Calif.-based Zenith Connects to SAIS through Automated Underwriting Interface

California-based Zenith National Insurance Corp. announced its workers’ compensation subsidiary, Zenith Insurance Company (Zenith), has gone into production with an ACORD 1.0 XML interface with Superior Access Insurance Services (SAIS), one of its California-based agents.

This is Zenith’s first completed XML interface with an agency operation. Zenith is now positioned to complete similar interfaces with qualified agents and brokers and will announce any other similar arrangements that follow.

Zenith partnered with Superior Access Internet Software, a sister company of SAIS and is now entirely paperless with its flow of new business from SAIS. Using a special URL, the Zenith underwriter sees the business online, including scanned images of the application, loss runs, and other supporting documentation. When the underwriter hits the “Bind” button, SAIS sends an ACORD 1.0 XML data stream to Zenith’s internal system with everything needed to issue the policy. Zenith returns a corresponding XML reply containing the assigned policy number and other information, and issues the policy. Agents writing business through SAIS receive online notification of the policy number.