A.M. Best Co. Presents E-Fusion Award for Agent/Broker Management to American Modern Insurance Group.

OLDWICK, N.J. -- The A.M. Best Co. presented American Modern Insurance Group with the E-Fusion award in the Agent/Broker Management category at the 2004 A.M. Best Co. Insurance and Technology Conference in Baltimore Oct. 19. The award recognizes innovation in insurance technology.

American Modern Insurance Group received the award for its modernLINK suite of applications that includes online rating, quoting and issuance capabilities. The modernLINK tool has enabled American Modern Insurance's distribution partners--which include more than 2,000 agents and 17,000 sub-producers--to significantly reduce the time needed to service customers yet boost the quality of that service, the company said.

American Modern Insurance Group Inc., Amelia, Ohio, is the specialty insurance subsidiary of Midland Co.

The finalists and the purpose of their projects were as follows:

--Access Insurance Holdings Inc.--A Web-based rating and underwriting system that allows for real-time policy issuance and policy servicing at the point of sale.

--Guard Insurance Group--A Web-based application and interface to help producers manage their books of business with the company online.

--Insurance Capital Management--An E-signature-based online agent site for online, individual major medical insurance and other health and noninsurance products.

--Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.--A tool that allows straight-through processing of standard and nonstandard auto and homeowners quotes as well as new business submissions from a variety of agency technology systems.

--IPipeline--A Web-based portal for insurance product information, quotes, forms and underwriting.

The awards were judged by Michael Edwards, chief information officer, American Skyline Insurance Co.; William Jenkins, CPCU and insurance technology consultant; Matthew Josefowicz, manager, Insurance Group, Celent Communications; Robert Litt, partner, KPMG LLP Information Risk Management; Chuck Johnston, director, industry marketing, Callidus Software; Thomas A. Meyers, senior vice president and chief financial officer, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co.; and Philip Roeper, chief information officer and senior vice president, American Re-Insurance Co. In addition, the A.M. Best Co. executives who participated in the judging were Paul C. Tinnirello, executive vice president and E-Fusion conference chairman; Lee McDonald, vice president and E-Fusion program chairman; and Group Vice President Rita Tedesco and Vice President James Snee.

A.M. Best Co., established in 1899, is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit A.M. Best's Web site at http://www.ambest.com.