A recent Novarica study found that improvements in claim handling was the second-most frequently cited initiative amongst P&C carriers looking to create competitive advantage.

It's that time of year when the national psyche turns to ghoulish stories and things that go bump in the night.

It is generally agreed the risk of failure associated with core system legacy replacement has lessened in recent years.

Insurance carriers, particularly property/casualty companies, continue to invest vast amounts of money in the acquisition of new core insurance application systems and the subsequent replacement of aged and brittle legacy assets.

Most of the articles in the "Shop Talk" series are concerned with various aspects of acquiring and implementing third-party vendor software. In other words, these articles assume the build/buy decisio

Last year was an extraordinary time of stunning financial meltdown and the advent of political change. While the beginning of 2008 appeared rather positive and upbeat, by the end of the year we learne

As stated repeatedly in this column, one of the most important things a carrier can do in a software/vendor selection process is to create opportunities for the competitors to perform. Simply asking q

Being as how "Shop Talk" is about buying rather than building software, I thought it was time we talked about . . . buying software. There are a few simple but important questions that need to be cons