A-PLUSnews
The Best Underwriting Intelligence in the Business
May 2010 • Vol. 20 No. 1
A-PLUS Auto to include error reports
TM
Every insurer knows that accurate data facilitates accurate
underwriting. That’s why you’ll be happy to learn that,
starting this month, A-PLUSTM will supply error reports to
participating auto insurers to help maximize reporting
quality.
The new service is automatic, and there is no additional
charge.
“We always quality-check the data insurers submit to us.
Now we’re taking an additional step to give those insurers
specific information on reporting errors,” says Robert H.
Smith, A-PLUS product manager.
The A-PLUS Auto database represents 94 percent of the
auto insurance industry. As Smith explains, A-PLUS will
improve that database by offering detailed error reporting.
“The reports we post will help insurers go back and fix
errors quickly,” he says. “Needless to say, each error they
fix will make the data better. Better data means improved
reports, and that helps insurers make smarter underwriting
decisions.”
How it works
Every time you submit a batch of data, A-PLUS performs
quality checks. If the quality checks produce reporting
errors, A-PLUS will post details of those errors to a secure
FTP site.
The error report will include a claim number, policy
number, and error description. For example, a missing last
name will generate the description “blank last name error.”
The report will remain on the site for 60 days, giving
you ample time to investigate errors.
“A-PLUS and its clients share a common goal: better
data,” says Smith. “By adding the error report feature,
we’re making it easier for insurers to enhance data quality.
In the long run, we all benefit.”
For more information…
…please contact Robert H. Smith by telephone at
201-469-3167 or send e-mail to [email protected].
New policy and loss types for property reporting
A-PLUSTM has added 10 policy types and 12 loss types to
its property reporting. The new categories are the latest in
an ongoing A-PLUS initiative to offer unparalleled flexibility and granularity in its reporting.
“A-PLUS continues to explore new policy and loss types
to strengthen its database and offer customers a variety of
reporting options,” says Dorothy Ziegelbauer, A-PLUS
product development manager.
The A-PLUS Property database represents more than
95 percent of the industry in premium volume. A-PLUS
Property Reports include information on the applicant’s
past claims as well as other losses at the risk location. The
reports may also contain details about workers compensation payments and medical payments.
Among the new policy types are seven different commercial liability categories, including D&O, employment
practices, and builders risk. The new loss types include a
mix of both commercial and personal categories, from
workers compensation medical to personal injury (nonauto).
Ziegelbauer explains that the new contribute-to-receive
fields will help enhance your reporting power, thus improving
the data you receive. She reiterates that A-PLUS is always
receptive to suggestions for new reporting categories.
“A-PLUS and its participating insurers benefit from the
collective data reporting of the insurance industry,” she
says. “By reaching out to suggest new reporting categories,
you may be opening the door for other insurers to report
the same data. That, in turn, will improve the service
A-PLUS provides you.”
If you have a suggestion for a new policy or loss type,
you can share your feedback by sending e-mail to
[email protected].
For more information…
…please contact Dorothy Ziegelbauer by telephone at
201-469-3601 or send e-mail to [email protected].
NEW A-PLUS POLICY TYPES
Code
BR
CP
CRIM
DO
EL
EO
EPLY
PROF
UMEL
UMPK
Description
builders risk
commercial property
crime
directors and officers liability
employer’s liability
errors and omissions liability
employment practices liability
professional liability
umbrella employer’s liability
umbrella package or general liability
NEW A-PLUS LOSS TYPES
Code
BINONAUTO
BOILER
COMPOPS
EMPLOYEE
EPLY
FIRELL
MINE
PINONAUTO
ROBBERY
VOLCANO
WCIDEM
WCMED
Description
bodily injury liability (nonauto)
boiler and machinery
completed operations liability
employee dishonesty
employment practices liability
fire legal liability
mine subsidence
personal injury (nonauto)
robbery
volcano
workers compensation indemnity
workers compensation medical
Use QuickFill to get A-PLUS …and a whole lot more
®
TM
Available for use with most A-PLUSTM services, QuickFill®
is a fast, efficient way to get A-PLUS data — and much
more — for both property and auto insurance premium
quotes. Use QuickFill to prefill your insurance quote
applications, or integrate the data into any point of the
policy life cycle. QuickFill gives you access to the most
comprehensive underwriting information in the industry.
In addition to A-PLUS data, you get:
• on-site, verified building information, including square
footage and year built
• natural catastrophe data, including hurricane, earthquake,
and wildfire
2
• estimated replacement costs
• risk-hazard data, such as fire protection (including
PPCTM), building code enforcement, and distance to
coast or major body of water
• vehicle annual mileage and use (e.g., commute indicator)
You’ll streamline the quoting process, reduce acquisition
costs, increase the number of quotes that convert to active
policies, and improve premium accuracy.
To learn about other ISO services available through
QuickFill, go to www.iso.com/quickfill.
A perfect fit: Get tailored results from A-PLUS
When you purchase A-PLUSTM Auto
or Property Reports, you gain access
to an unparalleled amount of losshistory information. But when it
comes to making the best underwriting decisions, sometimes less is more.
That’s why A-PLUS reminds you that
you have the option to tailor your
reporting results.
“At A-PLUS, we do believe more
data is always better, but that might
not be the case for some insurers,”
says Chillie Simmons, A-PLUS product manager. “Some A-PLUS clients
would rather have less data to examine, so they opt for tailored results.”
What are tailored results?
A-PLUS lists several types of losses,
coverages, and other risk-related
information that participating insurers can block from their A-PLUS
reports.
For auto reporting, you can choose
to block any of more than a dozen
coverage types, including liability,
rental reimbursement, and towing.
You can also specify other reporting
filters, including number of claims,
minimum dollar amount, or the duration (in months) of the data.
For property reporting, you can
elect to block more than a dozen loss
types, including commercial multi-
peril, employer’s liability, and workers
compensation. You have three choices
to tailor the “history of risk address”
option, and you can set a limit on the
number of matches for each search.
TM
Why would you want less data?
By blocking certain information, you
can focus on claims that better serve
your particular underwriting needs.
Tailored results streamline the underwriting process by reducing the distraction of unwanted information.
For example, you may want to
focus on auto claims that include collision, comprehensive, and personal
injury. Without tailored results, you’d
have to spend time wading through
other claims, like towing or glass. You
can become much more efficient by
tailoring your A-PLUS reports.
“Insurers can change their selections
at any time — and at no extra cost,”
Simmons explains. “It’s a good option
to keep in mind, should your underwriting needs change.”
For more information…
…or to receive tailored results forms,
please contact Chillie Simmons by
telephone at 201-469-3172 or send
e-mail to [email protected]. You
can also contact your A-PLUS sales
representative.
Nevada web-based ALIR goes live
In March, Nevada joined the growing list of states
that require an electronic form of Automobile Liability
Insurance Reporting (ALIR). If you’re an insurer that
already participates in Coverage VerifierSM, you know that
CV-ALIR® will handle the recent change — or any future
change — to your ALIR requirements automatically. If
you don’t participate, now is the perfect time to explore
what CV-ALIR can do for your business.
“CV-ALIR does more than just fulfill your company’s
reporting requirements to the DMV. It also becomes an
important tool when a state changes its requirements. If
you write auto policies in multiple states with multiple
ALIR requirements, the service is even more useful,” says
James Levendusky, A-PLUSTM product manager.
CV-ALIR is the simplest and most cost-effective way
to stay in compliance and report automobile coverage to
DMVs. The service will automatically process your company’s data according to each state’s requirements, including
receipt and deformatting of state-returned and stateinitiated transactions.
Changes to state reporting formats, like those in
Nevada, have no impact on the CV-ALIR service. CV-ALIR
has a special web services application that automatically
obtains verification of auto insurance from the Coverage
VerifierSM database. The web services application provides
a secure portal for you to view the history of a policy and
add insurance verification immediately when needed.
For more information…
…please contact James Levendusky by telephone at
201-469-3173 or send e-mail to [email protected].
3
ISO
CUSTOMER
CONFERENCE
2010
Make plans to join us at ISO Customer Conference 2010,
October 24 to 26, at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at
Universal Orlando®.
The conference will let you:
• stay up to date with emerging issues and industry trends
• discover practical applications for ISO products and
services and how to use them more efficiently in your job
• network with colleagues
• learn about new ISO products and updates to existing
products
• provide feedback and ask questions about our products
and services
Who should attend?
The conference is ideal for managers, directors, and executives in all disciplines within the property/casualty industry,
including claims, underwriting, data management, business development, marketing, regulatory, and actuarial
professionals. The ISO Customer Conference is open only
to ISO customers and invited guests.
Registration and fees
The early registration fee of $750 will be in effect until
Monday, August 2, 2010. Between August 3 and October 8,
the registration fee will be $850. The on-site registration
fee will be $950.
For more information…
…visit www.iso.com, click on “Conferences,” and follow
the link for the ISO Customer Conference.
A-PLUS and Coverage Verifier lead the way
TM
Loss-history and other policy-level information is critical
to the insurance industry. That’s why A-PLUSTM and
Coverage VerifierSM make it a priority to grow the industry’s
largest collections of data. The databases for A-PLUS Auto
and Property and Coverage Verifier remain the industry
leaders in contribution, explains A-PLUS general manager
Steven Craig.
“Few companies come close to the level of our databases,”
says Craig. “For auto, that means loss-history information
from 1,018 companies. For property, our data comes from
1,443 contributors. What’s more, our Coverage Verifier
database collects contributions from 474 companies —
that represents 73 percent of the personal auto market.”
A-PLUS is the industry’s largest loss-history database,
representing the broadest mix of contributors, including
SM
insurance companies, managing general agents, joint
underwriting associations, FAIR Plans, and other insurance pools around the country.
Coverage Verifier provides the most complete history of
risk available in the industry today. The system supplies a
wealth of policy-level information — information you can
use to verify coverage representations and make better
underwriting decisions.
For more information…
…please contact your A-PLUS sales representative. You can
also contact Steven Craig by telephone at 201-469-3174
or send e-mail to [email protected].
H O L I D AY S C H E D U L E 2 0 1 0
ISO has the following holidays scheduled for the
remainder of 2010. All ISO offices nationwide will be
closed for these observances:
4
545 Washington Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1686
www.iso.com
© ISO Services, Inc., 2010. ISO, the ISO logo, and QuickFill are registered trademarks
and PPC is a trademark of Insurance Services Office, Inc. CV-ALIR is a registered trademark, A-PLUS is a trademark, and Coverage Verifier is a service mark of ISO Services,
Inc. All other product or corporate names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective companies.
z10007(5/10)
Memorial Day
Monday, May 31
Day after Independence Day Monday, July 5
Labor Day
Monday, September 6
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 25
Day after Thanksgiving
Friday, November 26
Christmas Eve
Friday, December 24
New Year’s Eve
Friday, December 31