Increases in claim severity and, more recently, frequency are responsible for a 7.4 percent annualized rate of increase in homeowners claims costs from 1997 to 2011, the Insurance Research Council says in a new study.

Oceanwide, a developer of cloud-based software solutions for the insurance industry, and Appulate, a provider of forms parsing and data bridging technology, announce a partnership in which Oceanwide will offer Appulate Uplink as an integrated component of Bridge, its multi-line policy administration and distribution product.

The highlight the suite as a platform for enabling business change and responsiveness, thereby helping insurers meet customer needs for improved value and experience, improved combined ratios through lower operational and claims cost, and better underwriting performance.

Lloyds says its 2012 half-year net income more than doubled compared to last year because of benign catastrophe activity, but the insurance market warned that loss events in the second half of the year could still weigh on year-end results.