DELIVERY STRATEGIES BRIEFS

MetLife (New York) subsidiary Paragon Life Insurance Co. (St. Louis) has launched new two Web sites to provide group variable universal life customers greater service and access. The carrier's e-Enrollment site allows eligible individuals the ability to make certain life insurance and separate account fund allocations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its e-Service site offers participants online, around-the-clock customer service options.

CNA Trust (Costa Mesa, CA) re-launched its Web site, www.cnatrust.com, adding account access for participants, employers and partners. The site facilitates simplified monitoring of retirement accounts for the company's individual participants and plan sponsors, as well as record-keeping partners, including companies in the insurance, mutual fund and money management arena.

A growing number of mutual fund companies' Web sites allow existing clients to purchase funds directly over the Internet, but don't extend the capability to new clients, says a report from DGL Consultants (Richford, VT). Among the report's findings are that few companies use mutual fund Web sites to cross-sell other investment products and services, and that first-tier group companies are more likely to provide greater channel-specific support. The study also reports that most insurance-owned companies use a domain name emphasizing their mutual funds.

Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio