Windows in Financial Services

The demands placed on actuarial software have never been higher, thanks to a combination of the evolving regulatory environment and advances in modeling techniques. What is more, the pressure being put on organizations’ IT resources to cope with these changes will only become more intense. The solution though lies in leveraging an enterprise-level high-performance computing [...]

As investment decisions grow increasingly complex, insurance firms and other institutions seek faster and
more comprehensive financial accounting and reporting around their holdings. Northern Trust is finding an answer for its clients in an outsourcing solution based on Windows software from Pendo Systems, Inc.”
In today’s challenging environment, clients demand full data access and financial reporting that [...]

Heritage Managing Agency Limited, a London-based leading insurance underwriting firm, has implemented Spreadsheet Workbench, from Microsoft partner Finsbury Solutions to improve operational control and compliance of its business critical spreadsheets.
Heritage uses Excel spreadsheets to support core parts of its business. The company turned to Finsbury Solutions because it wanted a greater level of enterprise-wide audit [...]

The financial services institutions that survived the credit crisis’ first wave of casualties are reassessing their risk management practices. Windows in Financial Services spoke with Sai Sireesh Pachava, director of risk and compliance for Microsoft’s Worldwide Financial Services, to hear his perspective on what caused the crisis and what companies can do to protect themselves.
WFS: [...]

The regulatory environment may very well have put the financial services sector ahead of other industries in tapping into the benefits of Business Intelligence. As the recent financial crisis shows, however, there is still some distance to go before companies can feel confident that they are making smarter decisions at every level of the business.
The [...]

Often overlooked during an economic downturn when all eyes are focused on the budget is the role that technology investments can play in making the company a stronger, more competitive entity. Andrew Brust, chief of new technology for twentysix New York, a leading business and technology consultancy, discusses how BI can help a company realize [...]

Assurity Life Insurance Company, based in Lincoln, NE, has selected Life Portraits Enterprise Solution (ES) from Fiserv Insurance Solutions, a Microsoft Insurance Value Chain Partner, for sales illustrations including the quick launch of a complex product.
Assurity focuses on life, disability income, critical illness, long-term care and hospital indemnity insurance, annuities and retirement plans for individuals [...]

As the estimated 80 million people nationwide born between 1981 and 2001 enter the work force and become active consumers, technology will play a critical role for insurance firms recruiting those in the so-called “millennial generation” as potential employees and customers, according to a survey released by Insurity and Microsoft Corp. earlier this year.
The Insurity-Microsoft [...]

For insurance companies to best address their business needs, they must be able to transform their complex transactional data into focused, clear, and relevant information. With such information at their disposal, insurers can then monitor business trends, optimize product pricing, identify profitable segments in their portfolios, and maximize profitability while minimizing exposures. While data warehousing [...]

Warren, N.J.-based Chubb Group of Insurance Companies recently implemented Applied Systems’ claims download to improve customer service and enhance its brand.
The provider of property and casualty insurance products and services has a worldwide network of some 120 offices in 28 countries. Its strategy is to build long-term relationships with its customers and its 8,500 independent [...]