Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Technologies: A Double-Edged Sword for Insurance Companies
Sep 19 2016 // The insurance industry is on the horns of a dilemma: how to use new technologies to improve operations and how to insure the risks these new technologies present to customers. Situation The pace of technology is changing...
How Kilkenny and Kimmel Have Grown K2 Insurance Services
Sep 19 2016 // Pat Kilkenny and Bob Kimmel put the K’s in K2 Insurance Services five years ago. That’s when they began using their combined 60 years of insurance experience to work buying up and developing businesses with the...
Tech Talk: Digital Transformation 2.0
Sep 19 2016 // The just released Insurance Digital Transformation Study (available at www.insurancedigitalrevolution.org) sheds light on why agents struggle with adapting to digital technology. As we have discussed extensively, agents...
Re/Insurers Need to ‘Reinvent’ Products to Participate in New Economy: XL’s McGavick
Sep 16 2016 // The re/insurance industry needs to innovate and become more efficient. It is facing more risk, but premiums are declining. Some of its products have become shop-worn and less relevant. Competitive pressures are...
Pittsburgh Uber Riders Preview Driverless Cars Through Test Program
Sep 15 2016 // Uber riders in Pittsburgh can get a glimpse of the future by summoning a car capable of handling most of the tasks of driving on its own. Starting Wednesday morning, a fleet of self-driving Ford Fusions will pick up Uber...
New York Proposes ‘Flexible’ Cybersecurity Regulation for Insurers, Banks
Sep 15 2016 // The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has proposed cybersecurity regulation for financial services companies that aims to protect New York state’s financial services industry from an increasing...
Allstate CEO Driven by Opportunity in Transportation Disruption
Sep 14 2016 // Allstate Corp., the largest publicly traded U.S. home and auto insurer, said the country’s transportation network is highly inefficient, with vehicles sitting idle for most of the day, and that the company is betting...
Burnham Benefits in Southern California Taps Felish as Tech Specialist
Sep 12 2016 // Irvine, Calif.-based Burnham Benefits Insurance Services Inc. has named Meagan Felish a technology specialist. Felish has experience in online enrollment systems. Felish previously worked at Beal Benefits in Scottsdale,...
Tesla Introduces ‘Substantial Improvements’ to Autopilot
Sep 12 2016 // Elon Musk said Tesla Motors Inc. is updating its Autopilot technology to emphasize radar images over cameras, in his latest attempt to convince critics that the electric-car maker’s semi-autonomous driving features...
Federal Suit Filed by Former Employees of Indiana-Based ITT Tech Institute
Sep 9 2016 // Two employees laid off by the parent company of Indiana-based for-profit college chain ITT Technical Institute have filed a lawsuit claiming the company violated federal law by not providing 60 days’ notice. Allen...
Barclays Says It Conducts ‘World’s First’ Blockchain-Based Trade Finance Deal
Sep 8 2016 // Barclays and an Israel-based start-up company have carried out what they say is the world’s first trade transaction using blockchain technology, cutting a process that normally takes between seven and 10 days to less...
How Kilkenny and Kimmel Have Grown K2 Insurance Services
Sep 1 2016 // Pat Kilkenny and Bob Kimmel put the K’s in K2 Insurance Services five years ago. That’s when they began using their combined 60 years of insurance experience to work buying up and developing businesses with the...
NAIC San Diego: Self-Driving Cars and Regulatory Renewal
Aug 30 2016 // Insurance regulators are a diverse bunch. Some are elected, while others are appointed. Some are Republicans, while others are Democrats. At the triennial meeting of the National Association Insurance Commissioners in San...
AAA Cautions: Not All Automatic Braking Systems Are Alike
Aug 25 2016 // While most American believe that automatic braking systems are designed to work without human intervention, not all work that way. The hi-tech braking systems vary in design and performance, according to the automobile...
Hylant Names Timmel as VP for Cyber, Technology Risk Practice
Aug 25 2016 // Ohio-based insurance brokerage firm, Hylant, named Spencer Timmel to the newly created position of vice president, Cyber & Technology Risk Practice leader. Spencer speaks regularly on network security and privacy...
Venture Capital, Traditional Insurer Interest in Insurtech Remains High
Aug 24 2016 // Even though venture capital investments in venture capital-backed financial technology (fintech) companies fell more than 50 percent globally during the second quarter of 2016, interest in insurance technology startups...
Many Railroads Slow to Adopt Safety Technology Even After Deadline Extension
Aug 23 2016 // Many commuter and freight railroads have made little progress installing safety technology designed to prevent deadly collisions and derailments despite a mandate from Congress, according to a government report...
Protecting Vehicles from Cyberattacks Focus of U. of Arkansas Project
Aug 22 2016 // In 2015, two researchers remotely hacked a Jeep Cherokee being driven by a reporter who documented how the researchers controlled everything from the car’s radio and media console to its brakes and steering. For Dr....
101 Sales, Marketing, and Agency Management Ideas
Aug 22 2016 // Emotional Connections.Great brands avoid selling products. Great salespeople cultivate emotional connections with customers. —Harvard Business Review, August 2016 How to Increase Sales.Discuss all coverages applicable...
The Top 10 Things Sharp Brokers Should Consider When Placing Cyber Liability
Aug 22 2016 // The insurance marketplace for cyber liability is constantly evolving. Technology is always improving, the level of data security and awareness is escalating and the tools used by the criminals and the bad actors are...