Twenty-four property and casualty-related companies make anappearance in the 2013 InformationWeek500, which ranks the nation's most innovative users ofbusiness technology across multiple industries.

InformationWeek also ranks the Top 250 from itslist, and eight of the P&C-related companies make an appearancethere.

Chris Murphy, editor of InformationWeek, tells PC360 inan email that P&C-related companies consistently do well in therankings. “This year we see a lot of innovation around mobile-appdevelopment to build new tools for customers and employees,” hesays. “And we see creative uses of analytics software to understandthe mountains of data their businesses generate and to wring morevalue out of that data.”

In a statement, Rob Preston, InformationWeekeditor-in-chief, says, “The theme of this year'sInformationWeek 500 is digital business. It's a movement,rooted in data analytics, mobile computing, social networking andother customerfocused technologies that are turning companies andindustries on their ear. Every enterprise is now a digitalbusiness—or needs to become one fast. The companies in our rankingare leading the way.”

Click “next” to see the eight P&C-related companies in theTop 250, and for a list of the remaining 16 companies in theInformationWeek 500. Click here to seeInformationWeek's coverage of its top 500 techinnovators.

CUNA Mutual Group

Ranking in InformationWeek's Top 250:19

CUNA Mutual Group, through its subsidiaries, providesP&C, life and health and other financial products andservices to credit unions and their members. It was thehighest ranked insurance-related company inInformationWeek's Top 250 across both the P&C and lifeand health sectors.

While CUNA Mutual Group offers P&C products, it was itsmobile annuity planning application, Retirement Radar, thatearned honors for the ranking, according to the company.

The company says this is the 11th year it has beennamed to the InformationWeek 500 and the second time ithas been ranked in the Top 20. Last year, CUNA Mutual Groupranked 75th in the Top 250.

Rick Roy, CUNA Mutual Group senior vice president and chiefinformation officer, says in a statement, “As a company, we arevery focused on developing mobile products and services that notonly deliver the best customer experience for credit union members,but also strengthen market share for credit unions.” He adds,“Applications like Retirement Radar help engage members in thecomplex process of retirement planning.”

Esurance Insurance Services, Inc.

Ranking in InformationWeek's Top 250:28

Esurance, acquired by Allstate in 2011, offers auto insurance and otherpersonal-lines coverages direct and online in 39 states.

This year represents Esurance's third straight appearance in theInformationWeek 500. Last year, Esurance was ranked186th.

An Esurance statement sent via email says, “Esurance madethe InformationWeek 500 because of our continuedinnovation in mobile. Our aim is to provide consumers with usefulonline tools and technology help make the insurance process fasterand easier, and this year we began rolling out new time-savingfeatures on the Esurance mobile app that help us accomplish thosegoals.

“The Esurance mobile app now has a feature that does datapre-fill for vehicle VINs and prior insurance information to helpcustomers get a personalized insurance quote faster. We also addeda claims function that allows customers to upload pictures of theircar damage via their smart phone and have their claim settled more easily. These are the types of leadershipinnovations in mobile that have helped Esurance go from186^th on the InformationWeek 500 to28^th in just one year.”

The Progressive Group of Insurance Cos.

Ranking in InformationWeek's Top 250:29

Progressive, the fourth-largest auto-insurance group bycountrywide premium according to National Association of InsuranceCommissioners data, offers a variety of personal-linescoverages.

Last year, Progressive ranked 36th in InformationWeek'sTop 250.

A Progressive statement sent via email credits the company'sstrides in usage-based insurance for its ranking this year. Thestatement says, “With more than 8 billion miles of drivingdata collected with our usage-based insurance program, Snapshot, weundertook the big data challenge of creating the infrastructurethat allows all consumers, not just Progressive customers, theopportunity to test drive Snapshot, with a no-obligation trial.

“Being named to the InformationWeek 500 for the14^th consecutive year is a testament to Progressive'sleadership in usage-based insurance through our collaborativeculture of innovation and data analysis.”

USI Insurance Services LLC

Ranking in InformationWeek's Top 250:100

USI is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm specializingin P&C and employee benefits products. Last year, USIwas in the InformationWeek 500, but did not crack the Top250. According to USI's website, this is the brokerage's thirdstraight year in the InformationWeek 500.

Stewart Gibson, USI's senior vice president and chiefinformation officer, says in a statement, “We are extremely honoredto have ranked 100 in this year's InformationWeek 500ranking. Being selected to be in the top 100 is an extraordinarytestament to USI's commitment to enhancing our technologicalresources through innovation and investment.” He adds, “We haveresponded to the increasing digital demands of our clients andemployees by constantly looking for ways to improve how we interactand communicate.”

Allstate Insurance Co.

Ranking in InformationWeek's Top 250:151

Allstate is the third-largest P&C insurance groupby net-premium written according to SNL Financial.

Last year, Allstate ranked 11th in the InformationWeekTop 250.

Allstate spokesman Kevin Smith says, “Making the InformationWeek 'Top 250 Innovators' list is about using technology to movethe business forward. At Allstate, we are committed to findinginnovative ways to serve our customers and ouragents.”

FCCI Insurance Group

Ranking in InformationWeek's Top 250:170

FCCI offers commercial P&C products through anindependent-agency network. Last year, the company was included inthe InformationWeek 500, but did not appear in the Top250.

An FCCI statement sent via email says the company was recognizedin the rankings for developing its Automation of Claims Conversion,“an initiative that transitions claims processes onto a singlesystem with little manual intervention, thereby gaining newefficiencies and eliminating legacy systems.”

Paul Ayoub, FCCI's senior vice president and chief informationofficer, says in the statement, “At FCCI, we strive to usetechnology to solve business challenges and position our companyfor continued success in meeting and exceeding our customers'expectations. We do this through creating innovative solutionswherever possible, so this recognition is a great honor.”

Acuity, A Mutual Insurance Co.

Ranking in InformationWeek's Top 250:195

Acuity is a provider of personal- and commercial-lines insuranceproducts, and was the 65th largest P&C insurance group bynet-premiums written according to the latest NU rankings.

Last year, Acuity ranked 56th in the InformationWeekTop 250, and Acuity says this is the 10th straight year it hasmade the InformationWeek 500.

Acuity says in a statement it was recognized this year for itsACUITY FLEX (FiLe EXchange) solution, which “allows amobile Acuity employee to create digital content of a loss orrisk, tag it with a policy or claim number, and automaticallyupload it to the insurer's content management system.”

Neal Ruffalo, Acuity vice president, Enterprise Technology, saysin the statement, “We rely on our mobile staff to gatherinformation, such as pictures and multimedia, during loss controlsurveys, claims investigations, and other processes.”

He adds, “FLEX allows us to reduce the time it takes to gatherand transmit information in those processes from hours to minutes,which puts information in the hands of decision-makers faster andenhances our service to policyholders and agents.”

Lockton Inc.

Ranking in InformationWeek's top 250:207

Lockton, a privately owned independent brokerage firm, providesinsurance, employee benefits and risk-mangement services to clientsaround the world.

Last year, Lockton appeared in the InformationWeek 500,but did not crack the Top 250.

David Robinson, CIO at Lockton, discussed the project thatearned the brokerage recognition for the rankings,stating, “Lockton operates around the world with thousands ofpeople on the go all the time, delivering results for clients. Sothis 'virtual desktop' project supports our cloud strategy and ourclient service strategy, allowing thousands of associates accessto their personal desktop and applications with any devicefrom anywhere at any time. This Cirrus mobile desktop project hasincreased mobility for our people and put information into theirhands wherever they are.”

P&C-related companies in the InformationWeek500, but not listed in the Top 250:

Access Insurance Co.

AIG

Alliant Insurance Services Inc.

American Safety Insurance Holdings Ltd.

Aon PLC

The Chubb Corp.

The Cincinnati Insurance Cos.

Crawford & Co.

Employers Holdings Inc.

Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance

Marsh Inc.

Mercury Insurance Group

Nationwide Insurance

Stewart Information Services Corp.

Transatlantic Holdings Inc.

P&C-related companies in last year's rankings not includedthis year:

AAA Mid-Atlantic

New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co.

USAA

P&C-related companies in this year's rankings not includedlast year:

AIG

Stewart Information Services Corp.