Nationwide announced a partnership with Notion and its smart home monitoring technology to provide an added layer of protection to homes with connected devices. Powered by a multifunctional sensor and app, the Notion smart home monitoring system monitors the home for opening doors and windows, the sound of smoke/CO2 alarms and water leaks. If customers opt into the program, they can purchase the Notion Wi-Fi enabled smart home kit at a discounted rate and save on their homeowners’ insurance policy. Smart home is available in Alabama, Arizona and Illinois, with additional states to be added in the months ahead. Nationwide Private Client members across the country can also access smart home products where Nationwide Private Client is available.
Country Financial’s Client Service Center earned J.D. Power’s Customer Service certification for its property & casualty phone operations, passing an evaluation that included surveys of recent callers to measure their satisfaction, and a multi-day audit of the Illinois and Georgia contact center operations. In a statement congratulating Country Financial, Mark Miller, practice leader, customer service advisory at J.D. Power said, “The evaluation their team was required to go through demonstrated that they have the practices in place to sustain the high standard of customer experience that every aspiring certified organization must achieve, which makes this particular certification very tough to earn.”
Ironshore, a Liberty Mutual company, announced the realignment of its wholesale distribution platform, an effort the company says is intended to meet the needs of the wholesale brokerage market. Ironshore says it will have dedicated wholesale underwriting resources nationwide for its core specialty businesses of property, casualty, environmental, health and professional lines, as well as additional regional distribution resources. The wholesale distribution team will operate in three regions with assigned executive heads based in respective Liberty Mutual offices: Jessica Ferguson, Wholesale Branch Executive East, Boston; Tara Houvenagle, Wholesale Branch Executive Central, St. Louis; and Eric Guinan, Wholesale Branch Executive West, Los Angeles.
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Oakbrook, Illinois-based Affiliated Benefit Consultants, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1986, Affiliated Benefit Consultants offers a full suite of benefits consulting services to clients throughout the United States. John Araujo and his associates will continue to operate in their current location under the direction of Tom Lannen, head of Gallagher’s Great Lakes region employee benefits consulting and brokerage operations.
Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings (R&Q) has acquired Montana captive insurer Vigneron Insurance Company, Inc. (VICI) from a wholly-owned private investment holding company. VICI underwrites deductible reimbursement policies to cover the obligations under insurance policies taken out by affiliated entities. R&Q intends to merge VICI into R&Q’s Vermont captive consolidator insurer, ICDC Ltd., subject to regulatory approval.
Semsee, an automated small commercial quoting solution for agents, has added workers’ compensation insurance to its platform, available in all 50 states. Semsee says the addition of workers’ compensation is part of its strategy to leverage technology to enable independent agents to grow and expand their small commercial insurance business. The platform enables agents to quote new workers’ comp policies and renewals in real-time, providing multiple quotes for their clients. Agents can submit data to multiple carriers at once, eliminating re-keying and enabling them to spend more time consulting on the best options for their clients’ needs.