Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
‘Jeopardy’ Champ Watson Getting Own Division at IBM
Jan 10 2014 // International Business Machines Corp. is turning Watson, the technology that triumphed over human “Jeopardy!” contestants, into a separate division to help the computing-services giant return to growth. More...
Top 3 Trends for P/C Insurers: Deloitte
Jan 9 2014 // Property/casualty insurers should be thinking about transforming how they do business and how they can better deploy technology if they want to pursue long-term growth, according to the Deloitte Center for Financial...
Zurich Names Dickie Chief Operations and Technology Officer
Jan 8 2014 // Zurich Insurance Group has appointed Robert Dickie (54, British citizen) as Chief Operations and Technology Officer and a member of the Group Executive Committee (GEC), effective March 2014. He will be responsible for...
Cell Phone, Other Distractions Greater Threat to Teen Drivers
Jan 3 2014 // Teens may begin their driving habits with great caution but as months behind the wheel pass, they begin to multitask at higher frequency rates – dialing cell phones, eating, and talking to passengers – and therefore...
Lubbock Settles Woman’s Texas Tech Injury Claim For $80K
Dec 27 2013 // The city of Lubbock has agreed to pay $80,000 in a settlement with a woman injured when she stepped into a hole on her way out of a Texas Tech football game. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that the Lubbock City...
Agents Say Getting More Carriers to Offer ‘Real Time’ Is Among Top Tech Priorities
Dec 19 2013 // The industry should place its highest priority on “getting additional carriers to offer real-time capabilities,” according to a survey of insurance agency and brokerage professionals in the United States and...
NTSB: Technology Upgrade Likely Could Have Prevented N.Y. Train Derailment
Dec 12 2013 // Federal safety officials say a technology upgrade they’ve been recommending for years would probably have prevented the Dec. 1 train derailment that killed four people in New York. Metro-North derailment scene in...
AIG to Open $5.5M Tech Center, Bring 230 New Jobs to Charlotte, N.C.
Dec 11 2013 // North Carolina officials announced American International Group will invest more than $5.5 million to establish a technology center in Charlotte, N.C. With the new technology center, AIG plans to bring 230 new jobs to the...
Metro-North Crash Seen Thwarting Delay of Automatic Braking
Dec 4 2013 // The deadly train derailment in New York City may force railroads to install automatic brakes by 2015 and dash industry efforts to put off adding the technology by five years. The Metro-North Railroad wreck may persuade...
When Coverage Isn’t Enough: Managing Risk a Challenge for Insureds
Dec 2 2013 // Companies of all types and sizes are facing increased risks, but many are not putting adequate programs in place to manage those risks, according to a Zurich-sponsored study by Forbes Insights. As a result, companies are...
Applied Systems Acquired by Hellman & Friedman from Bain Capital for $1.8B
Nov 26 2013 // Applied Systems Inc., a leading insurance software provider, said it has agreed to be acquired by investment funds advised by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman LLC. The company is being acquired from the global...
Car Makers Offered Relaxed Regulation for Installing Ignition Lock Tied to Seat Belt Use
Nov 19 2013 // A U.S. regulator’s offer to relax auto safety rules for manufacturers that install technology to prevent drivers from starting a car unless seatbelts are fastened drew swift opposition from safety advocates. Cars...
Big ‘I’ 2013 Best Practices Study Finds Increases in Specializations, Profitability
Nov 15 2013 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) released its 2013 Best Practices Study which found an increase in agencies with specializations, expansion of technology...
PLUS Conference: Global Risks, Governance and Hypocrisy
Nov 5 2013 // America’s European allies are being hypocritical in their complaints about the U.S. spying on them because they all have their own surveillance programs, according to two former top officials in the Clinton...
Mayes Joins ANV to Lead New Technology E&O and Intangible Risk Team
Nov 5 2013 // Netherlands-based ANV Holdings BV announced that Phil Mayes will lead its new Technology E&O and Intangible Risk Underwriting team. He will be responsible for “building and running the new division which will...
Technology Spurs Industry, Government Modernization
Nov 4 2013 // Technological innovations are revolutionizing how businesses and consumers operate — prompting quick action from the insurance industry and the government to enable people to adopt and embrace this rapidly emerging...
Rusbuldt on McKinsey 5: Where Will Agents Really Be in 5 to 10 Years?
Nov 1 2013 // Bob Rusbuldt, president and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America – the Big “I”- takes issue with a McKinsey report that claims local independent agents will soon be extinct. In this...
Virginia High Court Reverses Verdict in Virginia Tech Shootings
Oct 31 2013 // Virginia Tech University couldn’t have foreseen the rampage of a lone gunman who initially shot two people to death and later killed 30 more, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled, reversing a wrongful death verdict...
Why McKinsey’s Prediction of Demise of Independent Agents Is ‘Dead Wrong’
Oct 28 2013 // A recent report from McKinsey & Co. had some bad news for local property/casualty insurance agents— many of them will be out of business within the next five to 10 years. McKinsey contends that “the economics...
Tech Risks Threaten Supply Chain More Than Weather: Guy Carpenter
Oct 21 2013 // Technology failure and cyber attacks represent a greater threat to most organizations than adverse weather, fire and social unrest combined, according to a new report by Guy Carpenter. The report, “Tomorrow Never...
