AMS Services, a software solutions company for the insuranceindustry, announced a strategic alliance agreement withChoicePoint, a provider of insurance-related quoting andunderwriting data. AMS also announced the acquisition of PRIORITYData Systems, Inc., which offers comparative rating solutions tothe independent insurance agency market. These two moves expand thepresence of AMS to 48 states. "ChoicePoint is very confident thispartnership with AMS Services will be beneficial for both agentsand carriers," says Jeffrey Glazer, senior vice president ofChoicePoint's insurance services group. AMS and ChoicePoint areforming a partnership to supply insurance agents with moreefficient processes for quoting, rating, and submission of newbusiness. As part of the partnership, AMS Services will deliverintegrated access to ChoicePoint data products including credit,CLUE, and motor vehicle reports to streamline the quoting processand enable agents to respond to new business opportunities. As aresult of the strategic alliance, AMS customers will have access tocomprehensive data through simplified workflows and will benefitfrom more accurate quoting. This will allow agents to respond totheir customers quickly and capture new business opportunities.

"The combination of the ChoicePoint alliance and the acquisitionof PRIORITY Data Systems will increase productivity and providebroad, real-time carrier connectivity for AMS Services' customersand prospects," says Euan Menzies, president and CEO of AMSServices. "The work we are doing is proof of our strong beliefmultiple-carrier rating is an essential ingredient in the successof the independent insurance agent."