CORE INSURANCE
Specialty Program Group and Catapult Insurance Solutions | November 03, 2022
Specialty Program Group LLC (SPG), a leading operator of specialty insurance brokerages and underwriting facilities, announced today the acquisition of the assets of Catapult Insurance Solutions. Catapult is a privately held managing general insurance agency and wholesale brokerage for niche industries and hard-to-place risks.
Led by President Tim Sunderman, Catapult's largest delegated authority program is dedicated to providing residential homebuilders, commercial general contractors and trade contractors with best-in-class products and services, including general liability, umbrella, builder's risk, contractor's equipment and workers' compensation.
In addition, Catapult is a Lloyds Coverholder and also provides solutions for hard-to-place risks for coastal and other high hazard property, specialty trade contractor GL, deductible buy downs, commercial DIC (EQ & Flood), and contractor's equipment. Catapult's infrastructure is designed for program incubation and development.
"Tim and his team have implemented a targeted growth strategy and innovative technology platform that have enabled them to become an extremely successful and growing niche player, Their deep expertise in the construction space will expand SPG's offerings and accelerate our growth in this growing industry."
-SPG President & CEO Christopher Treanor
We are extremely excited to join the SPG team. Our firms share in the entrepreneurial spirit that has made the specialty distribution space so dynamic and appealing, Their operating philosophy allows for significant autonomy, which was very important as we selected a business partner. The resources and market presence SPG offers will allow us to build upon our capabilities in the niche segments we represent, expand our geographical footprint and ultimately benefit our current and future distribution partners through enhanced products and service. We are encouraged by what we can build together,said Tim Sunderman, President of Catapult.
About Specialty Program Group
Headquartered in Summit, NJ, Specialty Program Group is a fully licensed holding company established to acquire and scale best-in-class insurance underwriting facilities and specialty businesses throughout North America. SPG has a vast portfolio of specialty companies and is over two billion in premium.
About Catapult Insurance Solutions
Founded in 2007, Catapult Insurance Solutions, LLC is a privately held managing general agency, wholesale brokerage and Lloyd's Coverholder that currently underwrites and administers premium in excess of $50 million through niche programs. Catapult's products are distributed through a group of select agents and brokers throughout the U.S.
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CORE INSURANCE,INSURANCE TECHNOLOGY
HSB | December 07, 2022
Specialty insurer HSB today announced an agreement with IronSDN, Corp., to add app-based cyber risk management tools to HSB’s coverage for consumers and their families.
WhiteHaX® CyberSafe, developed by IronSDN, is an advanced risk verification and protection app for smartphones and other personal devices that is easy for customers to use.
The app is available to individuals insured by HSB’s Home Cyber Protection™, which is added to the homeowners policies of personal lines insurers that work with HSB.
The WhiteHaX app also will be available as part of HSB’s new personal standalone cyber insurance program, MyCyberProtection™, through HSB’s insurance affinity group and digital partners.
“With billions of connected devices in use, cybercriminals are targeting individuals more than ever before, The WhiteHaX CyberSafe app puts the power of privacy and cybersecurity in the hands of our customers, so they can keep ahead of today’s constantly changing cyber risks.”
-Jeffrey O’Shaughnessy, senior vice president of HSB, part of Munich Re
Cyber Protection at Home and Away
The WhiteHaX app analyzes the security of iOS and Android devices, including mobile phones, and tablets, with proprietary threat intelligence that is updated daily to help prevent phishing, malware, and other cyber risks.
A single user sign-up tracks the security and privacy of up to four devices in the household, with the ability to check the status of all devices at home and away with one click.
A virtual privacy network (VPN) can encrypt data to help fight cyber threats and online tracking, while on-demand Wi-Fi scans quickly assess if a public or private network is safe.
The WhiteHaX app monitors email addresses for data breaches 24/7, issues scam and security alerts, and helps users respond when their privacy is at risk.
Our WhiteHaX apps provide some of the most compelling and complete solutions to help mitigate cyber exposures, They are designed to help consumers identify cyber risks on their household personal devices and fix cyber security and privacy-related issues through step-by-step instructions,said Vimal Vaidya, chief executive officer and founder of IronSDN.
Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB)
HSB, part of Munich Re, is a multi-line specialty insurer and provider of inspection, risk management and IoT technology services. HSB insurance offerings include equipment breakdown, cyber risk, specialty liability and other coverages. HSB blends its engineering expertise, technology and data to craft inventive insurance and service solutions for existing and emerging risks posed by technological change. Throughout its 150-year history HSB’s mission has been to help clients prevent loss, advance sustainable use of energy and build deeper relationships that benefit business, public institutions and consumers. HSB holds A.M. Best Company’s highest financial rating, A++ (Superior).
Munich Re
Munich Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, primary insurance and insurance-related risk solutions. The group consists of the reinsurance and ERGO business segments, as well as the asset management company MEAG. Munich Re is globally active and operates in all lines of the insurance business. Since it was founded in 1880, Munich Re has been known for its unrivalled risk-related expertise and its sound financial position. It offers customers financial protection when faced with exceptional levels of damage – from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake through Hurricane Ida in 2021. Munich Re possesses outstanding innovative strength, which enables it to also provide coverage for extraordinary risks such as rocket launches, renewable energies or cyber risks. The company is playing a key role in driving forward the digital transformation of the insurance industry, and in doing so has further expanded its ability to assess risks and the range of services that it offers. Its tailor-made solutions and close proximity to its customers make Munich Re one of the world’s most sought-after risk partners for businesses, institutions, and private individuals.
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INSURANCE TECHNOLOGY
BriteCore | September 19, 2022
BriteCore, a next-generation provider of cloud-native core administration solutions for property and casualty (P&C) insurers, today announced the launch of the BriteCore Platform, a comprehensive suite for managing policies, billing, and claims complete with advanced analytics, a ratings engine, and agent and policyholder portals.
As the insurance industry trends toward greater levels of customer-centricity, BriteCore is redefining the traditional boundaries and capabilities of policy administration systems (PAS) with the BriteCore Platform by enabling small to mid-size insurers and managing general agents (MGAs) to gain a competitive edge against larger companies. In fact, recent BriteCore research into current technology and industry trends in North America found 94 percent of survey respondents rely on core systems to support business growth initiatives, improve efficiency and productivity, and modernize operations. Further, the BriteCore P&C Core Systems Survey confirmed industry leaders see modern, cloud-native core systems as a solution to the challenges driving a continuous need for enhanced business operations and customer experiences.
“When we decided to move away from the legacy system which had been running our business for years, we chose the BriteCore Platform since it enabled us to establish new business processes that deliver exceptional agent and policyholder experiences, all while providing options to better manage cost and grow our business, In addition, the BriteCore Platform decreased our dependency on on-prem solutions and future-proofed our IT environment by allowing us to easily integrate with existing and emerging technologies going forward.”
-Nancy Newmister, President and CEO for Frederick Mutual Insurance Company
In addition to the BriteCore Platform’s comprehensive digital core functionality, new and enhanced features available immediately include:
E-Signature – Through a new partnership with DocuSign, the BriteCore Platform provides agents and policyholders with the option of signing documents electronically during the quoting and underwriting process. E-signature delivers faster time to revenue, greater ROI and cost savings, and reduced risk through improved compliance.
Advanced Analytics & Reporting – BriteCore extended the core platform to deliver persona-based executive dashboards, advanced analytics and reporting. Now agents, executives, and line-of-business leaders (underwriting, claims, billing) can easily create custom and standard reports, identify new business opportunities for growth or cost savings, and translate their data into actionable insight.
UI Enhancements – BriteCore performed a major update to the platform user interface to ensure the experience for agents, policyholders, and insurance carrier staff benefits from a simple, modern design that is easy to learn and use while delivering a consistent look-and-feel.
Enhanced Comprehensive IT Environment – Backed by AWS for reliability, scalability, and enterprise-grade security, the BriteCore Platform is relied upon to provide a comprehensive IT environment for completion of mission-critical insurance processes. BriteCore added to the range of Amazon Web Services (AWS) services and technologies used to support the BriteCore platform in such areas as delivering fast and responsive query performance through a robust in-memory engine.
The BriteCore Platform redefines and expands the capabilities P&C insurers industry-wide, and our ever-growing number of insurer customers, can expect from a core system, Historically, core systems focused on automating internal processes and workflows. The BriteCore Platform automates internal AND external processes, provide superior underwriting and claims processing experiences for agents and policyholders, and integrates a wide range of external services and data sources to improve the competitiveness of insurers. Today and into the future, the BriteCore Platform can be relied upon to provide a comprehensive IT environment for completion of mission-critical insurance processes,said Ray Villeneuve, CEO for BriteCore.
About BriteCore
BriteCore is a cloud-native platform for P&C insurers that unlocks business growth, enhances the customer experience, and delivers great efficiency gains. BriteCore provides end-to-end support for insurance operations that includes policy administration, an agent and policyholder portal, rapid product configuration, underwriting rules and rating, billing management, claims management, document management, and reporting. As a cloud-native solution, BriteCore is continually updated for maximum security, efficiency, and durability at scale.
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