Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Cyber Attacks Against Ships’ GPS Systems Prompts Return of Radio as Backup
Aug 7 2017 // The risk of cyber attacks targeting ships’ satellite navigation is pushing nations to delve back through history and develop back-up systems with roots in World War Two radio technology. Ships use GPS (Global...
Insurtech Funding Jumps to $1B: Willis Towers Watson/CB Insights Report
Aug 7 2017 // Insurtech funding volume hovered close to $1 billion in the 2017 second quarter, a result nearly 150 percent larger than the same period a year ago, according to a quarterly report on the sector from Willis Towers Watson...
Beacon Mutual’s New CEO Spero: ‘We’re Within an Hour of Every Policyholder’
Aug 4 2017 // The board of directors of Beacon Mutual Insurance Company, a Warwick, R.I.-based workers’ compensation carrier, has elected Brian Spero as president and CEO of the company, effective in July. Beacon’s board...
SoftBank Invests in Online Startup Lender Kabbage (Which Might Sell Insurance)
Aug 3 2017 // SoftBank Group Corp. has plowed $250 million into online lender Kabbage Inc., the latest in a flurry of big bets on mature startups by the Japanese technology company. Kabbage will use the new money to expand its lending...
Compare.com Is Proof Insurance Disruption Won’t Happen Overnight: CEO Rose
Aug 2 2017 // Disrupting an industry that has been doing things the same way for a generation takes time. Take it from one major insurance disruptor – compare.com. The online insurance comparison marketplace launched in the U.S. in...
Allianz, Insurtech Startup Flock to Launch Pay-As-You-Fly Drone Cover in UK
Jul 27 2017 // Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has partnered with insurtech startup Flock to launch on-demand drone insurance in the UK market through a mobile app for commercial and recreational users. To be available in...
New York State Set to Study Technology, Privacy of ‘Textalyzer’
Jul 27 2017 // New York state is set to study the use of a device known as the “textalyzer” that would allow police to determine whether a motorist involved in a serious crash was texting while driving. Democratic Gov. Andrew...
XL Catlin Enhances Cyber & Technology Coverage
Jul 27 2017 // XL Catlin has introduced CyberRiskConnect, a new policy form to address the expanding exposures of cyber and technology risks. According to John Coletti, chief underwriting officer for XL Catlin’s Cyber &...
Q2 Insurtech Funding Rises to $1B: Willis Towers Watson/CB Insights Report
Jul 24 2017 // Insurtech funding volume hovered close to $1 billion in the 2017 second quarter, a result nearly 150 percent larger than the same period a year ago, according to a quarterly report on the sector from Willis Towers Watson...
Super Regional Carriers Urged to Educate ‘Suspicious’ Regulators on Big Data Use
Jul 24 2017 // “We’re curious and we don’t know. When regulators don’t know what’s going on, they get suspicious.” That was Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Ted Nickel acknowledging that like the...
Driverless Car Technology and Its Impact in New York
Jul 24 2017 // New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in May signed a budget bill into law allowing self-driving and self-parking cars to be tested for one year on New York public highways. Prior to this law going into effect, the technology was...
Government’s Disruption in Insurtech Market: The Zebra CEO
Jul 24 2017 // Unsurprisingly, discussion surrounding government’s role in free markets with large corporations can be contentious, but it’s critical to understand that laws and regulations serve a purpose. To what extent...
Carrier Poll Shows Many Agents Expect Minor Tech Disruption by 2020
Jul 24 2017 // A new poll conducted by a Seattle, Wash.-based carrier that asked independent insurance agents what’s ahead in 2020 showed that roughly half of agents expect technology disruption to have a minor impact on their...
Pennsylvania’s PLM Names Selfe Vice President of Information Technology
Jul 21 2017 // Pennsylvania and Indiana Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Companies (PLM), a property and casualty insurance carrier based in Philadelphia, Penn., has named Erin Selfe vice president of information technology. With more than 20...
Travelers Says It’s ‘Where It Needs to Be’ to Compete; Q2 Results Dampened by Weather
Jul 20 2017 // Small business insurance leader Travelers Companies is well-positioned to continue to compete in the small commercial insurance space that is attracting new entries including technology-driven start-ups, according to CEO...
Daimler Recalls More Than 3 Million Mercedes-Benz Diesel Vehicles
Jul 20 2017 // Daimler AG moved to head off a growing crisis over emissions concerns by voluntarily recalling more than 3 million Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicles in Europe, marking the latest blow to the technology since Volkswagen...
Starr Buys Stake in Small Business Insurtech CoverWallet
Jul 19 2017 // Starr Companies is now a minority shareholder in online small business insurance agency CoverWallet. CoverWallet confirmed the deal that was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. No financial terms were...
Blind Americans Want to Participate in Future of Driverless Vehicles
Jul 19 2017 // Anil Lewis was behind the wheel of his Ford Mustang convertible on a sunny Atlanta day in 1988, when he nearly hit a pedestrian who appeared in a crosswalk ahead of him, seemingly out of nowhere. It was then Lewis realized...
Allianz Forms Online Aircraft Insurance Partnership with Insurtech Firm Visicover
Jul 19 2017 // Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) announced it has formed a partnership agreement with insurtech company, Visicover. Visicover’s existing and new aeroplane and helicopter insurance products now will be...
Novarica: Commercial Insurers Prioritizing Tech Advancements
Jul 18 2017 // A new report by the research and advisory firm, Novarica, shows that commercial insurance carriers are modernizing policy administration systems and agent portals to support complexities of business. Novarica also says use...
