Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Newest Big Thing in Drones Is Technology to Block Them
Jan 3 2017 // A boom in consumer drone sales has spawned a counter-industry of start-ups aiming to stop drones flying where they shouldn’t by disabling them or knocking them out of the sky. Dozens of start-up firms are developing...
Wisconsin’s AIS Technology, Maryland-Based Kite Tech Merging
Dec 30 2016 // Maryland-based Kite Technology Group and Wisconsin-based AIS Technology are merging their operations effective Jan. 2, 2017. The merged company will operate under the name Kite Technology Group. Nick Oliver, owner and...
How Agents Feel About Their Compensation from Carriers… and Other Matters
Dec 30 2016 // On a first quarter results call W.R. Berkley Corp. President and CEO Robert Berkley cited a growing and alarming level of tension between carriers and distributors, driven by what he called a fight to grow margins in the...
Top 12 Insurance Trends and News Stories of 2016: Countdown
Dec 27 2016 // In the year 2016, as in past years, there were the familiar or continuing stories including reinsurers still wishing and hoping for a hardening market; property/casualty insurance carriers reporting financial results...
Hong Kong Agents, China Insurers Face Tech-Related Disruptions: 2017 Predictions, Part 4
Dec 22 2016 // The twin forces of regulation and technology will see the emergence of new distribution models in 2017. This sounds like a commonly heard disrupter scenario for the U.S. and European markets, but it’s actually a...
2017 Predictions for Insurtech, Australia D&O & India Cyber Insurance, Part 2
Dec 20 2016 // Insurtech was an insurance buzzword in 2016 and that’s likely to continue next year when it will permeate almost every aspect of U.S. industry, according to a prediction from international law firm Clyde &...
XL Catlin Invests $4M in Insurtech Microinsurance Startup, Stonestep
Dec 19 2016 // XL Catlin’s venture fund, XL Innovate, committed $4 million in first-round financing to Stonestep, a property/casualty insurtech startup looking to streamline how microinsurance is sold in emerging markets. The...
Why a Unique Perpetuation Model Still Stands Strong
Dec 19 2016 // In the insurance agency system, it’s no secret that right now many agencies are merging or being acquired, increasingly by private equity firms. For some, this is a blessing because they have not been able to keep up...
California Vs. Uber in Legal Bout over Self-driving Cars
Dec 16 2016 // Uber is riding its self-driving cars into a legal showdown with California regulators. The ridesharing company is refusing to obey demands by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles that it immediately stop picking...
Allstate Continues Its Technology Drive, Invests in Autonomous Vehicle Research at Stanford
Dec 15 2016 // Allstate Insurance Co., the nation’s largest publicly-held personal lines insurer, is continuing its drive into new technology, agreeing to a multi-year research project with the Intelligent Systems Laboratory at...
‘Disruptor’ Hippo in California Raises $14M in New Funding Round
Dec 14 2016 // Mountain View, Calif.-based startup Hippo today announced it has closed a $14 million Series A round. The funding was led by Horizons Ventures, which invests in disruptive technology and startups. It was joined by RPM...
U.S. Sees Mandate on Talking Vehicles Cutting Road Crashes, Deaths
Dec 14 2016 // U.S. automobile regulators want passenger cars and light trucks to wirelessly stream data about their movements and monitor other vehicles so they don’t crash into each other. All new light-duty vehicles would be...
Insurance Crime Watchdog Reveals Mystery Device Used by Vehicle Thieves
Dec 7 2016 // Insurance crime investigators recently went on a crime spree, breaking into vehicles and stealing them. It was all part of an effort to draw attention to technology that the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says is...
Insureon CEO on Growth, Hockey Pucks and the Perils of Complacency
Dec 6 2016 // A major online provider of commercial insurance for small businesses in the United States keeps track of its growth milestones with hockey pucks. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch but Chicago-based Insureon definitely...
Insurtech Lemonade Wins $34 Million in New Funding As It Readies for West Coast Expansion
Dec 5 2016 // Lemonade, the home and renters insurance company run by artificial intelligence and behavioral economics, announced a $34 million B round of funding. The latest round was led by General Catalyst with participation from GV...
Top New York City Commuter Rails Slow to Progress on Technology
Nov 30 2016 // The nation’s three busiest commuter railroads – which together serve nearly 1 million riders in the New York City area each day – continue to lag behind their smaller West Coast counterparts in installing...
RSA Appoints Germain as Group Chief Technology Officer
Nov 30 2016 // RSA announced it has appointed David Germain to the role of group chief technology officer. Based in London and reporting to Darren Price, group chief information officer, Germain will be responsible for implementing...
Insurtech to Become Part of Traditional Insurance Landscape: S&P Report
Nov 29 2016 // Insurtech has a complementary place in the traditional insurance world, despite remaining uncertainty in the industry about how it will function on a wide scale, Standard & Poor’s said in a new report. “We...
Allstate to Pay $1.4 Billion for SquareTrade, Seller of Warranties for Mobile Devices, Appliances
Nov 28 2016 // The Allstate Corp. agreed to acquire SquareTrade, a consumer electronics and appliance protection plan provider that distributes through many of America’s major retailers. Allstate said it will acquire the...
Smartphone Makers Reject Obama Call for Restrictions to Curb Distracted Driving
Nov 28 2016 // U.S. highway safety officials called on smartphone makers to add features that would keep motorists from using functions linked to a surge in deaths due to distracted driving, a proposal that drew immediate opposition from...
