Core Insurance, Insurance Technology
PR Newswire | August 07, 2023
Today, NEXT Insurance, a leading digital small business insurer, announced it is expanding its insurance offerings for small businesses with the launch of commercial umbrella/excess liability in 41 states, and the expansion of liquor liability coverage in 7 additional states. Commercial umbrella/excess liability insurance includes the same coverage, conditions, and exclusions as its underlying general liability policy, and provides coverage when that policy's per-occurrence or aggregate limits are exhausted. This expansion will be launched on a direct and agents channel, furthering NEXT's commitment to customers while providing the best possible experience for agents.
NEXT's umbrella/excess liability coverage will sit over customers' general liability policies and provide higher limits for coverage offered in that policy, ensuring small businesses can get the protection they need from a potentially catastrophic loss due to a lawsuit. Customers will be able to add this optional coverage to a general liability policy post-purchase to easily modify their insurance needs as their business needs continue to grow. Often, umbrella/excess liability coverage is required due to a contractual obligation, like a new construction client requiring higher limits on general liability to take on a project, or moving operations to a new building and a landlord requires an umbrella/excess liability policy. With this expansion, instead of needing to call to make policy changes, customers can now self-serve, adding umbrella/excess liability coverage to their policy in the Customer Portal, providing them the tools to tailor their coverage to satisfy new insurance requirements instantly.
NEXT is also furthering its commitment to restaurant small business owners with the expansion of liquor liability coverage to 7 additional states including Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, Missouri, Minnesota, Utah, and Iowa. Liquor liability is a crucial protection for small businesses that manufacture, sell, or serve alcoholic beverages. Available as a part of NEXT's general liability coverage, NEXT's liquor liability covers losses resulting from the intoxication of customers and is designed for small businesses such as cafés, diners, pop-up restaurants, and fine dining.
On the launch of umbrella/excess liability coverage, Jack Ramsey, NEXT Insurance Vice President of Agent Business, shares:
"We're launching umbrella/excess liability coverage to help entrepreneurs thrive. As businesses grow, their liability insurance needs change, and as a carrier, we want to make sure we're able to continue to support our customers' growth. We're confident that this highly-requested umbrella/excess liability offering will address the demand we've seen from both customers and agents who require this coverage for contractual obligations, and we are excited to be able to offer this expansion ourselves with the aim of being a one-stop-shop for our small business customers."
This news follows NEXT's integration with Ivans Download™ for General Liability and Workers' Compensation policies, and the recent strategic hire of Jack Ramsey as the company's Vice President of Agent Business. NEXT is doubling down on its commitment to the needs of agents and customers alike by quickly iterating and reacting to feedback, providing an unparalleled digital experience to help them thrive and expand their business.
About NEXT Insurance
NEXT Insurance is transforming small business insurance with simple, digital and affordable coverage tailored to the self-employed. Trusted by over 480,000 business owners, NEXT offers policies that are easy to buy and provides 24/7 access to Live Certificates of Insurance, additional insured, and more, with no extra fees. Revolutionizing a historically complicated insurance industry, NEXT utilizes AI and machine learning to simplify the purchasing process and provide more affordable coverage. Founded in 2016, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto, has received a total of $881 million in venture capital funding, is rated "A- Excellent" by AM Best and has been recognized by CNBC Disruptor 50, Forbes Fintech 50, Inc.'s Best-Led Companies, and Forbes Best StartUp Employers. For more information, visit NEXTInsurance.com.
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Claims, Compliance
Globenewswire | July 13, 2023
Bees360, the top provider of drone-enabled property inspection services powered by artificial intelligence (AI), and Hosta AI, the most advanced provider of AI-enabled interior property inspections powered by more than a decade of MIT research, have partnered to transform the insurance claims process.
Inconsistent data collection and varying methods of individual inspectors and adjusters with differing expertise complicate traditional processes in property and damage inspections. With more than six million home inspections conducted annually in the U.S. alone, insurers need consistent, accurate, and transparent processes of effectively managing such risks. Bees360 and Hosta AI address this challenge head-on by harnessing advanced technologies to improve the quality, efficiency, and accuracy of property inspections, to produce the most robust property dataset possible, and to enable superior claims service from the start.
"This partnership with Hosta AI means we are collectively bringing operational efficiencies and advanced interior data analytics to the insurance industry," said Andy Liu, CEO of Bees360. "By combining the power of aerial and interior inspection and advanced data processing, we are revolutionizing insurance claims processing and providing insurers with a competitive edge while delivering faster, more accurate results for policyholders."
The combined AI capabilities of Bees360 and Hosta AI offer a complete solution for property inspections and claims adjustments. Bees360 leverages state-of-the-art drone inspection technology and Hosta AI delivers an AI-powered Assessment Platform to address the interior, resulting in streamlined and accelerated claims processing.
"Our partnership with Bees360 allows us to harness their extensive aerial inspection capabilities and combine them with our expertise in advanced interior data processing,” said Henriette Fleischmann, CEO of Hosta AI. “By unlocking the potential of AI and machine learning, we can provide insurance companies with unparalleled insights to enable superior service and highly accurate claim settlement."
Bees360 and Hosta AI share a commitment to delivering innovative solutions that expedite the claims settlement process, enhance accuracy, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.
About Bees360
Bees360 is a leading innovator of deep learning and computer vision technology who focuses on bringing AI and drone solutions to property underwriting and claim inspections. It is founded by data scientists and insurance experts whose collective background in data science, mathematics, property claims & underwriting provide an unparalleled level of knowledge to build AI-powered workflow and a disruptive business model for the conventional insurance industry. Learn more at www.bees360.com.
About Hosta AI
Established in 2020, Hosta AI is on a mission to empower people and businesses with fast, accessible and trusted information about their built surroundings. Hosta helps companies that need fast and accurate data about the built environment accelerate their businesses with automated property assessments. The Hosta AI Assessment Platform uses patent-pending AI spatial and material analysis to automate property assessments from just a few simple photos. To learn more about Hosta AI, please visit www.hosta.ai.
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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.
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