Online method and system for fulfilling needs resulting from property and other similar losses

• US 8,135,599 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2009
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Douglas, Aleia, Alan, Pierce, Donald, Cadden, Donald, Carvalko, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Koppikar, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Porter, Rachel L
• Application Number:
  US12/537,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A method of fulfilling needs acquired as a result of property and other similar losses, the method involving the steps of directing a person or entity with a need resulting from a loss to a site on a global computer network, interviewing the person or entity at the site to obtain information about the person or entity and the need they have, and analyzing and processing the information to provide the person or entity automatic access at the site to at least one service that will go toward fulfilling the need of the person or entity. In addition to the method, a system for fulfilling needs acquired as a result of property and other similar losses, the system including a site on a global computer network for fulfilling needs of persons or entities acquired from property and other similar losses, the site having an interviewing component for obtaining information about the person or entity and the need they have, and a data analyzing and processing component for analyzing the information provided by the person or entity and providing the person or entity automatic access at the site to at least one service that will go toward fulfilling the need of the person or entity.

Claims

1. A system for receiving and valuing insurance claims, comprising:

a server and a data warehouse in communication with the server, wherein the server is configured to;

receive via a computer network data pertaining to a plurality of claims from insureds;

identify claims having subrogation rights from the plurality of the claims;

determine, using at least historical data stored in a data warehouse, a probability of recovery and an estimated cost of recovery relative to each of the identified claims having subrogation rights;

bundle the identified claims having subrogation rights into a group of claims having commonality according to pre-established criteria;

value the group of claims; and

sell the group of claims in an auction-like manner.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the historical data stored in the data warehouse comprises data about prior selections made by claimants;

data provided during a claimant interview process; and

predetermined selections and preferences of insurance carriers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sale of the group of claims comprises the purchase of the claims.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sale of the group of claims comprises the purchase of subrogation rights in the claims.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the commonality relates to at least one of dollar value, type of claim and state.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to receive claims for submission to any one of a plurality of insurers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to, in the determining of the probability of recovery, review accident description data, loss state data, and responsible party data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to receive bid, ask and sale prices for the group of claims and store the bid, ask and sale prices in the data warehouse.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a web server for communicating between the server and the computer network.

10. A computer-implemented method for receiving and valuing insurance claims, comprising:

receiving at a server via a computer network data pertaining to a plurality of claims from insureds and storing the data in a database;

identifying by the server claims having subrogation rights from the plurality of the claims;

determining by the server, using at least historical data stored in a data warehouse, a probability of recovery and an estimated cost of recovery relative to the identified claims having subrogation rights;

bundling by the server the identified claims having subrogation rights into groups of claims having commonality according to pre-established criteria;

valuing by the server the groups of claims; and

making by the server the groups of claims available for acquisition via sale in an auction-like manner.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the historical data stored in the data warehouse comprises data about prior selections made by claimants;

data provided during a claimant interview process; and

predetermined selections and preferences of insurance carriers.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the sale of the groups of claims comprises the purchase of the bundled claims.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the sale of the groups of claims comprises the purchase of subrogation rights in the bundled claims.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the commonality relates to at least one of dollar value, type of claim and state.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the server is operative to receive claims for submission to any one of a plurality of insurers.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the probability of recovery includes reviewing accident description data, loss state data, and responsible party data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein said step of making the groups of claims available for acquisition comprises receiving bid, ask and sale prices for the groups of claims and storing the bid, ask and sale prices in the data warehouse.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving via a web server.

19. A computer system for receiving insurance claims, comprising:

a server, and a data warehouse in communication with the server;

the server configured to;

perform an automated interview process with a claimant, the interview process including receiving data pertaining to a claim from the claimant;

determine that the received claim has subrogation rights;

determine a probability of recovery and estimated cost of recovery of the received claim,

bundle the received claim with a group of claims having commonality, according to pre-established criteria, to the received claim;

value the group of claims; and

administer a sale in an auction-like manner of the group of bundled claims.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is further configured to determine the probability of recovery using at least historical data stored in the data warehouse.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the historical data used to determine probability of recovery comprises data about prior selections made by claimants;

data provided during the claimant interview process; and

predetermined selections and preferences of insurance carriers.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the commonality comprises at least one of dollar value range, type of claim and geographic region.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is further configured to receive claims on behalf of a plurality of insurers.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the sale of the bundled claims comprises the purchase of the bundled claims.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the sale of the bundled claims comprises the purchase of subrogation rights in the bundled claims.

26. A computer-implemented method for receiving insurance claims, comprising:

performing by a server an automated interview process with a claimant, the interview process including receiving data pertaining to a claim from the claimant;

determining by the server that the received claim has subrogation rights;

determining by the server a probability of recovery and estimated cost of recovery of the received claim grouping by the server the received claim together with a plurality of other claims having commonality according to pre-established criteria to define a portfolio of claims;

valuing by the server the portfolio of claims; and

administering by the server a sale in an auction-like manner of the portfolio of claims.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein the sale of the portfolio of claims comprises the purchase of the portfolio of claims.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein the sale of the portfolio of claims comprises the purchase of subrogation rights in the claims of the portfolio.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein the performing by the server of the automated interview process comprises communicating with the claimant via a web server and a local directory server.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein the pre-established criteria include at least one of dollar value range, type of claim and geographic region.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, further comprising storing by the server the received data in a database.