Core Insurance, Risk Management
GlobeNewswire | August 31, 2023
Risk Strategies, a leading national specialty insurance brokerage and risk management firm, today announced that it has acquired Benefit Design Group LLC, a retail agency specializing in health, life and retirement solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Based in Portland, Oregon and led by Joel Biernat and Dennis Warneke, Benefit Design Group (BDG) is an independent insurance agency specializing in health insurance solutions for businesses, individuals and seniors. With a client base across Oregon and Washington, the firm serves businesses seeking tailored employee benefits programs across a wide range of industries, including aged care, education, hospitality and manufacturing, as well as individuals and seniors.
“As a national specialist in the increasingly complex world of employee benefits, we’re always seeking new partners who can add to both our geographic presence and expertise,” said John Greenbaum, National Employee Benefits Practice Leader, Risk Strategies. “It’s why we’re excited to bring Joel, Dennis and the BDG organization into the Risk Strategies family.”
BDG offers a broad array of products to its individual and group insurance clients including medical, dental, life insurance, Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, among others. BDG as constituted today, was formed in 2017 when Biernat merged the firm with Warneke’s company, The Warneke Group, LLC. That firm primarily specialized in providing services and products for employers offering group employee benefits to their employees.
“We’re extremely excited to join Risk Strategies,” said Biernat, President, Benefit Design Group. “We know that being part of a true specialty brokerage with national scale will bring a myriad of benefits to our people, business and especially our clients.”
The purchase of BDG adds to Risk Strategies’ presence in the Pacific Northwest. It builds upon the firm’s previous acquisition of the Fournier Group, a full-service commercial and personal lines retail insurance agency.
About Risk Strategies
Risk Strategies is the 9th largest privately held US brokerage firm offering comprehensive risk management advice, insurance and reinsurance placement for property & casualty, employee benefits, private client services, as well as consulting services and financial & wealth solutions. With more than 30 specialty practices, Risk Strategies serves commercial companies, nonprofits, public entities, and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets. Risk Strategies has over 100 offices including Boston, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Grand Cayman, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Washington DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco. RiskStrategies.com.
Read More
Core Insurance, Insurance Technology
PR Newswire | August 24, 2023
Clearcover, a next-generation car insurance company, today announces the launch of "Choice," its embedded insurance solution that provides a customizable end-to-end auto insurance integration for brands.
The integration, powered by Clearcover's proprietary API-based technology platform, enables brands to seamlessly deliver price and policy comparisons from various carriers so customers can choose the option that offers the best value for them.
"Our goal at Clearcover is to provide our customers with the most convenient, affordable car insurance coverage, and 'Choice' enables us to do that with an even broader reach," said Clearcover CEO and Co-founder Kyle Nakatsuji.
By integrating with "Choice," brands across the financial services industry can provide eligible customers with a simple end-to-end experience that allows them to comparison shop for auto insurance carriers, including Clearcover Insurance Company.
"We're thrilled to expand our distribution reach to a whole new pool of potential customers by lending our 'insurance-in-a-box' digital solution to other brands," said Clearcover Chief Product and Innovation Officer Adam Fischer. "We are continuing to focus on meeting our customers where they are on their financial journeys and making it simple for partners to integrate our technology."
Goodcover, the fair and modern insurance provider, is the first company to integrate with "Choice" for Goodcover Auto. Launched this month, the service is designed to help eligible Goodcover policyholders find car insurance rates from top insurers to pair with their renters insurance.
"The 'Choice' platform plays a significant role in powering the backend of Goodcover Auto, seamlessly integrating Goodcover members' profiles and streamlining the quote process to make auto insurance selection more efficient," said Co-founder and CEO of Goodcover Chris Lotz. "This partnership helps Goodcover members take control of their financial goals and further strengthens our commitment to empowering renters."
Clearcover, which closed its Series E round of funding last November, has raised more than $480 million to date. The award-winning Insurtech recently announced moves to broaden its embedded insurance strategy.
"Choice" comes just several months after Clearcover launched an embedded insurance solution with Experian in which consumers receive final, bindable quotes when they shop for auto insurance via the company's comparison shopping service.
About Clearcover
Clearcover is a next-generation insurance company that provides customers with the technology they need to confidently make the smartest decisions at every step. Clearcover is challenging the status quo with hassle-free insurance that redefines what it means to put the customer first, delivering affordable car insurance with one of the industry's fastest claims experiences. Clearcover includes Clearcover, Inc., which was founded in 2016 by Kyle Nakatsuji and Derek Brigham, Clearcover Insurance Company (NAIC #16524) and Clearcover Insurance Agency. Clearcover has raised more than $480 million in funding to date. In 2022, the insurance fintech ranked No.50 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ and No. 151 on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in America. Clearcover has also been featured by Glassdoor as one of the nation's "Best Places to Work."
Read More
Core Insurance, Insurance Technology
Business Wire | August 01, 2023
Franklin Mutual Insurance Group (FMI), a P&C insurance provider for residents and business owners in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE) announced that FMI successfully implemented Guidewire InsuranceSuite on Guidewire Cloud to power its core business, simplify its IT operations, adapt more quickly to changing market demands, and deliver more value to its agents and policyholders. The company migrated InsuranceSuite from a self-managed environment to Guidewire Cloud simultaneously for all lines of business except Business Owner Policy (BOP), which is currently in implementation. Guidewire PartnerConnect Consulting Global Premier member PwC led the implementation project.
“Leveraging Guidewire in the cloud is a more economical way of using the technology,” said FMI Chief Technology Officer Steve Romanow. “While our business strategies and objectives haven’t changed, Guidewire Cloud is enabling us to execute them more quickly. We’re utilizing InsuranceSuite's full capabilities compared to a self-managed environment and staying current with Guidewire’s latest technology and innovation through regular Guidewire Cloud updates.”
Romanow added, “Thanks to Guidewire, PwC and CastleBay Consulting, we were able to conclude the implementation project on time and on budget. The overall efficiencies provided by Guidewire Cloud have allowed our staff to focus on delivering value to our agents and policyholders to grow our business.”
“We're proud to have helped Franklin Mutual Insurance facilitate this implementation to Guidewire Cloud,” said PwC Managing Director Jay Davidson. “The successful deployment wouldn't have been possible without the collaborative efforts of an exceptional team. This implementation reaffirms FMI’s commitment to both their customers and their business by providing enterprise agility and scalability for the future.”
“We congratulate Franklin Mutual Insurance on its successful cloud transformation through its InsuranceSuite migration to Guidewire Cloud,” said Guidewire Head of Services Michael Mahoney. “We’re excited to work with the company to help them continue their commitment to policyholders through dedication to a strong ethical culture, excellent customer service, consistency in the marketplace, and financial strength.”
FMI also migrated its self-managed installations of DataHub and InfoCenter onto Guidewire Cloud. The company is also leveraging SmartCOMM™ from Smart Communications for customer communications management. Guidewire is a reseller of Smart Communications, a Guidewire PartnerConnect Solution member.
About Franklin Mutual Insurance
Franklin Mutual Insurance is one of the most established and respected insurance companies in New Jersey. In business since 1879, FMI offers superior coverages to New Jersey residents and business owners, sold exclusively through professional independent agents. Rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, we have the financial strength and stability to protect our insureds and continue to grow our business. For more information, please visit https://www.fmiweb.com/site/.
About PwC
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 152 countries with over 327,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.
About Guidewire Software
Guidewire is the platform P&C insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. We combine digital, core, analytics, and AI to deliver our platform as a cloud service. More than 500 insurers in 38 countries, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, run on Guidewire.
As a partner to our customers, we continually evolve to enable their success. We are proud of our unparalleled implementation track record, with 1,000+ successful projects, supported by the largest R&D team and partner ecosystem in the industry. Our marketplace provides hundreds of applications that accelerate integration, localization, and innovation.
Read More