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Crawford Technologies Announces High-speed Document Language Translation Service 0

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Crawford Technologies Announces High-speed Document Language Translation Service

Toronto, ON (Jan. 3, 2024) – Crawford Technologies, a leading provider of innovative document solutions that streamline, improve and manage customer communications, is pleased to announce AccessibilityNow® Translate as part of its AccessibilityNow® platform. Being launched on the heels of Instant Language Assistant (ILA), the company’s accessible communication device introduced last month, AccessibilityNow Translate is Crawford Technologies’ second language translation solution designed to ensure that all individuals, regardless of language used, have access to vital information. AccessibilityNow Translate was developed to meet the needs of organizations required to comply with the 2023 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Final Rule. The mandate has set new standards for inclusivity, accessibility and equality by mandating healthcare companies deliver communications to customers in their native language where local densities exceed 5%. Addressing the requirement for organizations to remove language barriers and strengthen language access, AccessibilityNow Translate offers an enterprise communication processing (ECP) service that uses AI to translate transactional and marketing documents into over 120 native languages with very little setup required. The solution’s ability to quickly translate high volumes of documents containing PHI and PII for mail or electronic delivery makes it possible for businesses servicing customers with limited English proficiency...

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Aging Population Could be Left on the Coast as Sea Levels Rise, Study Shows

Article 0 Comments As sea levels rise in coming years, younger people will move inland, while aging populations will be stuck with the growing risk in coastal areas, a Florida State University professor and researchers have concluded. “Older populations are the least likely to migrate, and climate migration could accelerate population aging in origin areas,” reads the abstract of the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research also found that destination communities, where younger people will be moving, will need more services as populations rise, including construction, medical and other services, Associate Professor of Sociology Matt Hauer said, according to FSU and News Wise. Hauer’s research has examined the demographic impact of climate change for the past several years. The latest study looked strictly at sea-level rise. “As the percentage of the population lost due to climate migration increases, the median age also increases—up to 10+ years older in some highly impacted coastal counties,” the study notes. Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Submit No Thanks Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it. Submit...

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Morgan Stanley to Pay $249M to End Block Trade Probes

Passi’s attorney, George Canellos, said he was pleased the government didn’t pursue a criminal conviction of his client. “The settlements allow Mr. Passi and his family to move past two very difficult years of intense government scrutiny of the block trading practices on Wall Street,” he said. Block trading is one of a few Wall Street trading activities in which relationships still drive the flow of deals, and Morgan Stanley has dominated that business. Its success has also prompted some envy, and suspicion, from rivals who whispered about its practices. While the SEC began scrutinizing the activity in 2018, the first signs of a more serious probe, from prosecutors, emerged when Passi was put on leave in November 2021. Passi, who joined the firm in 2004, had risen to become the head of its US equity syndicate desk. That meant he led the bank’s communications with investors for equity transactions. In the following months, the feds picked apart Morgan Stanley’s relations across the street, scooping up communications and searching for patterns as they set about looking for signs of market manipulation. Investigators’ inquiries showed a hunt for signs, if any, that money managers placed well-timed bets before block trades that...

South Western Insurance Group acquires A.M. Fredericks Underwriting Management 0

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South Western Insurance Group acquires A.M. Fredericks Underwriting Management

Toronto, ON (Jan. 8, 2024) – South Western Insurance Group Ltd. (SWIG) has acquired A.M. Fredericks Underwriting Management Ltd. (AMFUM). This alignment will expand each business’s potential for growth and a pathway for continued success. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. This year will mark 50 years in the insurance business for Tony Fredericks, who founded AMFUM 30 years ago. Upon the close of the transaction, Tony will be retiring from the MGU space after 35 years. John A. Barclay, President and C.E.O. of SWG Group Holdings expressed, “We are honoured that Tony has entrusted us with the legacy of what he and his family built. AMFUM and SWIG are very complementary. AMFUM will bring a broad risk appetite and placement solution to our Group, and further expand our ability to solve the placement needs of our brokers.” With Tony retiring from the business, SWIG’s Chief Underwriting Officer, Ghazal Hamid has been appointed President of AMFUM. “We are excited to see Ghazal leverage his experience with SWIG and lead the business forward,” Barclay says. About South Western Insurance Group Limited South Western Group Limited is a Managing General Agent offering a broad range of insurance solutions for specialty, niche,...

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Atria Wealth Boosts Assets by $12B

Through these partnerships, financial institutions “gain access to a robust suite of products and solutions tailored to their unique needs,” according to Kevin Mummau, co-head of Atria’s Financial Institution business. “Our blend of technology, intellectual expertise and product solutions, coupled with unparalleled execution, ensures the highest level of service and support.” Atria’s new credit union partners as of 2023 are: Allegent Community Federal, Bank of Hawaii, BlueOx, Capital, Clearview Federal, Harvard University Employees, I.L.W.U. Federal, Kemba, Rave Financial (formerly Mobiloil), North Central Area, Northern, One, Polish & Slavic Federal, Vermont State Employees, We Florida Financial and West-Aircomm Federal. Credit union partnerships renewed last year include: Coastal Federal, Cornerstone Community Financial, Credit Human Federal, Firefighters First Federal, First Commonwealth Federal, Grow Financial Federal, HawaiiUSA Federal, Navy Federal, NE PA Community Federal, New England Federal, Selco Community, Skyla, University of Kentucky Federal and Water and Power Community. CUSO and Sorrento also renewed arrangements with Dedham Savings and Thumb Bank & Trust in 2023. Pictured: Brian Bichler

Blizzard Knocked out Power and Closed Highways and Ski Resorts in Oregon and Washington 0

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Blizzard Knocked out Power and Closed Highways and Ski Resorts in Oregon and Washington

Article 0 Comments A blizzard pounded mountainous areas of Oregon and Washington on Tuesday, knocking out power and prompting the closure of highways and ski resorts. The Washington Department of Transportation closed two mountain passes: U.S. Route 2, which goes through Stevens Pass, and U.S. Route 97, which goes through Blewett Pass. The department cited high winds and poor visibility for both closures. Blewett also had fallen trees while Stevens had heavy snow. The Stevens Pass ski resort in Washington posted on its blog that it got 19 inches of new snow before opening Tuesday. It closed the back side of the ski area due to snow safety concerns and plans to reopen the section when conditions allow. The largest utility in Washington state said more than 150,000 customers lost power since the start of the storm. Oregon ski resorts Mount Hood Meadows, Timberline Lodge and Skibowl all shut down their lifts, KGW-TV reported. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Washington Oregon Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Submit No Thanks Thank you! % of people found...

Blink Parametric Partners with Baloise in Cross-Industry “Parasurance” Initiative 0

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Blink Parametric Partners with Baloise in Cross-Industry “Parasurance” Initiative

Swiss financial services provider launch Blink Parametric suite of travel insurance solutions to serve its domestic market Initiative successfully brings together three leading InsurTechs in agreement to deliver on major “parasurance” initiative Cork, Ireland (Jan. 10, 2024) – Blink Parametric is pleased to announce it has partnered with Baloise, one of the largest Swiss all-industry insurance service providers for individuals and businesses. From its Basel headquarters, Baloise is rolling out Blink Parametric travel insurance solutions, namely, Flight Disruption and Delayed Luggage. Both will serve as add-on options to Baloise single trip travel insurance policies, offering real-time assistance services to travellers when they need it most. As part of the overall initiative, Baloise brings three optional parametric cover services to the market as part of its expanded holiday insurance offering. Together with the award-winning duo of Blink Parametric solutions, insurance cover against bad weather will also boost the existing Baloise holiday insurance offer, which already covers cancellation costs, luggage and hire car insurance. Today’s successful launch is the culmination of close co-operation between Baloise and specialist InsurTechs, Blink Parametric, Wetterheld and KASKO. Sid Mouncey, CEO of Blink Parametric, “This is an exciting project and partnership for us – a real collaboration...

People Moves: Donegal Names DeLamater Chief Operating Officer; Deas Succeeds Him in Field Operations 0

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People Moves: Donegal Names DeLamater Chief Operating Officer; Deas Succeeds Him in Field Operations

Article 0 Comments Donegal Insurance Group, based in Marietta, Pennsylvania, named Dan DeLamater executive vice president and chief operating officer. DeLamater has nearly 30 years of insurance industry experience, with two decades at Donegal, most recently as senior vice president and head of field operations. He previously served as head of the national accounts team. DeLamater also serves as president of Southern Mutual, a member of Donegal Insurance Group. Noland Deas will succeed DeLamater as senior vice president of field operations and national accounts. With three decades of industry experience, including 18 years at Donegal, Deas served as regional vice president of the Virginia/North Carolina region and became senior regional vice president in May 2022. He is based in Donegal’s Glen Allen office near Richmond. Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Submit No Thanks Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it. Submit No Thanks Here are more articles you may enjoy. The most important insurance news,in your inbox every business day. Get the insurance industry’s trusted newsletter

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SEC’s X Account Hacked to Falsely Say Bitcoin ETF Approved

“We can confirm that the account @SECGov was compromised and we have completed a preliminary investigation. Based on our investigation, the compromise was not due to any breach of X’s systems. but rather due to an unidentified individual obtaining control over a phone number… .” — Safety (@Safety) January 10, 2024 The SEC didn’t immediately respond to an emailed message sent outside regular business hours seeking comment on X’s initial assessment. Meanwhile, Republican Senators JD Vance and Thom Tillis in a letter demanded an explanation for the SEC’s “errant” post. They are seeking a briefing by the SEC and answers to questions no later than Jan. 23. Decision Due About a dozen companies have applied to list ETFs backed by Bitcoin in the U.S. The SEC has until Jan. 10 to take action on at least one of those applications, and crypto insiders have speculated the regulator will use that date to announce a slew of decisions at once. There are two technical requirements that must be fulfilled before a spot-backed Bitcoin ETF can start trading. First, the SEC must sign off on so-called 19b-4 filings by the exchanges that would list the ETFs. Second, the regulator must approve the relevant S-1 forms,...

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New Contractor Rule to Be Unveiled Soon That Could Upend Gig Economy

Article 0 Comments The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will release a final rule as soon as this week that will make it more difficult for companies to treat workers as independent contractors rather than employees that typically cost a company more, an administration official said. The U.S. Department of Labor rule, which was first proposed in 2022 and is likely to face legal challenges, will require that workers be considered employees entitled to more benefits and legal protections than contractors when they are “economically dependent” on a company. A range of industries will likely be affected by the rule, which will take effect later this year, but its potential impact on app-based services that rely heavily on contract workers has garnered the most attention. Shares of Uber Technologies, Lyft and DoorDash all tumbled at least 10% when the draft rule was proposed in October 2022. Shares of DoorDash closed nearly 4% higher at $98.52 on Monday, while Lyft shares gained 5.8% to close at $13.55 and Uber stock closed 2.5% higher at $59.01. The rule will likely decrease flexibility for workers, resulting in lost opportunities to earn money, according to Marc Freedman, vice president at the U.S. Chamber...