ePlacing

Underwriters, by and large, are on the receiving end of messaging, waiting for incoming business request messages and replying to them with responses.

Brokers normally initiate the cycle sending a Placing Request. Underwriters then view the message received and respond to it by sending the broker back a response (containging, for example, an agreement, query or rejection).

During this 2-way messaging cycle, depending upon the requirements of the underlying underwriting systems, synchronisation will need to take place between the placing activity, which is taking place in the message management tool, and the administration system. Ultimately, for example, a bind agreement response should result in the undewriting administration system being sent the data so that it can create a "skeleton" policy/risk record.

DRI

ECF (Electronic claim files) via the IMR (Insurance Market Repository) is an example of how DRI messaging can be used in an underwriting organisation. Underwriters receive daily notifications of claims advices (via LIMCLM EDI CLASS messages and/or .csv files from XIS). These can be read to determine which claim file references are affected.

The underwriter's document management system can then be synchronised overnight with the claims documents from the IMR on the affected claim files by issuing DRI request messages to the IMR and receiving the documents attached to the IMR's response messages.

In this way, the claims assessor's systems are synchronised and up-to-date with the IMR (and thus with the broker's own files) before the start of business so nobody as to wait to download documents during the working day.

How can Ebix help?

We can provide as much or as little as is required to help underwriters engage with ePlacing and eAccounting trading partners, and with the IMR. Our Universal Messaging Gateway (UMG) is at the core of all of our solutions, providing the connectivity, data validation and routing.

Connectors for the IMR, the Lloyd's Exchange, the Swift Rushlikon initiative, and many other electronic trading initiatives, are available to plug the UMG into the market initiative(s) of your choice. Adaptors may be developed to pass data from the UMG to your underwriting administration, document management and enterprise workflow management systems.

For those companies requiring a more turnkey approach, our UMG Forms&Workflow module can provide all of the user-interactivity required through its underwriting portals.

Customised Connectors, processes, and Adaptors may be developed to integrate your organisation with almost any business partner using almost any method of electronic data exchange.