Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
XL Catlin Appoints Branch as Chief Executive of Insurtech Team, Accelerate
Nov 28 2016 // XL Catlin announced the appointment of Vincent Branch as Chief Executive for Accelerate, its new expert team focused on innovation and insurtech. Accelerate is led by XL Catlin’s former chief underwriting officer for...
Insurtech Startups Attract Growing List of Traditional Insurer Partners
Nov 28 2016 // Listening to Andrew Rear talk about insurers, you wouldn’t think he works for one that’s been around for 136 years. The 46-year-old head of Munich Re’s Digital Partners unit has said the industry is...
Insurtech Startup Trov Launches in UK, Offering On-Demand Coverage
Nov 23 2016 // The on-demand economy, which uses smartphone technology to immediately fill consumer needs, has changed the way people order food, a car, or a place to stay. Now, technology startups are targeting the next business...
Munich Re Partners with InsurTech Start-Up Wrisk
Nov 22 2016 // Insurtech company Wrisk Ltd., which was founded earlier this year, has entered into an agreement with Munich Re’s Digital Partners business unit. Under the agreement, Munich Re companies become the exclusive carrier...
How Smart Building is Changing Construction
Nov 21 2016 // With “smart” building becoming the gold standard in today’s commercial construction world, builders, building owners, workers and insurers are dealing with new technologies and risks. These smart...
P/C Insurance Execs See Growth Coming from Technology Innovation, New Products
Nov 21 2016 // Technology innovation will provide the biggest growth opportunities for reinsurers in the year ahead, according to a survey by Guy Carpenter & Co. The survey polled executives from insurance and reinsurance companies,...
How Independent Agents Feel About Growth, Technology and Disruption
Nov 21 2016 // Property/casualty independent insurance agents are more optimistic this year than they were in 2015. Nearly half (49 percent) of agencies responding to an industry survey say they are “very optimistic” about...
