Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Beacon Mutual’s New CEO Spero: ‘We’re Within an Hour of Every Policyholder’
Aug 21 2017 // The board of directors of Beacon Mutual Insurance Company, a Warwick, R.I.-based workers’ compensation carrier, has elected Brian Spero as president and CEO of the company, effective in July. Beacon’s board...
101 Sales, Marketing & Agency Management Ideas
Aug 21 2017 // 1. Dare to Break the Mold. We tend to hit a sweet spot of what works for us in agency management and stay there, focusing on the “sexier” sales side of the business. It’s fine to keep what works, but...
A Response to Some Insurtech Claims
Aug 16 2017 // There’s a popular word this year that I’m really tired of. It may not be bothering you so much, but I’ve read it so much that it’s become this year’s “it is what it is” for...
Taiwan Power Outages Disrupt Some Semiconductor Manufacturing
Aug 16 2017 // A blackout caused by a blunder at Taiwan’s biggest gas-fired plant is the latest challenge to an electricity grid recently pushed to its limit and to President Tsai Ing-wen’s efforts to reshape the...
New York’s Wellthie Hires Keise as Chief Technology Officer
Aug 15 2017 // Wellthie, a New York, N.Y.-based insurance technology company offering broker and comparison shopping tools for small businesses and individuals, has hired D. Orlando Keise to serve as its chief technology...
Tesla Developing Self-Driving Long Haul, Electric Truck
Aug 15 2017 // Tesla Inc. is developing a long-haul, electric semi-truck that can drive itself and move in “platoons” that automatically follow a lead vehicle, and is getting closer to testing a prototype, according to an...
Why and How P/C Insurance Carriers Should Work with Insurtechs
Aug 15 2017 // Startup insurtechs need partnerships more than they need money from insurance carriers, according to one leading venture capitalist actively funding insurance technology firms. Venture firm XL Innovate’s Martha...
Ohio Mutual Offering Premium Discounts with Cellcontrol Drive ID Technology Use
Aug 14 2017 // Cellcontrol and Ohio Mutual Insurance, based in Bucyrus, Ohio, are partnering on a program to reduce distracted driving by offering a 10 percent discount on auto policy premiums when insureds use Cellcontrol’s...
Driver-Assist Technology Could Lead to Deteriorating Driver Skills, Researchers Say
Aug 11 2017 // If a car can hit the brakes in an emergency and check blind spots, will that make worse drivers? Increasingly, automakers are worrying it may. Driver-assist technology that keeps cars in their lanes, maintains a safe...
Global Insurance M&A in H1 Drops to Lowest Point in 2 Years: Clyde & Co.
Aug 10 2017 // The volume of completed mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the global insurance industry continued dropping during the first six months of 2017 to 170 deals, compared to 186 deals reported for the second half of 2016,...
Alternative to Insurtech or Legacy Tech for Small Commercial: Introducing QBE, Arrowhead Partnership
Aug 10 2017 // When it was announced in June that San Diego, Calif.-based Arrowhead General Insurance Agency Inc. was selected as the program administrator for QBE North America‘s small commercial insurance portfolio, it...
Autonomous Car Makers Seek Investment, Risk Sharing Alliances
Aug 9 2017 // BMW and Daimler, the world’s top luxury carmakers, have announced alliances with suppliers, talking up the virtues of having a bigger pool of engineers to develop a self-driving car. But another motive behind these...
Cyber Attacks Against Ships’ GPS Systems Prompts Return of Radio as Backup
Aug 7 2017 // The risk of cyber attacks targeting ships’ satellite navigation is pushing nations to delve back through history and develop back-up systems with roots in World War Two radio technology. Ships use GPS (Global...
Insurtech Funding Jumps to $1B: Willis Towers Watson/CB Insights Report
Aug 7 2017 // Insurtech funding volume hovered close to $1 billion in the 2017 second quarter, a result nearly 150 percent larger than the same period a year ago, according to a quarterly report on the sector from Willis Towers Watson...
Beacon Mutual’s New CEO Spero: ‘We’re Within an Hour of Every Policyholder’
Aug 4 2017 // The board of directors of Beacon Mutual Insurance Company, a Warwick, R.I.-based workers’ compensation carrier, has elected Brian Spero as president and CEO of the company, effective in July. Beacon’s board...
SoftBank Invests in Online Startup Lender Kabbage (Which Might Sell Insurance)
Aug 3 2017 // SoftBank Group Corp. has plowed $250 million into online lender Kabbage Inc., the latest in a flurry of big bets on mature startups by the Japanese technology company. Kabbage will use the new money to expand its lending...
Compare.com Is Proof Insurance Disruption Won’t Happen Overnight: CEO Rose
Aug 2 2017 // Disrupting an industry that has been doing things the same way for a generation takes time. Take it from one major insurance disruptor – compare.com. The online insurance comparison marketplace launched in the U.S. in...
Allianz, Insurtech Startup Flock to Launch Pay-As-You-Fly Drone Cover in UK
Jul 27 2017 // Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has partnered with insurtech startup Flock to launch on-demand drone insurance in the UK market through a mobile app for commercial and recreational users. To be available in...
New York State Set to Study Technology, Privacy of ‘Textalyzer’
Jul 27 2017 // New York state is set to study the use of a device known as the “textalyzer” that would allow police to determine whether a motorist involved in a serious crash was texting while driving. Democratic Gov. Andrew...
XL Catlin Enhances Cyber & Technology Coverage
Jul 27 2017 // XL Catlin has introduced CyberRiskConnect, a new policy form to address the expanding exposures of cyber and technology risks. According to John Coletti, chief underwriting officer for XL Catlin’s Cyber &...
