| In This Issue
|
| Featured WebEx: New EQECAT
Earthquake Offerings |
| RiskMeter's Premium Tax Database
Verified by Kentucky DOI
|
| Featured WebEx: FirstBest &
RiskMeter Integration Seminar
|
| Distance to Closest Levee Report
Coming Soon |
| RiskMeter Partners with IWS
|
| AL Wind Pool Update
|
| 350 Sinkholes Added to Clearinghouse
|
| New Batch Tools Go Live
|
| Base Flood Elevation to be
Added to Flood Reports |
| What Reports Does the RiskMeter
Online Offer? |
| Upcoming Events
|
| Online Training Schedule
|
| Welcome to our Newest Customers
& Partners |
| New Integrated Customers
|
| Request a Hardcopy
|
| Contacts |
| Questions or Comments?
|
| Please Add Us to Your Safe
Sender List |
| Unsubscribe |
| |
Featured WebEx: NEW EQECAT
Earthquake Offerings and Modeling
Features
|
|
CDS is pleased to announce
that we have expanded our partnership
with EQECAT, a leader in earthquake
modeling. The partnership has
changed in two main areas. First,
our earthquake reports will now be based
upon their main software platform, known
as WorldCat Enterprise (WCe).
As their model is updated, our results
will be automatically updated
to incorporate the latest earthquake
research.
Secondly, we are expanding the products
that we offer. We will now be
offering single-site Average Annual
Loss (AAL) and Probable Maximum Loss
(PML) calculations for Earthquake ground
shaking. This is an exciting development
taking the latest in catastrophe modeling
to the underwriters desktop. Average
Annual Loss calculations are now used
by the leading insurers to price risks.
Using expected loss values can ensure
that you are getting adequate rate,
and not under pricing catastrophe prone
risks. Probable Maximum Loss numbers
can help insurers to understand
the impact of a property on capacity.
Individual results can be obtained for
buildings, contents and time.
For anyone who has been looking to use
AAL and PML information in underwriting
or at the point of sale, this is a huge
development. Both AAL and PML
information can be returned by entering
in an address and filling out a few
extra fields. These results are
returned along with the rest of your
reports in just seconds! Furthermore,
this information also available through
the integrated RiskMeter services for
real time, straight through processing.
On Thursday, September 24,
2009 at 2pm (EDT) representatives
from EQECAT and RiskMeter will be holding
a Webex to demonstrate and discuss these
new features. We have a limited
number of seats for this event.
To secure your spot, please register
here or contact
Dan Munson, Founder, RiskMeter at 617.737.4444 or
Email
|
RiskMeter's Premium Tax
Database Verified by the Kentucky Department of
Insurance
|
|
CDS Business Mapping, LLC.,
a leader in online hazard mapping, is
pleased to announce its RiskMeter Online
Premium Tax Report has been verified
by the Kentucky Department of Insurance.
This report was created in response
to Bill HB 524, which requires insurers
to use a verified electronic risk location
system to assess premium taxes by January
1, 2010.
Despite best intentions, assigning policies
to the wrong tax jurisdictions has been
a major issue for insurers who write
business in Kentucky, and has resulted
in class action lawsuits, as well as
insurers having to pay fines due to
over/under charging for premium taxes.
The RiskMeter Online has automated this
process and by simply typing in an address,
it's possible to append the correct
premium tax code, city
code, city name, county and fips code
to each policy. Furthermore, it's
also possible to display tax rates and
run multiple addresses through our batch
processing Web site.
"Paying the correct premium taxes on
homeowners' policies is a very labor
intensive endeavor for insurers," explains
James Munson, Director of Consulting
Services, RiskMeter Online. "Between
all of the administrative functions
of assigning a policy to the correct
tax jurisdiction, IT departments throughout
the insurance industry are bogged down
by various long term projects.
Since RiskMeter is Web-based all of
the data is stored on our servers and
any tax jurisdiction updates will done
on our end."
The RiskMeter Online offers premium
tax reports for eleven states (including
Kentucky for over seven years) to help
insurers quickly and accurately assign
tax jurisdictions. For more information
on this report, please contact Jamie
Munson, Director of Consulting Services
at 860.854.6125 or
Email
|
Featured
WebEx: FirstBest Systems, Inc &
RiskMeter Online Integration
Seminar
|
|
|
The
RiskMeter Online and its partners
are committed to streamlining the
underwriting process for insurers.
On Thursday, October 15, 2009 at
2pm (EDT), representatives from
FirstBest and RiskMeter will perform
a live demo of FirstBest's UMS Version
2.0, which has been integrated with
the RiskMeter Online.
If
you're not familiar with FirstBest
Systems Inc., they deliver advanced
Underwriting Management Systems (UMS)
that enable Insurance companies to
write more business and write better
business. FirstBest's UMS combines
a next-generation underwriting workstation
with a point-of-sale agency portal
for commercial lines carriers.
Agents and underwriters just need
to enter an address into UMS 2.0 and
it will automatically download natural
hazard information from RiskMeter.
Many insurers find their underwriters
and agents having to spend a majority
of time gathering information from
different systems, maintaining files
and answering questions from various
parties. FirstBest's UMS Version
2.0, released in November 2008, offers
underwriters full, rules-driven straight-through
processing (STP), including flexible
online quotes for agents. The system
provides unprecedented online functionality
to agents, including online quotes
and binders, to make it as easy as
possible for them to do business with
carriers.
There
are a limited number of seats for this
event. To secure your spot, please
register here
or contact Val Feeney, Business Partnership
Manager at 617.737.4444
or
Email
|
Distance to Closest Levee
Report for CA and LA Coming
Soon!
|
|
Levees are used all around
the United States to prevent river and
coastal flooding. Unfortunately,
as we learned from past events, levees
in Louisiana and Sacramento are prone
to breaching and failures. That's
why CDS will soon be adding a distance
to closest levee report for CA (mainly
Sacramento area) and LA. By simply
typing in an address, users will be
able to find out the distance to closest
levee, name of levee, protection (river
or coastal) and in some cases levee
height.
Currently, the distance to closest levee
report is available for testing and
we are planning to add more states in
the future. For more information about
this report, please contact Dan Munson,
Founder, RiskMeter Online at 617.737.4444 or
Email
|
| RiskMeter Partners with
Intuitive Web Solutions |
|
RiskMeter is proud to announce
that it has formed an alliance with
Intuitive Web Solutions (IWS), a company
that provides quoting and application
systems to insurance companies. IWS
quoting systems are known for being
attractive and functional for agents,
while providing one-click integration
with third party vendors and automatic
underwriting. IWS will also support
RiskMeter reports in BriteCore™, a comprehensive
web-based insurance processing system
to be released in January of 2010. This
partnership will allow IWS users to
automatically pre-fill natural hazard
risk data for over 30 reports, including
Distance to Coast & Fire Station,
FEMA Flood Zones, Storm Surge, Crime,
etc.-into quoting system forms.
Many underwriters and agents spend endless
hours gathering information from different
systems, maintaining files, and answering
questions from various parties.
This partnership will reduce the back
and forth cycle between underwriters
and agents and eliminate duplicate data
entry, without requiring your IT department
to take on another project!
For more information on this partnership,
please contact Val Feeney, Business
Partnership Manager at 617.737.4444 or
Email
|
| AL Wind Pool Update
|
|
On July 1, 2009 the
Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association's new
rating zones will be effective. CDS has made
these changes and they will be live on RiskMeter
at the end of June. Currently, when a policy
falls into a wind pool zone, it falls into one of
three (Gulf Front, Coast or Beach) territories. As
of July 1, 2009 the revised wind pool zones are as
follows:
Zone 1 - Formerly
Gulf front
Zone
2 - Formerly Beach minus City of Mobile
Zone 3
- City of Mobile
Zone 4 - Formerly
Coast minus City of Mobile
For more
information about these changes, please speak with
your account executive at 617.737.4444
|
350 Sinkholes Added to
Clearinghouse
|
|
CDS is proud to announce we
have just added 350 sinkholes to RiskMeter's
sinkhole database. Within the
last few months we have added 850 new sinkholes
to this database. In an effort
to provide the most comprehensive sinkhole
report for Florida, CDS is coordinating
a sinkhole clearing house for carriers.
By sharing sinkhole information, CDS
believes this will allow carriers to
have the most accurate picture of sinkhole
activity in FL. CDS has added roughly
5,000 sinkholes not available from public
sources to its database from carriers.
Missing just one of these could lead
to a very costly claim! Get involved
today!
For people who aren't familiar with
this program, here's how it works. Insurers
who submit reported sinkholes will have
access to an exclusive database, which
is comprised of our data and other carriers'
data. Taking part in this program is
a win-win situation because it will
give users a better picture of their
sinkhole risk. To find out more about
this program, contact Jamie Munson at
860.854.6125 or
Email
|
| New Batch Enhancements are
Live! |
|
For those of you who aren't
familiar with the RiskMeter Online batch
service, it allows users to run multiple
addresses or schedules, without the
need to type in each address individually.
RiskMeter's batch feature enables users
to upload a file and get the results
emailed back in spreadsheet form anytime, anywhere.
Over the last few months CDS has made
some enhancements to the RiskMeter Online
Batch Web site, including:
- Option to save results as an
Excel spreadsheet
- Internal RiskMeter code deleted
from results
- Current batch users can click
on a link in RiskMeter and it
will automatically log them into
the batch site
- Ability to add Geocoding Accuracy
column
- Option to add Latitude/Longitude
column
- Ability to click a link in the
output table to open an individual
record in RiskMeter to review
the results
CDS has just added two new tools to
the RiskMeter batch site. The
first feature will make it possible
for users to automatically upload an
Excel input file on the site.
The second enhancement is a file preview
feature, which will alert users if there
are any formatting problems before submission.
For more information, please contact
Dan Munson at 617.737.4444 or
Email
|
| Base Flood Elevation to be
Added to Flood Reports |
|
When it comes to analyzing
and pricing flood risk, one crucial
element of the equation is knowing the
Base Flood Elevation (BFE). Whether
a property falls into or out of a flood
zone, the BFE can provide insurers with
insight into how much damage a property
may suffer from a 1% or 100 year flood.
Within the next few weeks CDS will be
adding the BFE to RiskMeter's Flood
reports. These are the actual
BFE's printed on the map panels.
This addition should make it easier
to analyze and price flood risk.
For more information, please speak with
Ryan Turgeon at 617.737.4444 or
Email
|
| What Reports Does
RiskMeter Online Offer? |
|
| As you may know, the
RiskMeter Online continues to add additional
reports as we see a need. We have recently
added reports like storm surge, wind speed maps
for additional states, online batch tool and new
background images. We also know that your
needs change over time, as you add lines, enter
new states or refine your underwriting guidelines.
To see a complete list of
reports, please view here.
If you need additional information or would
like to test drive a report for free, please
contact Ryan Turgeon at
617.737.4444 or rturgeon@cdsys.com |
| Upcoming Events - Meet the
CDS Team! |
|
| RiskMeter Online will be attending
or exhibiting at the following upcoming
conferences. Whether you're a customer
or prospect, we'd love to meet with
you onsite at these exceptional events!
Don't hesitate to stop by our booth
or if you wish to schedule an appointment,
please contact Daniel Munson (Email)
or Bradley Sherwin (Email)
at 617.737.4444
AAMGA
UFO
September 10-12, 2009 * Williamsburg,
VA
CSC Connect
September 14-17, 2009 * Lake
Buena Vista, FL
NAMIC Annual Convention
September 20-23, 2009 * Atlanta,
GA
AgencyPort User Conference
September 27-30, 2009 * Chatham,
MA
Napslo Annual Conference
October 7-10, 2009 * Orlando, FL
Target
Markets Ninth Annual Summit
October 26-28, 2009 * Scottsdale,
AZ
Massachusetts Association
of Insurance Agents
October 29 - November 1, 2009 *
Boston, MA
AAMGA Mid-Year
November 12-14, 2009 * Marco Island,
FL
|
| Online Training
Schedule |
|
In order to help you utilize the
RiskMeter Online more effectively,
we are now offering complimentary
training to all RiskMeter Online customers.
This is a great way for your organization
to have its most pressing questions
answered, learn about various risk
reports and discover how to utilize
cutting-edge features, such as: Birdseye
Geocoding, One Click
Ruler and Manual
Placement. To register
for an upcoming Webcast, click on
one of the links below or for more
information, please contact Ryan Turgeon
at 617.737.4444 or
Email
Western
RisksWednesday, August 26, 2009 2:00
PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
InfoNational
RisksWednesday, September 2,
2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
InfoWestern
RisksWednesday, September 9,
2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
InfoNational
RisksWednesday, September 16,
2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
InfoWestern
RisksWednesday, September 23,
2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
InfoFeatured
WebEx: New EQECAT Earthquake
ReportsThursday, September 24,
2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
InfoNational
RisksWednesday, September 30,
2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
InfoFeatured
WebEx: FirstBest & RiskMeter Online
IntegrationThursday, October 15,
2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Event
Info |
Welcome to Our Newest
Customers &
Partners
|
|
Carriers
- Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation
- New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance
- Piedmont Insurance Company
- Universal North
America
MGAs/Wholesale
Brokers
- Burns & Wilcox (Fresno, CA)
- Burns & Wilcox (Sacramento, CA)
- Burns & Wilcox (Scottsdale,
AZ)
Agents & Brokers
- Arthur J
Gallagher/Restaurant First (Clearwater,
FL)
- Ransom
Insurance Agency
- Thuilot
Insurance Agency
Other
Partners
- Intuitive Web Solutions
(IWS)
|
| New Integrated
Customers |
|
RiskMeter is excited to
announce that these companies have integrated the
RiskMeter into their underwriting or quoting
systems.
- American Management Corporation
- Ameriprise Auto & Home
- Cladium/Sawgrass
Mutual
- Gulfstream
- Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation
- New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance
- Southern Fidelity/Preferred Managing Agency
- Universal North America
As you
know, there is a big trend towards straight
through processing, and making it easier to do
business. Integrating the RiskMeter into
your systems can make you much more efficient,
reduce your costs, ensure validated data, and make
it easier for your business partners to do
business with you. Dozens of companies have
already integrated with the RiskMeter, and we're
working with our vendor partners to bring
RiskMeter functionality into off-the-shelf quoting
and underwriting systems as
well.
|
| Request a Hardcopy of the
Newsletter |
|
Having a hard time managing your
inbox? You can now receive the
RiskMeter Newsletter via regular mail.
Just send an Email to Paul Ptashnick
at Email
and a hardcopy will be sent to you. |
| Contacts |
|
|
Daniel Munson, Founder and VP of Sales &
Marketing
Tel: 617.737.4444
Jamie Munson, Director of Consulting
Services
Tel: 860.854.6125
Bradley Sherwin, Sales Manager
Tel: 617.737.4444
Val Feeney, Business Partnership
Manager
Tel: 617.737.4444
David Poitras, Account Executive
Tel: 617.737.4444
Monique Audette, Account Executive
Tel: 617.737.4444
Wendy Corr, Account Manager
Tel: 617.737.4444
Ryan Turgeon, Support, Training and Customer
Service
Tel: 617.737.4444
|
| Questions or
Comments? |
|
|
If you would like more information on any of
the topics discussed in this newsletter, please
contact Daniel Munson, Founder, RiskMeter Online
at 617.737.4444 or
dmunson@cdsys.com |
| Please Add Us to
Your Safe Senders List
|
|
|
In order to ensure you receive the RiskMeter
newsletter in your inbox, please make sure to add
the RiskMeter Online into your Safe Senders or
Safe Recipients list. If you're not sure how
to do this, please follow the steps below.
- In the newsletter Email, click on the
outlook actions menu (located between tools and
help)
- Select Junk Email
- Scroll down to "Add Sender to Safe Senders
List" and click on it
- Click "Ok"
button
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