ONLINE RESEARCH

The Principal Financial Group has launched The Principal Research Center, an online hub for users seeking to access the companys primary research, commentary, and trend analysis. In addition to original research, the site houses expert analysis of trends impacting employers, employees, and institutional investors, along with educational resources and guides published by the financial services company.

The Principal continuously tracks and analyzes trends and issues that may impact the financial security of the individuals, intermediaries, businesses, and institutions we serve, says Mary OKeefe, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of The Principal Financial Group. We want to make this information easily accessible at one convenient Web site to any person or organization [seeking] to stay on top of the latest thinking and data about the economy, employee benefits, retirement, health care, and more.

The resources now available on the site, located at www.principal.com/principalresearch, include:

2004 Employee Benefit Research Institutes Health Confidence Survey Commentary and executive summary findings of the seventh annual survey.

The Principal Financial Well-Being IndexResults from third-quarter 2004. This quarterly study identifies trends in consumer financial well-being, retirement planning, employee benefits, and the workplace.

The Principal Global Financial Well-Being StudyConducted by Roper ASW, this comprehensive study compares the retirement confidence, organized saving, employee benefit coverage, and benefit programs of employees in 12 countries: India, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the U.S.

Understanding and Managing Fid-uciary ResponsibilityThis fiduciary guide is designed to help employers and their advisers understand the complex rules governing qualified retirement plans.

Innovation at Work: A Guide to Best Practices in Employee BenefitsBased on the benefits strategies from The Principal 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security, this interactive guide supplies insights into what some of the nations leading growing businesses are doing to attract and retain top talent.

In addition, the site offers commentaries and newsletters about a range of topics from current economic analysis to investing in various asset classes. There also is a white-paper library, which addresses a variety of retirement- and investment-related topics. The Principal Research Center is updated regularly to ensure information remains timely.

VIRTUAL TRAINING

UnumProvident Supplies Training Program for Brokers

UnumProvident is providing a free virtual training academy for brokers who sell the carriers individual income protection and long-term-care insurance products. The Web-based learning sessions are designed to outline the features and strengths of the UnumProvident products, suggest tips for initiating sales and completing applications, and explain underwriting requirements. Accessible through a toll-free phone line and the Internet, the training sessions have attracted nearly 800 participants since the carrier first began offering them in early 2004.

These online workshops were created as a response to brokers requests for regular, convenient learning opportunities, says Rhonda Lindsay-Muller, vice president of customer services for UnumProvident. Support for this program to date has been outstanding.

UnumProvident sales partners receive a schedule and registration information in advance of each months courses. Brokers can choose from product overview sessions or sessions that are focused on processes such as application completion and underwriting.

The virtual training academy is the latest addition to UnumProvidents service of the individual and multi-life market through its enhanced sales program. The program has helped UnumProvident maintain its success in individual sales, according to Lindsay-Muller, with more than $63 million in new premium.

AGENT PORTAL

Travelers Adds Auto Underwriting Reports to Corporate Web Site

Travelers, a member of St. Paul Travelers, has made it easier for personal lines independent agents to do business with the carrier by integrating the ordering of auto underwriting reports into its Agent HQ Web site. For auto quoting, agents now can request insurance score, claim history (CLUE), and motor vehicle record (MVR) reports within ATLAS3, the Travelers Internet-based automation system that provides real-time policy quoting and issuing.

Currently available in most states, this enhancement enables the online data to prefill information automatically into the ATLAS3 screens, allowing agents to quote and issue automobile policies with fewer keystrokes.

We are pleased to provide agents with this latest improvement to the ATLAS3 system because it makes placing business with Travelers simpler and more efficient, says Richard Cuozzo, second vice president of operations for Travelers Personal Lines.

Within two weeks of our first phase of the rollout, the feedback from agents has been overwhelmingly positive, and our new online training tools make it easier to learn how to use the new report-ordering feature.

Travelers offers a wide range of electronic services, including real-time policy quoting and issuing, download capabilities, and electronic policy view.

WHOS USING WHAT

Zurich Life, a provider of life insurance and financial services, is using Peregrine Systems Service Center to consolidate its disparate group of help desks, which will accelerate IT responsiveness and value across the organization and improve the overall quality of customer service. Zurich Life also has joined with E-Z Data, Inc., which offers front-office systems for insurance companies, and its community of DataXchange Online users. Data-Xchange is E-Z Datas data aggregation solution for the insurance brokerage industry.

Employers Direct Insurance Company (EDIC), a specialty California workers compensation insurance carrier, and Guidewire Software, a supplier of solutions to property and casualty and workers compensation insurers, announced EDIC has selected Guidewire ClaimCenter as its new claims system. ClaimCenter will support the end-to-end workers compensation claims-handling process for the entire claims organization.

Horace Mann Educators Corporation has chosen Sprint to deliver data and wireline services to the carriers home office as well as six regional claims offices throughout the U.S. In addition, this deal provides Sprint the opportunity to become a major source of wireless services to Horace Mann in the future.

The primary claims group of AIG Domestic Claims, a division of the AIG Companies, has launched IntelliRisks NetSource 6.0, an enhanced version of the Web-based claims analysis and inquiry system. Version 6.0 features the integration of a new reporting tool that will make it easier to run standard and custom reports.

Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA) has licensed Agility:Insurance from G2X, Inc., which offers Web-based sales force automation solutions to the life insurance industry. G2X will deliver Agility:Insurance and Agility:Marketing to help MMA serve its community of members more effectively. Mennonite Mutual Aid also has licensed Genelco GroupWeb, a Web portal for accessing eligibility, coverages, benefits, and claims for individual and group health insurance customers.

GEICO, the fifth-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States, has opted for CGI Group Inc. to implement Ratabase, its insurance rating solution. Ratabase will be integrated into GEICOs applications and used to rate personal automobile insurance in 49 states and the District of Columbia.

Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, a supplemental insurance carrier, will deploy from QlikTech Inc. the business intelligence and performance management software QlikView to several thousand independent agents as well as to internal business analysts for sales, customer satisfaction, and financial analysis and reporting.

Markel Insurance Company has teamed up with IntelliCorp Records, Inc., to equip camps, childcare centers, private schools, and social service agencies with accurate and thorough criminal background checks of all employees and volunteers. Markel customers will be able to perform checks on prospective employees and volunteers through the IntelliCorp Web site. IntelliCorp, a unit of ISO, offers an online searchable database of more than 230 million records from federal, state, local, and private sources.

Meadowbrook Insurance Group, a provider of alternative risk solutions, has implemented a business process management solution from Adeptia Inc. The Adeptia business process in-tegration server allows Meadowbrook to set up automated data exchange with its business partners.

Property/casualty insurer Firemans Fund Insurance Company has begun to install Webify Solutions service-oriented business applications. The solution enables process and transaction integration among diverse business systems within Firemans Fund while making available the right information to agents through both portal and direct machine connections.

The Patrons Group has tapped Duck Creek Technologys Example Platform to speed up the introduction of agency submission of new business via the Internet. The platform also allows non-IT staff to maintain product rates and rules. The first line of business planned for automation is BOP with additional commercial and personal lines products to follow.

Special Reports /

The Principal Offers Web-based Financial Research Center

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