Computerized insurance premium quote request and policy issuance system

What is claimed is:

1. A computerized insurance system for preparing and processing applications for insurance and premium quotations, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said system comprising:

processing means, including an interactive data bank into which data is written and from which data is read, said data bank storing information regarding a risk to be insured, client information, insurance premium information and the full text of all contract provisions

terminal means for interactively communicating on-line with said processing means and accessibly by an operator to produce requestes and to enter information and/or retrieve information for writing into and/or reading from said data bank;

display means for displaying information that is entered and retrieved;

merging means included in said processing means for reading out from said data bank selected client information and only the text data of those contract provisions which apply to the particular contract and merging said read out client information and said read out particularized text data to compile final insurance contract documents tailored to each client; and

print means coupled to said merging means for printing said final insurance contracts.

2. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 which further comprises underwriter review means for electronic video display to the underwriter of risk and client information that has been written into said data bank and including manually operable means for approving, modifying and/or disproving requested insurance contacts.

3. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 further comprising error analysis means for comparing information entered by an operator with information stored in said data bank to detect the presence of errors in the entered information and/or the need to enter additional information.

4. A computerized insurance system as in claim 3 further comprising means for controlling said display means to display detected errors add/or detected need for additional information.

5. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 which further comprises means for enabling access to said data bank in response to predetermined information entered at said terminal means by said operator.

6. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 wherein the risk insured relates to an automobile.

7. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 wherein the risk insured relates to a dwelling.

8. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 wherein the risk insured relates to personal liability coverage.

9. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 wherein the risk insured relates to excess liability coverage.

10. A computerized insurance system as in claim 1 wherein the risk insured relates to watercraft.

11. A computerized insurance system for preparing and processing applications for insurance and premium quotations, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said system comprising:

processing means, including an interactive data bank into which data is written and from which data is read, said data bank storing information regarding a risk to be insured, client information, insurance premium information and the full text of contract provisions

terminal means for interactively communicating on-line with said processing means and accessible by an operator to enter information and/or retrieve information for writing into or reading from said interactive data bank, said terminal means being further operable to produce a premium quote request;

display means for displaying information and data written into and/or read from said data bank;

means for calculating insurance premiums in said processing means in response to a premium quote request produced at said terminal means by said operator;

means for displaying said calculated premium quotes at said display means for client approval and/or disapproval; and

document formation means for combining, upon receipt of client approval, data from said data bank to generate insurance contract documents tailored to said client.

12. A computerized insurance system as in claim 11 wherein said document formation means comprises:

merging means for combining client information with predetermined text data to produce a portion of the insurance contract documents; and

sequencing means for positioning said portions into predetermined format.

13. A computerized insurance system for preparing and processing applications for insurance and premium quotations, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said system comprising:

processing means, including an interactive data bank into which data is written and from which data is read, said data bank storing information regarding a risk to be insured, client information, insurance premium information and predetermined text data for incorporation into insurance contracts;

terminal means for interactively communicating on-line with said processing means and accessible by an operator to produce requests and to enter information and/or retrieve information for writing into and /or reading from said interactive data bank;

display means for displaying information and data written into and/or read from said data bank;

screen prompting means for transmitting data representing a common application form to said disllay means for display thereat and for use by said operator in formulating a policy application and/or a premium quote;

means for calculating insuracne premiums in said processing means in response to a request by said operator, said calcllating means incorporating client and risk information in said data bank to generate a premium quote;

document formation means for combining data from said data bank to generate insurance contract documents tailored to said client; and

print means communicating with said document formation means for printing said insurance contract.

14. a computerized insurance system as in claim 8 which further comprises means for providing electronic video display of the insurance contract documents for final approval, modification and/or disapproval by an underwriter.

15. A computerized insurance system as in claim 14 which further comprises keyboard means for communicating with said processing means, said keyboard means being operable by said underwriter to approve, modify or disapprove said insurance contract documents.

16. A computerized insurance system as in claim 13 wherein said screen prompting means further comprises highlighting means for transmitting to said display means highlight data for indicating predetermined items of information on the displayed common application form which must be provided in order to comply with a respective request entered by said operator.

17. A method of operating a computerized insurance system for preparing and processing insurance application and premium quotations, and for preparing an writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in an interactive data bank, into which data is written and from which data is read, client information, risk information, insurance premium information and predetermined text data for incorportation into insurance contracts; the data bank storing and the system processing insurance related to different coverages,

operating a terminal, which interactively communicates on-line with said data bank, to enter and retrieve information and data for writing into and reading from said data bank;

displaying information and data written into and/or read from said data bank;

transmitting to said terminal application data for display thereat in response to information entered at said terminal;

combining information entered at said terminal with data stored in said data bank to generate premium quote information;

displaying said premium quote information at said terminal for client approval and/or disapproval;

correlating client data in said data bank, data entered at said terminal, and predetermined text data to create insurance contract documents tailored to individual clients; and

printing said tailored contract documents.

18. A method as in claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

electronically displaying said insurance contract documents to an underwriter for aprroval, modification and/or disapproval;

transmitting data representing approval, modification and/or disapproval to said data bank to store approval, modification and/or disapproval of said documents; and

electronically indicating the approval, modification and/or disapproval of said documents.

19. A method as in claim 17 wherein the step of transmitting application data to said terminal further includes the steps of:

analyzing the information entered at said terminal into said data bank against data stored in said data bank for the presence of errors in the entered information and/or for the need to enter additional information; and

highlighting said displayed application data to indicate the presence of errors and/or the need to enter additional information.

20. A method as in claim 17 wherein the application data transmitted to said terminal includes selected application information which, when displayed, constitutes an application form, and includes selected premium quote information which, when displayed, constitutes a premium quote form.

21. A computerized insurance system for preparing and processing applications for insurance and premium quotations, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said system comprising:

processing means, including an interactive data bank into which data is written and from which data is read, said data bank storing information regarding a risk to be insured, client information, insurance premium information and the full text of all contract provisions

terminal means for interactively communicating on-line with said processing means and accessible by an operator to produce requests and to enter information and/or retrieve information for writing into and/or reading from said data bank;

display means for displaying information that is entered and retrieved;

merging means included in said processing means for reading out from said data bank selected client information and only the text data of those contract provisions which apply to a particular contract and merging said read out client information and said read out particularized text data to compile final insurance contract documents tailored to each client;

means for integrating endorsement information into the contracts; and

print means coupled to said merging means for printing said final insurance contracts integrating said selected client information and predetermined text data, said read out client information and said read out out text data and said endorsement information.

22. A computerized insurance system as in claim 21 which further copprises underwriter review means for displaying risk and client information that has been written into said data bank and including manually operable means for approving, modifying and/or disproving requested insurance contracts.

23. A computerized insurance system for preparing and processing applications for insurance and premium quotations, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said system comprising:

processing means, including an interactive data bank into which data is written add from which data is read, said data bank storing information regarding a risk to be insured, client information, insurance premium information and the full text of all contract provisions

terminal means for interactively communicating on-line with said processing means and accessible by an operator to produce requests and to enter information and/or retrieve information for writing into and/or reading from said interactive data bank;

display means for displaying information that is entered an retrieved;

means for automatically detectin;g certain predetermined criteria relating to the insured risk to trigger underwriter review only if those criteria are met

merging means incIuded in said processing means for reading out from said data bank selected client information and only the text data of the those contract provisions which apply to a paraticular contract and merging said read out client information and said read out particularized text data to compile final insurance contract documents tailored to each client; and

print means coupled to said merging means for printing said final insurance contracts:

24. A computerized insurance system for preparing and processing applications for insurance and premium quotations, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said system comprising:

processing means, including an interactive data bank into which data is written and from which data is read, said data bank storing information regarding a risk to be insured, client information, insurance premium information and the full text of all contract provisions

terminal means for interactively communicating on-line with said processing means and accessible by an operator to enter information and/or retrieve information for writing into or reading from said interactive data bank, said terminal means being further operabl to produce a premium quote request;

display means for displaying information and data written into and/or read from said data bank;

means for automatically requesting certain predetermined reports from no-system sources depending upon the type of risk that is insured and/or the amount of insurance that is requested; and

means for displaying said predetermined reports at said display means.

25. A method for computerized preparation and processing of insurance applications and premium quotations, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in an interactive data bank, into which data is written and from which data is read client information, risk information, insurance premium information and the full text of all contract provisions;

operating a terminal, which interactively communicates on-line with said data bank which is accessible by the terminal, to enter and retrieve information and data for writing into and reading from said data bank;

displaying information and data written into and/or read from said data bank;

transmitting to said terminal application data for display thereat in response to information entered at said terminal;

combining information entered at said terminal with data stored in said interactive data bank to generate premium quote information;

intergrating endorsemen information into the contracts;

displaying said premium quote information at said terminal for client approval and/or disapproval;

correlating client data in said interactive data bank, data entered at said terminal, text data of only those contract provisions which apply to a particular contract and endorsement information to create insurance contract documents tailored to individual clients; and

printing said tailored contract documents.

Description Submit all comments and votes

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a computerized system for preparing and processing applications and premium quotations for insurance coverage, and for preparing and writing insurance contracts requested by clients.

Prior to the invention described below, insurance underwriting has been conducted primarily by manually reviewing and evaluating voluminous and often redundant client information and application forms. These forms are normally supplied by each insurance company to individual agents in the field and must be updated and/or replaced periodically in response to changes in individual company's standards or legislative enactments in the state in which the insured risk resides. Typically, each insurance transaction, application, or request for information requires a separate document to be filled out by the client and/or agent. Due to the general nature of these forms, much of the information entered by the client or the agent is redundant and serves only to contribute to the tremendous volume of paper which must be transmitted and reviewed in order to create an average insurance policy. When changes and supplements to information previously given by the client are necessary, even more forms and duplicate information are generated, which further contribute to the mass of information previously submitted. This is because, in order to transmit new information to the proper file, these change or supplement forms require the entry of client and/or risk information previously submitted on application forms already in the client's file.

This system as it now exists is inefficient and time consuming for the client, the agent and the underwriter. It is especially time consuming for the underwrieer because of the volumes of forms and information that must be reviewed for errors, non sequiturs, insufficient and/or incomplete information regarding the client or the risk to be insured. If any of these deficiencies are identified, the underwriter must draft and send correspondence to the agent or the client in order to correct, clarify or supplement the underwriter files. Once the files have been placed in proper order, the specific client and risk information are manually combined into a policy which then is submitted to the individual client for his review and approval.

The policy generated by this method typically is of a standard form to which individual paragraphs or pages must be added or deleted depending upon the specific risk to be nnsured and/or the individual client. In cases where the client requests supplemental coverage or wants to add further risks to his policy, riders, or in some cases entirely new policies, must be written and resubmitted to the client for approval. These policies tend to be bulky and confusing, since their format usually is not alterable. As a result, client and risk information are fitted to the policy rather than the policy being adapted to the client and to the risk.

The Insurance Institute for esearch (IIR) has proposed a common application form for each type of personal insurance, in an attempt to overcome some of the difficulties inherent in current insurance underwriting methods. These forms theoretically could be recorded in the memory system of an agent's personal computer so that they could be filled out electronically and the data sent to an insurance carrier in a "batch" environment. As used herein, the expression "batch" means a plurality of separate insurance transactions and/or information entered during a single operation of a terminal. The basic thrust of the IIR has been the creation of standardized application forms and records which can be used with any insurance carrier and which can be sent to a carrier in a batch input record. This proposal, however, still suffers from the same problems as those encountered previously. For example, the application forms of the IIR system require the entry of client and risk identification information each time an application form is filled out; and these application forms must still be edited and reviewed by the underwriter who must continue to conduct the aforementioned error analysis as well as the insufficient or incorrect data analysis mentioned above.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a computerized insurance system which avoids the aforenoted disadvantages of prior art systems, and which can produce a finally printed document tailored to an individual client and risk.

Another object of this invention is to provide a computerized insurance system and method of operating that system, in which a common application form is filled in electronically for the dual purpose of writing an insurance policy or quoting a premium for that policy.

A further object of this invention is to provide a computerized insurance system which utilizes a cnntral computer coupled, via suitable communication channels, to various terminals and display units whereat an operator may access and supplement client and risk information on request

An additional object of this invention is to provide a computerized insurance system incorporating a central data base into which data is written and from which data is read in order to supplement a client's application, thus avoiding repetitive entry of the same information.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a computerized insurance system which can electronically display an application for the purpose of approval/disapproval on request.

A further object of this invention is to provide a computerized insurance system having broad storage capacity and look up tables which correlate information repeatedly called for on insurance policies.

Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the ensuing detailed description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a broad, general feature of this invention, a computerized insurance system and method of operating that system are provided. A central processor is at the heart of the system and includes a data bank into which data is written and from which data is read (as used hereinafter, the expression "central processor" is intended to refer to the computer system coupled to a terminal in a remote office connected thereto). That data includes information regarding the particular risk to be insured, client information, insurance premium information and predetermined text data for incorporation into insurance contracts. The data bank further includes information representing laws and regulations of individual state governments which control and regulate the various parameters of insurance contracts such as liability rates and amounts of coverage.

Plural terminals are provided for communicating with the central processor, each terminal having an input, such as a keyboard, and a display, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or video display terminal (VDT). Each terminal is operable by an operator to produce requests and to enter information and/or retrieve information for writing into and/or reading from the data bank in the central processor. The central processor is provided with means for enabling access to the data bank in response to predetermined information entered at the terminal by the operator and is suitably programmed to recognize particular authorizations.

In accordance with one desirable aspect, information regarding a risk and other data needed to write insurance for that risk is keyed into the central processor by an operator, such as, but not limited to, an agent using a keyboard and a video display terminal. To assist the operator in entering the appropriate data, a series of data comprising a "form" is displayed on his terminal by the central processor, and he merely enters the pertinent information in the blanks provided. This information constitutes such things as the insured's name and address, the risk to be insured, the limit of the insurance, and any other information necessary in providing a policy application or premium quotation. Although all of the data requested by the form must be completed in order to proceed with writing the insurance policy, for the purpose of quoting the premium which would be due, only certain minimal information need be entered. This information is correlated in the central processor, resulting in premium quotation data which is then transmitted back and displayed at the operator's terminal. Thus, in a matter of seconds, a prospective client is apprised of the cost of his insurance.

Once all of the data called for by the "form" is entered into the system at the operator's keyboard, a complete client file, or data base, is established which includes information regarding all of the risks that are to be insured, the premium cost for each such insured risk and other pertinent data relating to the client. Once this data base is established, if the client later seeks additional coverage or insurance for a different risk, client-related information necessary for the additional coverage need not be entered again by the agent but can be supplied from the data base itself.

An alternative technique for entering client data into the system, rather than entering this data directly at an agent's terminal, is to have the prospective client manually complete an insurance form which is mailed to the company and entered into the computer system directly by terminal operators at the company's location.

After the input data has been compiled in the client data base, errors or omissions in that data (e.g. the amount of requested insurance may be omitted or may be too high, certain necessary data fields may have been omitted, etc.) are detected; and if these errors cannot be corrected immediately (as by supplying omitted information from the existing client data base), further processing of the insurance policy is suspended and either the prospective client or the agent is notified of the need for additional information or correction of errors.

If the insurance policy is to be written, for example, if the client agrees that the premium is acceptable, a formal contract is printed as a function of the client data base. This contract is substantially simplified over existing insurance contracts and is created to be custom tailored for the particular client and risk involved. This is contrary to current practice wherein the client and the risk must be incorporated into existing standard contracts. Thss custom tailoring is achieved by a compiling and editing function in the central processor in which data representing predetermined form paragraphs are stored, and those paragraphs which are applicable to the particular insurance contract requested are selected. Blanks in those paragraphs which must be filled in by, for example, specific dollar amounts, descriptions of the property to be insured, etc. are retrieved from the client data base and merged into the form paragraphs stored in the central processor. These separate and complete paragraphs are then sequenced by the processor for printing in the desired order to yield an insurance contract which is tailored to the client and the risk. Thus, contrary to present day insurance contracts in which items that are not applicable are merely left blank and items that vary from state to state are set out in various separate endorsements and attachments, the printed contract which is created by the instant computerized system is totally and efficiently customized to the client and the insured risks.

In most instances, concurrently with the writing and mailing of the insurance contract to the client, the information included in the original application is electronically stored and displayed, on request to underwriter personnel. Should the underwriter decide not to proceed with the insurance, it is cancelled. Alternatively, should the underwriter decide to make variations, he may do so electronically, and these variations appear in a subsequently printed and mailed policy. Before actually proceeding with the printing of the insurance contract, data included in the insurance application is electronically and automatically compared to certain underwriting criteria and if any of these standards is exceeded, the aforementioned underwriting function is carried out before the insurance contract is printed and mailed. That is, in the first-mentioned case, underwriting is carried out concurrently with the issuance of the policy. In the second-mentioned case, a "pre-underwriting" operation is carried out before the policy is mailed; this pre-underwriting step being triggered by certain data that exceed the insurance company standards.

The data base is updated in the event that certain additional reports, appraisals or inquiries are needed before the issuance or finalization of the actual insurance contract. Furthermore, the data base is used to send renewals to the client or to induce him into purchasing other insurance. The client data base is also used for "quality control" or "management reports" by which management can ascertain the specifics of the insurance operation, such as the types of risks that are insured, the locations of those risks, the productivity of various agents, and other demographic data regarding clients.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example, and not intended to limit the present invention solely to the described embodiments, will best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the computerized insurance system of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A-2F represent a schematic flow chart depicting the computerized processing methodology and structure in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart indicating the format for agent display when creating a property policy;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively the upper and lower portions of a flow chart indicating the input process into the computer system for establishing a property policy;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting the output display to the agent when creating an automobile policy;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are respectively the upper and lower portions of a flow chart indicating the input process into the computer system for establishing an automobile policy;

FIG. 7 is a menu screen displayed to an agent to institute insurance business;

FIG. 8 is an operations menu screen for initiating review and evaluation by operations personnel of data sent by an agent;

FIG. 9 is a menu displayed to an underwriter in order to institute underwriting activity;

FIGS. 10A-10H depict, in seriatim the series of display screens which appear when an agent chooses to create a home policy for a new client; and

FIGS. 11A-11F depict, in seriatim the display screens which appear when an agent chooses to add a vehicle to an existing policy for an existing client.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following detailed description is intended to provide an understanding of the manner in which the computerized insurance system of the present invention is implemented and operates. Some of the particular insurance transactions that are carried out by this system are described in detail. Other transactions are described more generally. In the interests of brevity a detailed description of each and every one of the insurance data transactions that may be carried out by the computerized system of the present invention is not provided. Based upon the detailed description of certain examples, taken in conjunction with the state of the programming art, the knowledge of those of ordinary skill in that programming art, and the knowledge of those familiar with the insurance industry, particular programs, routines and sub-routines for carrying out those insurance transactions which are described broadly will become readily apparent.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown in overall scope a data processing and system operational flow chart for implementing an insurance policy input system incorporating the principles of the present invention. As contemplated by one embodiment of the present invention, there are several fundamental functions offered to users of this system, although a greater number of functions may be provided, if desired. A brief overview of each of these functions is now provided as a basis for understanding the overall system.

The first function, termed the input function, generally is the entry point for the overall system. Prior to entry into the system, however, certain preliminaries must be accomplished. The source of most insurance information requests comes from agents, either by telephone, mail or agency-company communications, or from company-generated mailings. The initial processing of these requests generally consists of: manually stamping submitted client application documents with the date received and checking for return name and address; entering applications and assigning client numbers, as well as checking for existing client numbers; reviewing the submitted documents for minimal information which must be provided in order to initiate processing by the system; and collecting certain statistics such as dates, types of business, sources of business, and pre-underwriting criteria for use in reviewing system output. These preliminary steps, although advantageous with this embodiment of the invention, are not necessary to use the system to its best advantage.

Once these preliminary processing steps have been completed a user "logs" on at an individual terminal by entering an assigned authorization password at a terminal which is read by the central processor to determine the level of access to which that particular user is entitled. This authorization system is included in a preferred embodiment of this invention in order to avoid security problems which are created by the diverse number of people using the system. It also provides for confidentiality of individual clients and, in th case of agency-company communications, allows each agent to view only his own client's information.

Once the user has entered his access password and it has been verified by the system, he then chooses the type of transaction which he wishes to carry out. There are two basic types of transactions: one which is multi-client related, such as a review of all items which have been entered and stored over a designated period, for example two weeks; and one which is single-client related, such as the entry of a premium quote request or policy request. For single-client related functions, the client must be identified to the system and in the case of existing clients or new clients with incomplete information, data must be entered or ceded from available files in the central processor data bank. In this embodiment of the present invention there are provided five files into which data is entered and from which data is taken. These files include a prospect file which contains premium quotations that have been previously offered and/or refused by a client. The prospect file also contains current client information for the purpose of writingadditional coverages. A suspense or storage file is provided for general underwriting purposes to maintain reports (such as motor vehicle reports or inspection data), binder, mail, high authority approval, diary, rate hold, early submissions and errors. This file also includes premium quotations which are awaiting client approval to finalize the insurance contract. The data bank also is provided with a file which provides a facility for electronic documentation (and storage if necessary) of individu