XML-based systems can all talk to one another seamlessly. When is a standard not a standard? When its actually a standard for setting standards. Got that? Vendors love to tout their use of XML, but only recently are they moving to full support of the ACORD standards. So many times the companies that tout their use of XML will tell you, when pressed, that its actually a bunch of proprietary tags. They still have to map their data to your other systems, and down the line, when everyone is using ACORDs XMLwell, can you say massive recoding effort?

Expert systems, smart data warehouses, and artificial intelligence will never replace underwriters. Underwriters insist that theres more to their job than math and probability. Theres an element of, well, art, that comes from experience. But how long is it before people begin to realize that the only reason its an art is for lack of data? Art is just a fancy way of saying educated guess. With better data and better systems to examine it, carriers will be able to turn the art into a more exact science and save their human underwriters for the rare exception.

People really will demand 24/7 access to their insurance accounts through their PDAs. Being able to see your checking account balance is one thing. But access to their insurance policies? Pu-leeze. Can you picture it? Youre hiking through the woods. Suddenly you think, Mon deux! Does my homeowners policy cover damage by squirrels? Are they rodents? Desperately, you whip out your PDA only to find your carrier doesnt offer WAP access to your account. Oh, the humanity!

SUVs really are safer than cars. In front- and rear-end collisions at slow speeds, they sure are. But when theyre moving fasterlike on the highwayor if theyre hit from the side, the tendency to roll over ends up canceling the advantage of size and weight. So statistically, its a wash. (Having rolled down a hill in my RAV4, I speak from experience.) Oh yeah, and they have longer stopping distances, theyre less maneuverable, and they handle poorly in an emergency. Are you listening, State Farm?

Five Other Lies

• CE is usefulnay, criticalto agents. Its not just another way for the states to make money.
• Any company that calls itself leading” is actually leading something.
• Reinsurers in Bermuda will have all the money they need in the event of a disaster.
• Theres a future for carriers call-center reps.
• Insurance is not a commodity.

Quick Take:

Tell Us Something We Dont Know

According to a pioneering study of driver attitude from RightFind Technology (the release was titled Bad Drivers Have Characteristic Attitudes), drivers who have a lot of accidents and tickets are impatient, aggressive, distracted and oblivious, feel entitled, and blame their problems on other drivers.

The study focused on a group of drivers with a remarkable record for highway mayhem from communities in metropolitan Boston.