A.M. Best's E-Fusion Podcast Examines Real-Time Claims Information With Clinton Libbey of Harvard Design and Mapping

Business Wire, Oct 10, 2006

OLDWICK, N.J. -- The latest edition of A.M. Best's E-Fusion Podcast explores how insurers are combining data about catastrophes, the weather and insurers' own coverage to produce real-time information about claims exposures, with Clinton Libbey of Harvard Design and Mapping.

The new technology involves bringing together geographical data, geographic-coded underwriting information and satellite images to analyze and track how a variety of catastrophes may be generating claims in areas in which insurers have coverage, Libbey said. Harvard Design and Mapping is a division of First American Real Estate Services, and helps monitor property portfolio on behalf of insurers' and mortgage lenders.

Potential weather claims can come from anywhere, Libbey said. "There are hotbeds. You have Tornado Alley and significant hurricane-exposed areas of the East Coast, particularly Florida, and you have earthquakes in California," Libbey said.

Harvard Design and Mapping is adding information about exposures throughout the world, a service that should help reinsurers in their risk-monitoring, Libbey said. "We aim to have a global monitoring system and we're building that out on the international side now. On the U.S. side we're nationwide."

Libbey and Harvard Design and Mapping are participating in A.M. Best's E-Fusion Conference, set for Oct. 23-24, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.

A.M. Best's E-Fusion Conference focuses on developments in insurance technology, insurance issues and operations. Part of the conference involves finalists making presentations for the E-Fusion Awards. The awards, which are independently judged, seek to recognize innovative uses of insurance technology.

In conjunction with the conference, A.M. Best Co. has launched a new podcast series focused on insurance technology and the E-Fusion Conference. The audio series covers technology developments, conference details and the E-Fusion Awards. Each episode includes an interview with a technology leader associated with the E-Fusion Conference.

Links to listen to and subscribe to the E-Fusion Podcast are available at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/e-fusion2006.> iTunes users can subscribe at: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/ viewPodcast?id=165758578. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

Conference information is available at www.efusion2006.com.

A.M. Best Co., established in 1899, is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit A.M. Best's Web site at www.ambest.com.