big data

More and more often, algorithms mediate social processes, business transactions, governmental decisions, and how we perceive, understand, and interact among ourselves and with the environment. Gaps between the design and operation of algorithms and our understanding of their ethical implications can have severe consequences affecting individuals as well as groups and whole societies.

The Life Predictive Analytics Survey Report from Willis Towers Watson

RGA's Marc Sofer, Head of Data and Strategic Analytics, Asian Markets, discusses how the newest data sets, together with existing data and novel analytics, are impacting the industry’s growth and development.

Underwriting in the US life insurance industry has had more change in the last five years than it has in the prior 30…and many underwriters are struggling to keep up with the pace. Terms like accelerated underwriting, automated underwriting, simplified issue, predictive models and big data are bounced around at industry meetings like ping pong balls. If you are confused by all the new terminology, you are not alone.

Wearable technology could dramatically change the way life carriers do business and interact with their customers. See what some insurers are already doing with wearables.

Slides from Hank's presentation at the WAHLU 2019 Spring Seminar have been posted at the WAHLU website.

The cutting edge of the insurance industry involves adjusting premiums and policies based on new forms of surveillance.

So how do insurers unlock value from big data? Jeff Heaton, RGA’s Chief Data Scientist, published author and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has a few ideas. To start, he suggests it’s time for insurers to better understand the basics of data science. To that end, he self-produced a video to explain the basics in just four minutes. RGA sat down with Heaton to discuss the video and his thoughts on what every employee at an insurance company should know about this form of statistics.

Indirect use of discrimination factors that are outlawed is inexcusable and needs to be avoided by due diligence by insurer and indeed the firm supplying the data. Any decent carrier would not want to cross those red lines anyway – and that is even if the data company involved is not itself subject to regulatory oversight and/or consumer protection laws. Moral: act with integrity and choose your business partners carefully.