The research and analysis firm Celent names its 2012 ModelInsurers. Insurers are identified for their best practices in theuse of technology across various area of the enterprise. The reportalso names Nationwide Insurance the Model Insurer of the Year.

Best practices in the use of technology span key areas of theproduct and policyholder life cycle, including product definition,distribution, underwriting, policy administration, service, claims,and infrastructure. The report also reviews IT best practices andmeasurable business results used in evaluating the Model InsurerComponents.

“Innovation is a common theme for many of the projects profiledin this year's report. The Model Insurer Components highlightseveral innovative uses of technology in insurance,” says KarenMonks, analyst with Celent's Insurance group and author of thereport. “Insurers have stepped up their use of emergingtechnologies and have had successes in doing so.”

Nominations were accepted throughout 2011, and the Celentinsurance team selected the winning initiatives based on thebusiness benefits provided.

The list of the Model Insurers in this report includes:

• AEGON NederlandN.V.: AEGON chose theInformatica data integration platform to build the solution, andOracle was used as the database for the warehouse. With HCL'stechnical consultation, AEGON recently completed the implementationof the data warehouse for the life line of business.
• AIG Chartis: Using business analytics softwareto automate strategic risk analysis, Chartis developed a StrategicRisk Analysis team to create systems that take into account thebusiness strategy and the data available to create automatedsolutions for challenges in underwriting, risk management, andaccounting functions.
• American Safety Insurance: Integrating allunderwriting units under a common system, ASI chose Accenture DuckCreek's policy administration system as the backbone of the systemmodernization program and at least three other vendor products andseveral internal systems were involved, as well as ASI'simplementation partner, Syntel, Inc.
• Canal Insurance Company: Leveraging technologyto open up new markets, Canal chose a combination of commerciallyavailable technologies along with technology developed in house.The core commercial solutions deployed included ISO Rating Service,AQS Designer Access, and AQS Quote Access. The solutions wereintegrated with Canal's iQuotes portal and back end systems.
• CNA: CNA Small Business collaborated withSeaPass Solutions to leverage ACORD XML technology and built asolution that enables agents to create ACORD XML quote and issuancerequests that integrate with CNA's systems regardless of the agencytechnology or workflows being used.
• The Co-operative Insurance: Expanding into astrategically important distribution channel, Co-operativeimplemented SSP Select Insurance components, covering contactmanagement and policy administration to build direct Website andcall center interfaces.
• Courtesy Insurance Company: Courtesy workedwith The Innovation Group to implement a new Web-based claimsmanagement system, GAP Smart, using Innovation Group's InsurerClaims. It is a distributed claims handling application usedprimarily by claim handlers and their managers to processclaims.
• Direct Asia Insurance: I.D.I Technologies Ltdimplemented the SOA solution, which includes an end-to-end policyadministration, claims, and billing software with web servicesdirectory for process integration with DirectAsia.com's Web portallayers and other third parties.
• Erie Insurance: Using iPipeline's iGO e-App asa cloud-based solution to support the agents' applicationprocessing, the e-App is accessible through a single sign-in viaErie Family Life's Website, and when used with e-signature ande-submission, the application simplifies the completion ofapplications.
• Great American Insurance Company: Using aninternal development team, GAIG delivered custom mobile applicationfront ends targeted at agents and insureds and built for differentplatforms (Android and Apple) delivering an end-to-endexperience.
• The Hartford: TheHartfordredesigned processesand filed for a patent under the name of Issue First, whichreordered the life insurance application process to allow thepolicy to be issued before underwriting is complete. Issue Firstwas rolled out with tools such as iPipeline's iGO eApp, whichincludes e-signature capability and is integrated with TheHartford's illustration system and the Hartford Investor producerWeb portal..
• HDFC Standard Life Insurance: HDFC Lifeimplemented GOAL (Go Online and Learn) learning management system,a technology-driven platform by SumTotal LMS that enables HDFC Lifeto offer training, learning initiatives, and programs on theInternet/Intranet for E-learning to take place.
• L&T General Life Insurance CompanyLimited: L&T realized organization-wide results in ashort timeframe with its technology innovation program. Third partysoftware was used to address areas such as comprehensive policyadministration system, customer relationship management, andgeneral accounting
• Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd.: After theJapan earthquake in March 2011, the primary role for MSI was toquickly pay claims and terminate policies for properties lost inthe earthquake. MSI required a quick information sharing solutionthat could be accessed from anywhere at any time. MSI opted to useMicrosoft Windows Azure, a cloud-based platform as a service, whichmanages the selected policies relating to the earthquake.
• Nationwide Insurance: Nationwide leveragedTealeaf, user monitoring software, to watch actual Web-usersessions to detect error messages that appear on users' screens inreal time. Additionally, Nationwide leveraged HP Diagnostics toenable proactive monitoring within the MQ messaging layers.
• PhiladelphiaInsurance: Coordinating thereplacement and integration of multiple vendors systems to achieveenterprise operational efficiencies,Philadelphiachose SapiensRapidSure to increase the capabilities available for policycreation and servicing. Other systems implemented as part of thenew policy administration environment were Document SciencexPression, CGI Ratabase, Software AG, and Prima Solutions.
• Prudential Insurance: Using BPM to create asingle intuitive view of the customer, Prudential selectedPegasystems to bridge multiple, disparate systems, provide realtime case management, and implement a single intuitive userinterface for customer service representatives.
• PURE (Privilege Underwriters ReciprocalExchange): PURE Developed and implemented a workflowautomation process into their existing OneShield Dragon policyadministration system that allows agents and members to definetheir preferences and service them according to thosepreferences.
• QBE: Leveraging a geographic risk assessmenttool to manage portfolio exposures, QBE developed an underwritingand actuarial tool called RAPTOR (Risk Acceptance Pricing Tool forOptimum Rate). In 2010, QBE integrated an external component calledMapflow into RAPTOR. Mapflow is a geographic risk assessment toolwhich geolocates business property addresses, then tags theassociated risk from flooding, subsidence, and commercialburglary.
• Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co.,Ltd.: Tokio Marine & Nichido and telecom company NTTDocomo teamed up to launch insurance products named One-TimeInsurance, a series of short-term and small amount policies whichcan be purchased anytime and anywhere via mobile phones..
• Torus Insurance: Torus developed ESCAPE(Excess Casualty Portal Entry) to build a broker portal thatrequired as little input as possible in order to quote and bind apolicy.
• Universal Insurance: Universal manages all oftheir claims operations electronically through their line ofbusiness application and their ECM solution, OnBase.
• Zurich:Zurich combined its understanding offleet insurance, operations, and risk engineering experience tocreate a service offering called Zurich Fleet Intelligence toprovide customers with user-friendly, onboard, driver-focusedtelematics technology that allows fleet operators to monitor andassess driver behavior.