(Vertafore CEO Amy Zupon on stage at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Source: Vertafore.) At this year’s Vertafore Accelerate user conference/NetVu Community gathering earlier this month at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, CEO Amy Zupon’s keynote address emphasized the company’s record investment in its products and focused on three key trends: the imperative of cybersecurity, the need to focus on data quality, and the opportunities and hazards of artificial intelligence in general, and Generative AI in particular. Zupon, who was appointed CEO in 2016 as p ..read more

(Image source: iPipeline website.) iPipeline (Exton, Pa.), a provider of digital solutions for the life insurance and wealth management industries, has announced the appointment of Adam Boone as Chief Financial Officer, tasked with leading the financial management activities for its growing global business. Boone will play a critical role in advancing the company’s strategic operating initiatives, including spearheading plans for sustained financial growth, according to an iPipeline statement. Pat O’Donnell, CEO, iPipeline. Boone has nearly 20 years of experience building and managing global ..read more

(Image source: Pexels.) Bold Penguin (Columbus, Ohio), an integrated digital solution platform dedicated to simplifying commercial insurance, has announced a collaboration with Salesforce (San Francisco), launching Bold Penguin Terminal and SubmissionLink on Salesforce AppExchange, an enterprise marketplace for partner apps and experts. The new product will empower customers to streamline their commercial insurance quote and bind process, according to a Bold Penguin sttement. Founded in 2016, Bold Penguin’s integrated digital solution platform aims to simplify commercial insurance for carriers ..read more

(Image credit: Thirsty Turf Irrigation/Unsplash.) For many years, personal auto insurers have been using credit-based insurance scores as inputs to pricing algorithms. The insurers state that the resulting premiums are more accurate, and are thus more fair, than premiums calculated without insurance scores. In 2007 the FTC agreed. Nonetheless, there is something very puzzling about the use of insurance scores in auto pricing algorithms, namely the lack of any obvious or intuitive relationship between On the one hand, having a good credit-based insurance score And on the other hand, and h ..read more

(Image source: Gallery Zacke.) OneShield (Marlborough, Mass.), a major provider of insurance technology solutions, as announced a partnership with One Inc (Folsom, Calif.), a provider of digital payment solutions and a large payment network to the insurance industry. One Inc’s payment products integrations will now be accessible through OneShield’s customer-facing marketplace of products. This will empower insurance carriers to harness more solutions, enhance capabilities and provide added value to their policyholders, according to a OneShield statement. Cameron Parker, CEO, OneShield. OneSh ..read more

(Image source: SageSure homepage.) SageSure (Jersey City, N.J.), one of the largest managing general underwriters focused on catastrophe-exposed markets, and SureChoice Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (SURE, Houston), a policyholder-owned reciprocal exchange, have announced the close of the Gateway Re 2024-2 second and subsequent event catastrophe bond at $130 million, with pricing 75 bps tighter than the mid-point of the initial price guidance. With this latest transaction, SageSure-supported catastrophe bonds issued by Gateway Re represent $1.16 billion in risk capital, according to a state ..read more

(Image source: Flow Specialty homepage.) Flow Specialty, the rebranded entity of the former Capitola Insurance, has launched with the stated intention of setting a new standard in the specialty wholesale insurance market. The wholesale brokerage has appointed David Derigiotis President of Brokerage and Head of Insurance and has introduced new capabilities. Through the use of advanced AI, Flow Specialty says it offers faster quotes, transparent communication, and reduced costs, providing unmatched service and access to premier markets. Sivan Iram, CEO, Flow Specialty. Flow Specialty founded i ..read more

(Image source: Tokio Marine HCC homepage.) Tokio Marine HCC, a specialty insurance group within Tokio Marine Group (Tokyo) with offices in the U.S., Mexico, the U.K. and Continental Europe, has selected Akur8’s (Paris) Core Platform solution to fuel innovation by building high-performing pricing models, producing analytics and reporting with ease for powerful insights, and facilitating knowledge sharing across entities, according to a statement from Akur8. Tokio Marine HCC underwrites more than 100 classes of specialty insurance in over 180 countries. Through this agreement, Akur8 continues to ..read more

(Image source: Universal Shield Insurance Group.) Universal Shield Insurance Group, a multi-line admitted and non-admitted commercial lines property/casualty insurance holding company with primary offices in Waterford, Michigan and Columbus, Ohio, has introduced Bond Ramp, a proprietary B2B Surety Bond Distribution System. The company characterizes the new platform as bringing a modern and efficient approach for insurance and surety producers, with limited and extensive surety books, to underwrite and instantly place bonds for the many professions that require bonds. A Universal Shield stateme ..read more

(Image source: Swiss Re.) Swiss Re (Zurich) has launched an augmented version of its Life & Health underwriting manual Life Guide. The new version comes equipped with Swiss Re Life Guide Scout, a Generative AI-powered underwriting assistant, developed by Swiss Re, that integrates Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. Swiss Re Life Guide Scout aims to help increase the efficiency and quality of underwriting by generating answers rapidly compiled from curated expert knowledge in response to questions asked by the underwriter in natural language, according to a Swiss Re statement. Swiss Re Life Gui ..read more