CNA Web Site Improves Small Commercial BusinessOffering

CNA has developed a faster way for agents to write smallcommercial business policies online with its agent Web site CNACentral (www.cnacentral.com). The advancements of this site,created with agent feedback, allow agents to quote and requestissuance for the full portfolio of CNA small commercialcoveragesBAPP, package, workers comp, commercial auto, andumbrellaas well as international, management, and professionalliability coverages.

CNA Central offers easy access to policy and claims information,co-branded sales materials, agency management reports, and directbill service. Our focus is on great underwriting, responsiveness tomarket shifts, and accurate identification of risks, all of whichare built into CNA Central capabilities, says Barbara Flanigan,assistant vice president, CNA Small Business. She attributes CNAsposition as one of the few carriers that deliver an online packageapplication to constant feedback from loyal agents. Weve listenedto our agents every step along the way. CNA may not have been thefirst in the Web-enabled application game, but we definitely arethe strongest when it comes to listening to our agents anddelivering the applications and ease-of-use features they want, sheasserts.

CNA Central has a reputation among its users of being effectivein terms of quoting, processing, and endorsement speed, accordingto Flanigan.

Bankers Online Portal Enhances Productivity for CaptiveAgents
Bankers Life and Casualty Companys captive sales force of nearly4,000 agents has access to a new online portal the carrier hopeswill streamline business and research tasks. The Bankers SalesProductivity Network (BSPN) was de-signed by the carrier with inputfrom agents. It also was field tested to determine maximumusability. A research and development phase and testing programwith more than 700 agents in 11 branch sales offices helped Bankersdevelop a user-friendly system, according to Paula Smith, vicepresident of sales technology.

Agents can use the system to conduct business, includingtracking sales commissions, generating reports such as pendingapplications, accessing marketing and advertising materials, andreviewing product information such as policy and rideravailability. The system replaces a previous portal and offers morefunction, information, faster access, and simpler navigation, saysSmith.

Updates already are planned. Smith notes future releases willinclude more in-depth claims histories and the ability to viewspecific details of a policyholders long-term-care insurancepolicy. In its initial release, BSPN delivers an online informationmedium far superior to what we had, and we will continue to enhanceits features, adds Scott Perry, COO and executive vicepresident.

WHOS USING WHAT

Genworth Financial, Inc., has licensed AdminServers policyadministration system, strengthening the companys growingtechnology platform. The AdminServer system complements currentGenworth capabilities aligned to support the expansion of thecompanys distribution and retirement income product sales.

Columbia Insurance Group, a multiline provider ofproperty/casualty insurance solutions, has implemented theInsurance Content Management system from AcroSoft Corporation.Columbia completed the installation within its personal linesunderwriting department to organize and manage documents, reducepaperwork, increase operational efficiency, reduce policy-issuancetime frames, and integrate the underwriting departments operationalprocesses.

Selective Insurance has installed SeaPass Solutions Gatewaytechnology for its business owners package and workers compensationlines of business.

The Accident Compensation Corporation, the state bodyresponsible for administering New Zealands accident compensationscheme, has purchased the Claims Manager solution from FINEOS. Thecontract will include licenses, services, and committed supportover a five-year period.

Germantown Mutual Insurance Company, an insurer offeringpersonal and commercial insurance, and life insurer Cooperativa deSeguros de Vida de Puerto Rico, each have purchased the ImageRightdocument management system. This includes the desktop and advancedworkflow, outgoing fax, and e-mail capabilities; e-mail claims andunderwriting processing receiver; advanced archive utility module;keyword lookup/ index module; software developers toolkit; databaseupdates package; and the FastTRACK implementation program. TheLawyers Protector Plan, Brown & Brown Inc.s legal malpracticeinsurance program, also has purchased the ImageRight documentmanagement system. The wholesaler of professional liabilitypolicies for lawyers is using the ImageRight system to scan inautomatically all incoming applications and forms sent to its faxand e-mail servers.

Atlantic Blue Cross Care, a Canadian health insurance provider,has launched the first phase of its new Web-based enrollmentapplication, using the Unifi product from DWL, providers ofcustomer data integration solutions. The Java-based application fordeveloping real-time transactional business services enablesAtlantic to integrate the application with its back-end systems todeliver inquiries and update transactions for group and policyadministrators and customer service representatives.

U.K. life insurer Norwich Union Life has signed a consultingservices contract with IBM. The two-and-a-half-year contract withNorwich Union, a unit of Aviva Plc, differed from many large-scalecomputer contracts IBM wins in that it is purely for businessconsulting.

Standard Insurance Company has selected CGI to build a newpolicy administration system for its employee benefits division.The technology, known as FlexInsure, combines all aspects of policyadministration into a single system. FlexInsure reduces manual dataentry and integrates billing and contract management from multiplesystems, thereby providing easier access to data for increasingfunctionality.