CPA, and brings a wealth of experience to her new role. A Georgia native, she has worked extensively to support independent agents, and is a natural fit to lead Safeco’s field operations team in the region.

“I am very excited about the insights and expertise Debra brings to this role and her commitment to helping independent agents win in the marketplace,” said John Mileski, Senior Vice President and Manager, Agency Field Operations at Safeco Insurance. “Debra will spend the next few weeks meeting with our agency partners, strengthening existing partnerships and forging new ones.”

Before moving back to Georgia, Debra was the Director of Distribution for Liberty Mutual Business Insurance leading the state of Oregon and prior to that the Region Vice President directing the underwriting and territory manager teams. She also has served in a variety of roles in finance – including Chief Financial Officer for Ohio Casualty, a Liberty Mutual regional company.

Throughout her career, Debra has demonstrated a commitment to giving back to the community through charitable endeavors, including playing an active role in Give with Liberty. She served on the Board of Directors for the Portland (Ore.) March of Dimes, and is a former board member for Kaya Children International, and the Great Miami Valley YMCA in Hamilton, Ohio. In addition, Debra served as Division Chair and Campaign Cabinet Member for ArtsWave, a Cincinnati area fine arts program.

About Safeco Insurance

In business since 1923 and based in Boston, Mass., Safeco Insurance sells personal automobile, homeowners and specialty products through a network of more than 10,000 independent insurance agencies throughout the United States. Safeco is a Liberty Mutual Insurance company.

In business since 1912, and headquartered in Boston, Mass., Liberty Mutual Insurance is a leading global insurer with operations in 30 countries and economies around the world. Liberty Mutual is the fourth largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2016 direct written premium data as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The company also ranks 75th on the Fortune

100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2016 revenue. As of December 31, 2017, Liberty

Mutual had $39.4 billion in annual consolidated revenue.

For more information about Safeco Insurance, go to www.Safeco.com

Data Reveals the Elevated Potential for Claims Leakage on Daily and Catastrophe HVAC Claims

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Trends in HVACi’s 2018 Annual Claims Report expose the risks facing insurance carriers on HVAC claims settled without the engagement of a subject matter expert

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — HVAC Investigators (HVACi), the nation’s leading provider of HVAC and Refrigeration damage assessments for Property & Casualty insurance carriers, announced the release of its highly anticipated 2018 Annual Claims Report today. The data included in the report affords insurance carriers an opportunity to analyze where claims leakage is occurring and how it can be reduced to improve accuracy. The information also provides valuable insights for setting expense reserves and making staffing decisions. Finally, this analysis highlights the importance of establishing a standardized process that includes a third-party subject matter expert to handle HVAC claims more consistently and with a higher degree of accuracy.

HVACi’s Annual Claims Report is distributed to Property & Casualty insurance carriers nationwide. It includes statistics from many thousands of actual claims assigned to HVACi by the nation’s top carriers. These figures are derived from the results of both onsite inspections and desktop reviews of residential and commercial claims (both daily and catastrophe) in all 50 states, for all perils, and across all major equipment types.

This year’s report includes the topics carriers have come to depend on, such as Claim Accuracy, Reported vs. Actual Cause of Loss, Repair vs. Replace Frequency, Recommended Action by Peril, and Frequency of Claims by Equipment Type. The report also provides data on three of the year’s most devastating catastrophic events — Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and the California Wildfires — to help carriers determine where processes can be improved to reduce claims leakage on catastrophe losses. New additions to this year’s report also include a distribution of claims by state, five-year catastrophe claim trending, and average age of equipment by refrigerant type.

According to Matt Livingston, Co-Founder of HVACi, “HVACi’s 2018 Annual Claims Report is particularly meaningful for insurance carriers. The losses following the extraordinary catastrophe events of 2017 makes understanding how to better control indemnity leakage critical. This report conclusively proves that establishing a consistent process for HVAC claims that includes an objective expert can improve the accuracy of claims settlements.” This report will be made available immediately to insurance professionals. To request your copy, please click here or email education@hvaci.com.

HVAC Investigators (HVACi) is the nation’s leading provider of HVAC and refrigeration damage assessments. Our prompt inspections, actionable reports, and national footprint help insurance carriers settle HVAC claims more quickly and with a higher degree of accuracy. To learn more about our services or to submit an assignment, please visit hvaci.com, email info@hvaci.com, or contact us by phone at (888) 407-5224.

Contact:
Katie Rosenberg
Director of Marketing
888-407-5224, ext. 114
191739@email4pr.com

InsurBanc Paves Way for Managing Partner to Buy Out Firm

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marie Rider, 860.674.2309; mrider@insurbanc.com

Insurance Lending Expertise Makes Win-Win Deal Possible

Farmington, Conn. (March 5, 2018) — InsurBanc, the leading bank for the insurance distribution industry, recently financed the management buyout of Loan Protector Insurance Services, Solon, Ohio.

Dennis Swit, Loan Protector’s managing partner and CEO, purchased the 150-employee business from Willis Towers Watson, a global insurance brokerage firm that acquired Loan Protector in 2008. Swit will continue as CEO, and the company will continue to operate under the Loan Protector brand.

“Dennis approached us about the possibility of funding the management buyout,” said Robert Pettinicchi, InsurBanc chief lending officer. “InsurBanc’s advantage is deep knowledge of the insurance distribution industry and the ability to see an opportunity that other lenders could not fully understand. Drawing on InsurBanc’s years of experience with insurance acquisitions, we put together a comprehensive financing package that allowed Dennis to purchase the business he worked so hard to build.”

Swit positioned Loan Protector into an industry leader in lender-placed insurance and insurance tracking services for the mortgage servicing industry. Once given the opportunity to purchase the business, he approached multiple lending sources but only InsurBanc delivered a deal and structure that worked to get the deal done.

Swit now has full control and the flexibility to grow his company and make investments to benefit him and his stakeholders. He anticipates investing in new technology, including software and a web-based call center, as well as making some acquisitions in the future.

“Our focus has always been providing capital for those agency owners with vision who will continue to lead the insurance industry” said Pettinicchi. “Loan Protector is a great example of a buyout that is a net positive for employees, clients and the industry. This deal puts Dennis on secure financial footing and allows him to be nimble to pursue opportunities that wouldn’t be possible if the company had remained a division of a large, publicly traded firm.”

About InsurBanc: Farmington, Connecticut-based InsurBanc, a division of Connecticut Community Bank, N.A., specializes in financial products for the insurance agency community, including loans for acquisition and perpetuation and providing custom cash-management solutions.
www.insurbanc.com