Celent provides a detailed look at 18 policy administration systems for life, health, and annuities.

In a new report, North American Policy Administration Systems 2010: Life, Health, and Annuities ABCD Vendor View, Celent looks at policy administration systems available to insurers in North America. The report is part of a series on policy administration systems (PAS) in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

The Marketing and Distribution and Product Development Sections along with the Committee on Life Insurance Research, are pleased to make the following report available. Authored by a Mike Batty and Alice Kroll of Deloitte Consulting, the report summarizes the results of a company survey on the utilization of life insurance automated underwriting systems.

More and more, it seems, “Welcome to the new normal” is becoming the mantra of the day when it comes to the pace of our business enterprises. We hear it everywhere from the hip technology gurus (ahem) and the purveyors of new technology. But what exactly are we talking about here?

A new blood test could improve cancer-screening compliance.

The latest issue looks at:

• Underwriting the Elderly - Findings From a U.S. Survey
• Beyond Containment but Well Into the Guessing Game - The Novel A/H1N1 Influenza Pandemic
• Evidence-based Underwriting - Rheumatoid Arthritis

While life insurers continue to reflect mortality improvements in their pricing, it is uncertain how much of the improvements can be attributed to better underwriting information and processes and how much to general mortality improvements in the insured population. Dave Dorans, Vice President of Mortality Solutions, discusses life insurance underwriting with Tia Goss Sawhney, owner of TSStrategic Consulting, LLC.

Despite what Rush Limbaugh would have us believe, the movement toward electronic medical records is not about some Orwellian plot. Hospitals' Electronic Wasteland looks at stimulus funds aiming to change a system largely devoid of in-depth electronic record keeping.

Managing the risks, liabilities and solutions associated with electronic processes and interactions related to conducting business over the Internet is a challenge for every insurance company today. The exposure to online risks is pervasive, potentially affecting most aspects of an insurance organization, including assets, operations, finances, legal, regulatory compliance and even reputation. Exactly how serious is the threat of cyber attacks on insurance operations, and what currently are the most dangerous cyber threats to carriers' systems?

When used with data mining tools and street investigations, predictive analytics can be among the biggest electronic enemies of the fraud rings that cost insurers tens of billions of dollars annually.

Building a bona fide mortality management solution is not easy, but the value-creating potential is too big to ignore. In the short run, a mortality management solution improves operational efficiencies and mortality results. In the long run, it captures data that provide essential insights for building competitive products and meeting evolving regulatory demands, according to Joanne Collins, Lead Consultant, Product Consulting & Development.