Delivery Strategies Briefs

Insurance.com (Newton, MA) has entered into three new alliances to offer customers access to extended warranty protection for automobiles, travel insurance for US residents, and pet healthcare insurance. A deal with Warrantybynet.com (Brick, NJ) offers access to warranties for anyone buying a new or pre-owned vehicle, including coverage for all makes and models of cars, trucks motorcycles. Through WorldTravelCenter.com, operated by Alexandria, VA-based Insuractive, Insurance.com offers access to travel insurance plans from nine providers, with protection for US residents traveling domestically and abroad. Customers interested in pet insurance will be able to obtain free quotes and purchase coverage by calling Insurance.com's toll free customer service line, by virtue of an arrangement with Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI, Brea, CA). VPI policies cover more than 6,400 medical conditions for a wide range of animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and snakes. Policies are available in 50 states, and pet owners can seek veterinary care worldwide.

LaGrange, GA-based FLAG Bank's FLAG Financial Services division announced an exclusive partnership with national employee benefits broker Digital Insurance, Inc. Under the co-brokered agreement, Digital Insurance will service FLAG Bank's new and current small business health insurance customers with 25 or fewer employees. Digital Insurance (Atlanta) focuses on the small business market and combines traditional offline support with a central call center staffed with licensed health insurance professionals and Web-based technology.

The Securities Industry Association (SIA, New York) released the 2002 edition of a telemarketing guide to help financial services firms comply with telemarketing regulations. As in the case of insurance regulation, telemarketing is regulated on a state-by-state basis, and regulations change frequently, according to the SIA. The guide outlines which states have more restrictive calling hours than federal regulations; which exempt the securities industry from do-not-call lists; registration for companies soliciting business over the telephone; and new legislation under consideration.

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