INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Headlines Only Edition" for: Thursday, 11/16/06

[acinatech@yahoo.com]

INSURANCE NEWSCAST can be read online at www.insurancebroadcasting.com

INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Headlines Only Edition" for: Thursday, 11/16/06  

Here is a quick look at the stories that will be in Thursday's INSURANCE NEWSCAST.

 

1) Penn National Gaming Mulls Cutting U.S. Gulf Insurance - LAS VEGAS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Penn National Gaming Inc. (PENN.O: Quote, Profile, Research), the third-largest U.S. gambling company, is considering going without property insurance at its U.S. Gulf Coast properties as costs soar in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, its chief financial officer said on Tuesday.

 

2) Many Business Leaders Do Not Trust Their Own Companies to Secure or Manage Sensitive Information, First-of-Its-Kind International Survey Shows - Unisys Trusted Enterprise Index Reveals Major Gaps in Maintenance of Security and Privacy;  -- IT and Business Leaders Disagree on Top Attributes for Building and Eroding Trust; -- Most and Least Trusted Industries Identified

 

3) Health Insurance Should Be Personal, Portable; NCPA President Calls for Action With Analysis of Reform Models - DALLAS, Nov. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Health insurance in the U.S. should be personal and portable, according to John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA). Goodman's article, appearing today in the November/December edition of Health Affairs, calls for a switch from employer-based health insurance to a system of personal and portable insurance, based on the individual.

 

4) Pelosi: Nation Needs a Healthy Debate on How to Lower the Number of Uninsured Americans - Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both of the Office of Nancy Pelosi  -- WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on America's Health Insurance Plans' (AHIP) proposal to extend health insurance to all Americans:

 

5) Consumer Advocates Praise HMO Regulator for Pledging to Push for New Rules in Response to Group's Petition; Say 'Devil's in the Details' - SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In response to mounting criticism over illegal cancelations of health insurance policies, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) filed a petition with state regulators calling for new rules to make it harder for insurers to cancel coverage when patients get sick. California's top HMO regulator, the Department of Managed Health Care, responded to FTCR's petition by saying that it would pursue new regulations, a process which includes a requirement for public hearings, but did not provide details of the proposal.

 

6) Smokers should pay more health insurance: poll - Wed Nov 15, 2006 1:07pm ET By Kim Dixon -- CHICAGO (Reuters) - Most Americans believe smokers should pay more for health insurance, but they have mixed views on how to help the millions without any health insurance, according to a survey published on Tuesday.

 

7) INSURANCE NEWSLINK Articles - Recent articles added to INSURANCE NEWSLINK, the worldwide, strategic concise intelligence database of over 27,000 articles including interviews, uniquely analysed by company, market, research, regulatory, and IT topics. Please click here for a content overview and a 15-day free review.

 

8) NAIC PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS GLOBAL SOLVENCY, PRINCIPLES-BASED SUPERVISION IN KEYNOTE SPEECH  - Alessandro Iuppa Delivers Featured Address at 2006 CEIOPS Conference   -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 14, 2006) ? National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) President and Maine Insurance Superintendent Alessandro Iuppa delivered a keynote speech today as part of the 2006 Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (CEIOPS) Conference in Frankfurt, Germany.

 

9) AmerUs Group Completes Aviva Merger  - DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AmerUs Group Co., a leading producer of life insurance and annuity products, today announced its merger with Aviva plc has been completed effective today. Shareholders of AmerUs Group will receive $69 in cash for each share of AmerUs Group common stock. AmerUs Group common stock will not be open for trading today on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and is being delisted from the NYSE.

 

10) CRM Holdings, Ltd. Announces the Closing of Its Acquisition of Embarcadero Insurance  - HAMILTON, Bermuda, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CRM Holdings, Ltd. ("CRM" or "the Company") (Nasdaq: CRMH), a leading provider of fee-based management and other services for workers' compensation self-insured groups in New York and California, announced today that, following the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of all conditions contained in the stock purchase agreement between the Company and the shareholders of Embarcadero Insurance Holdings, Inc. ("EIH" or "Embarcadero"), the Company has completed the acquisition of Embarcadero.

 

11) The Hartford Expands its Real Estate Insurance Program to Commercial Property Owners and Managers - New coverage options and services available for the commercial real estate market  -- HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The commercial real estate market is enjoying its most profitable year since 2001, spurred by a growing economy and lower unemployment. In many locations across the country, the industrial and office property sectors of the market have seen fewer vacancies, higher rental rates, and record amounts of capital flowing in from institutional investors.

 

12) Research and Markets: Unumprovident (Unum) Is The No.1 Disability Insurance Provider In The US -  DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c45353) has announced the addition of ?UnumProvident Corp: Competitive Benchmarking Report? to their offering.

 

13) Don't Get Soaked Purchasing a Flood-Damaged Car  - Major Flooding Throughout Western Washington Leaves Car Buyers Vulnerable  -- SEATTLE, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- As Western Washington residents brace for another spate of storm-induced flooding, one of Washington's largest auto insurers is warning of another form of saturation that could cost consumers -- a wave of used cars on the market with hidden water damage caused by flooding.

 

14) LexisNexis® Risk & Information Analytics Group Enhances Capabilities of Health Care Fraud-Fighting Tool  - Training Scheduled at NHCAA?s Annual Conference  -- BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LexisNexis® Risk & Information Analytics Group announced today that it has expanded the capabilities of the Special Investigation Resource and Intelligence System (SIRIS) application, a health care information-sharing tool designed to enhance the industry?s ability to combat health care abuse and fraud..

 

15) Home Solutions of America Enters Into New $25 Million Surety Bond Facility Through AIG Environmental(R)  - Continues Corporate Resources Expansion to Meet Growth Needs - DALLAS, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Home Solutions of America, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSOA) (the "Company" or "Home Solutions"), a provider of recovery, restoration and rebuilding/remodeling services, announced today that it has increased its bonding capacity by securing a $25 million revolving surety bonding program through AIG Environmental(R), a division of the general insurance subsidiaries of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). The increased bonding capacity will afford the Company a competitive advantage in the bidding process as it pursues projects in Louisiana and other key markets.

 

16) Sage Global's PremierPoint Subsidiary Partners with SullivanCurtisMonroe to Develop Alternative Dispute Resolution Program for Labor Unions - Tuesday November 14, 10:00 pm ET - IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 14, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Sage Global Solutions, Inc. (Other OTC:SGGL.PK - News) announced today that its PremierPoint Insurance Services subsidiary has formed an alliance with Irvine-based SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services, LLC to develop and implement a Collectively Bargained Workers Compensation (Alternative Dispute Resolution) program. The program will be designed around the needs of union employers and their union employees and will be implemented for both the Operating Engineers and Cement Masons unions.

 

17) Pre-Paid Legal Cancels Treasury Share Purchase From Insiders - ADA, Okla., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In light of Monday's share price action and comments from several outside shareholders, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (NYSE:PPD) has decided to cancel the previously announced insider transaction.  We will not purchase any of the 639,000 shares previously announced.  We will continue to purchase treasury shares in the open market and consider additional private block purchases.

 

18) STATE AUTO INSURANCE CO. JOINS TRUSTED CHOICE®  - State Auto is 42nd Trusted Choice® Company Partner  -- ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 14, 2006? The State Auto Insurance Companies have become the latest independent agency system insurance group to join the Trusted Choice® consumer brand movement. State Auto, based in Columbus, Ohio, offers personal and business insurance through 3,000 independent agencies in 27 states.

 

19) Interface and Connect with the Healthcare Investment Community at Consumer Health World?s Venture Forum - A New and Exclusive Way to Present Ideas and Business Plans to Influential, potential investors  -- Washington, DC. ? November 14, 2006 ?  The Venture Forum at the Consumer Health World (CHW) Conference (www.consumerhealthworld.com),  Monday, December 11th, 2006 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C., provides a prime opportunity and location for companies seeking investment capital to meet with investors, thought leaders, C-level executives and entrepreneurs.  Accomplished professionals with successful track records will be on-hand to provide guidance and lessons learned.  Participating companies also have the opportunity to exhibit at CHW and reach out to all attendees.

 

20) INSURANCE NEWSCAST ?Pictures Of The Day?

 

21) PMSI STRENGTHENS END-TO-END WORKERS COMPENSATION SOLUTION - Industry Leader Announces Launch of MSA Services, VitalPoint? Portal, Physical Medicine Services and Industry Destination Web Site  -- Tampa, Florida (November 14, 2006) ? PMSI, the nation?s single-source solution for workers? compensation products and services, has solidified the company?s leadership position through the advancement of critical administrative tools and resources.  The functionality and services announced today include MSA Services, the VitalPoint? web portal, Physical Medicine Services and an industry destination web site.  A host of additional offerings that further round out the company?s end-to-end solution will be announced in the coming weeks.     

 

22) Allegient Systems Partners with Fiserv Insurance Solutions - Services enable insurance carriers to better control their legal expenses  -- Wilton, CT, Nov. 14, 2006 ? Fiserv Insurance Solutions, a unit of Fiserv Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV), and Allegient Systems today announced a strategic alliance to offer Allegient?s legal bill auditing and business analysis services to Fiserv customers. With access to Allegient?s system and services, Fiserv Insurance clients will be able to better control and manage their legal expenses and integrate workflow management in their legal departments.

 

23) Kemper Auto and Home Licenses Myriad?s Technology - Kemper Auto and Home Licenses Myriad's Property Inspection and Underwriting Technology  -- AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Myriad Development, Inc. is pleased to announce that Kemper Auto and Home (KAH), a subsidiary of Chicago-based Unitrin, Inc., has chosen to license Myriad's Risk Manager property inspection system. The Risk Manager technology will allow KAH to improve property inspection service time and efficiency, as well as perform more comprehensive underwriting analysis through increased access to inspection data.

 

24) ftwilliam.com announces the availability of 2006 DOL-approved 5500 Forms  - Milwaukee, WI  November 14, 2006 - ftwilliam.com, a provider of high quality plan documents and government forms software, announced today the release of the 2006 version of its Form 5500 software package upon receiving certification by the US Department of Labor efast program.

 

25) BMW Manufacturing Turns to Workscape to Drive Benefits Administration - - Workscape?s Award-Winning Integrated Outsourced Solutions and Services Selected for Intense Focus, Flexibility, and Cost Effectiveness  -- MARLBOROUGH, Mass. (November 14, 2006) ¾ Workscape, a leading provider of outsourced benefits administration and performance-driven compensation solutions, today announced that Spartanburg, S.C.-based BMW Manufacturing Co. has recently implemented the company?s comprehensive outsourced benefits administration services to handle the benefits service needs of BMW?s more than 4,400 employees. 

 

26) Agnitum licenses Outpost firewall technology to Bullguard and CAT - SAN JOSE, CA., and ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, 15 Nov. 2006 - Bullguard Ltd. and CAT today announced they are licensing award-winning Outpost firewall technology from the computer security experts at Agnitum Ltd.  -- Bullguard (http://www.bullguard.com) specializes in user-friendly PC and mobile security, and will integrate Agnitum's firewall engine into version 7 of the new Bullguard Internet Security Suite.

 

27) TechAssure Glimpses Past and Future of Insurance Industry Celebrates 5 years with London Meeting - Princeton, New Jersey, November15, 2006?The challenges of the global marketplace require integrated insurance solutions.  By visiting Lloyd?s of London, industry members studied the past in order to put today?s market in focus.  ?Our visit to Lloyd?s of London was a great experience that included a historical perspective of the insurance industry as well as how Lloyd?s is prepared to respond to current challenges such as major property catastrophes and their effect on the market,? said Douglas Jones, Executive Vice President of Sleeper Sewell Insurance Services. 

 

28) ACE Establishes Regional Office for Middle East & North Africa - LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The ACE Group of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies (NYSE:ACE) has announced the formation of a new Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Regional Office, based in Bahrain.   -- The new office, which recently received approval from the Central Bank of Bahrain, will be responsible for the management of ACE?s existing businesses in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan, as well as the development of representation in new markets in the region.

 

29) Delta Dental of Michigan Selects ILOG BRMS for Claims Processing  - BRMS-Based System Enhances Speed-to-Market  -- MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ILOG(R)  (Nasdaq: ILOG; Euronext: ILO; ISIN: FR0004042364) today announced that Delta Dental of Michigan has selected ILOG JRules(TM), a key offering in ILOG's Business Rule Management System (BRMS) product line for claims processing. Claims processing is highly rule-intensive requiring frequent changes whether they pertain to claims validation, adjudication or regulatory compliance. ILOG BRMS will enable the carrier to implement rule changes in days or real-time.

 

30) benefitsCONNECT® reaches more than 1.0 million Americans and $4.0 billion in annual benefit premiums  - MINNEAPOLIS, MN, November 14, 2006 ? Comm5 Web Systems (Comm5), the developer of benefitsCONNECT®, a web-based employee benefits administration software solution, announced today that benefitsCONNECT® being used to manage the employee benefit programs for more than 1.0 million Americans and $4.0 billion in annual benefit premiums.

 

31) GUIDEWIRE SOFTWARE ANNOUNCES GUIDEWIRE CLAIMCENTER 4.0 - Latest Version of Market-Leading Claims System Further Enhances Speed, Consistency and Control of the Claim Management Process for Property and Casualty Insurers 

 

32) Waller Financial Planning Group Expands Its Philanthropic Service Offerings by Partnering with Foundation Source for Private Foundation Administration - Firms to Co-Host a Philanthropy Forum for Attorneys in Columbus, Ohio On the Family Benefits of Private Foundations  -- FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Nov 14, 2006 - Foundation Source®, the nation?s leading provider of support services for private foundations, today announced a partnership agreement with Columbus, Ohio-based Waller Financial Planning Group. Waller Financial Planning Group is a premier advisory firm that works with clients on financial risk management as it applies to wealth creation and philanthropy.

 

33) Cypress Care Inc., A Leading Workers? Compensation Pharmacy Benefits Manager, Announces Strategic Investment By Brazos Private Equity Partners - Mr. George, Formerly President of AdvancePCS, Named CEO of Cypress Care - Following Hank Datelle?s Decision to Transition to Senior Adviser to the Company

 

 

INSURANCE NEWSCAST from InsuranceBroadcasting.com
9221 Ravenna Road, Suite #D8, Twinsburg, OH 44087
888-282-1765   --- 330-425-8399