Around the P&C insurance industry: August 21, 2019
News from ISO, Guy Carpenter, the NAAIA, Envista Forensics and more.
ISO, a Verisk business and provider of advanced tools and analytics for the property & casualty insurance industry, and Intterra, a leading provider of software for fire departments across the United States, announced they have partnered with the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) to explore new ways of analyzing and understanding wildfire risk, bringing together experts in insurance, technology, and fire protection. Intterra has worked with the WFCA for several years to develop the Fire Data Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the use of data-driven decision making in the fire service. The addition of ISO will bring robust insurance data and risk analytics to the alliance to help generate new insights, representatives said.
According to Verisk estimates, more than 4.5 million U.S. properties are at high to extreme wildfire risk with dry, mountainous, and fuel-rich environments providing the perfect environment for fast-moving flames, Dr. Arindam Samanta, director of product management and innovation at Verisk said in a statement. Samanta added, “By working with the WFCA and Intterra, we’re helping to address this growing challenge together and use our combined expertise to foster innovation in wildfire risk management.”
Specialty Program Group (SPG), a New Jersey-based operator of specialty insurance brokerages and underwriting facilities, announced it has acquired the assets of The Mechanic Group, Inc. (TMG), a specialty insurance program manager. Established in 1989, TMG delivers risk management, insurance products and programs to the Security Guard, Private Investigation, Intelligence, Electronic Security, Alarm Installation, Central Station Monitoring and Security Consulting marketplace. Current leadership of TMG will continue to run all aspects of the operation and trade under The Mechanic Group brand. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Applied Net announced that author Walter Isaacson will be the featured keynote at Applied Net 2019. Isaacson is the author of several best-selling biographies, including “Steve Jobs,” and other biographies on Albert Einstein, Ben Franklin and Henry Kissinger. Applied Net says Isaacson’s keynote will focus on these innovative figures and their roles in driving the digital revolution from beginning to current day, and how these inventors and entrepreneurs took seemingly disruptive ideas and turned them into inspiring opportunities.
Earlier this year, the State of California enacted the 2019 Wildfire Safety and Accountability legislation, which included a broad set of forms and programs related to utility-caused wildfires in California, including the California Wildfire Fund. The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) was assigned as the interim administrator tasked with operating the fund, under the direction of CEA’s Governing Board.
This week, Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, a global risk and reinsurance specialist and a business of Marsh & McLennan Companies, announced it has been appointed as the sole reinsurance intermediary for the new California Wildfire Fund. Guy Carpenter will provide strategic reinsurance and advisory services to develop a risk transfer and reinsurance strategy for the California Wildfire Fund. Together, CEA and Guy Carpenter will work to increase the longevity of the California Wildfire Fund and enhance its claims-paying capacity, representatives said in a statement.
GuideOne Insurance announced it has established an alliance with Strategos International, a Kansas City-based organization that will bring training and consulting to its customers in all niches — churches, schools, nonprofits, senior living communities and small businesses — to help them best prepare for and react in an armed intruder situation. Through Strategos International, GuideOne customers will have access to a variety of training modules, from web-based to onsite, at a discounted rate. Training courses cover security principles, intruder awareness and response, and other security-related topics for churches, schools and businesses.
Envista Forensics, a global forensic engineering firm, announced the expansion of their cyber security services to include ransomware investigation and resolution. Envista’s services include: project management of the entire event from investigation to resolution and decryption; 24/7 emergency services to handle an incident or amount; verify validity of decryption key provided by the cybercriminal; provide cyber breach services, if needed, in conjunction with the ransomware event; and assist with data restoration.
In an effort to improve working conditions for gig workers, iPSE-U.S., a not-for-profit organization, and iWorker Innovations, a national insurance brokerage enablement platform, have formed a strategic partnership to drive independent worker advocacy initiatives. The partnership will focus on social impact and public-private partnerships that support portable benefit development and advocate for America’s independent workers, the organizations said in the announcement.
The shifts in the workforce and rapid growth of the gig economy in recent years has created gaps in insurance and benefit compensation packages that are typically provided by traditional employment-based organizations, the partners explain. iPSE-U.S. and iWorker Innovations say they hope to solve this problem by using advanced technologies that deliver portable benefit bundles and services.
The National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) will host its Annual Career Fair on Thursday, September 12, 2019, from 1:00 pm to 2:45 pm at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, in conjunction with its 2019 NAAIA National Conference & Empowerment Summit. Representatives from NAAIA’s corporate partners will be in attendance to discuss career opportunities at their companies. NAAIA’s mission is to increase the number of minority professionals in the insurance industry, and they invite all interested parties, from recent college graduates to experienced industry professionals, to attend the career fair and summit on Sept. 12. Register here.
Insurance Technologies Corporation (ITC), a provider of websites, marketing, comparative rating and management software and services, has acquired Smart Harbor, a provider of digital technology solutions to insurance agents. Owned by The Shipyard, a Columbus, Ohio-based digital marketing agency, Smart Harbor works with more than 1,000 independent insurance agencies providing technical and industry expertise to help them grow their businesses and retain clients through websites, smart forms, SEO, and data analytics capabilities. Through this acquisition, Smart Harbor clients will gain access to ITC’s array of marketing products and services, and in-turn, ITC’s clients will benefit from Smart Harbor’s services providing strategic marketing decisions for agencies.
Illinois-based insurance brokerage Assurance announced it has moved its headquarters down the street from 1750 East Golf Road to a new 75,000 square foot space at 20 North Martingale Road in Schaumburg, Illinois. The move was scheduled for August 12, 2019.
Renaissance Alliance Insurance Services announced two Miami-based independent insurance agencies have joined the Alliance: Gil & Associates Insurance Consultants, Inc. and The Madison Insurance & Financial Group Corporation. Founded in 1999, Renaissance Alliance is a membership alliance for independent agencies specialized in property and casualty insurance.
In an effort to promote sustainability and make operations more eco-friendly, California-based restoration contractor American Technologies, Inc. (ATI) announced it has collaborated with Benefect, a manufacturer of botanical antimicrobial cleaning products, to introduce environmentally safe, eco-friendly and sustainable cleaning products to all of ATI’s offices and job sites nationwide. ATI rolled out the Impact Cleaner, ATI Multi-Purpose Cleaner, ATI Atomic Degreaser and Decon 30 that are plant, not synthetic, based cleansers.