System for reducing the risk associated with an insured building structure through the incorporation of selected technologies

• US 8,271,303 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• 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: Helitzer, Jonathan, Murchie, G. Stewart, Carvalko, Joseph R. Jr., Frey, Kelly L. Sr., Campbell, Casey Ellen
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PASS, NATALIE
• Application Number:
  US12/709,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/10, 705/35, 702/34, 702/183, 340/576
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A method and computerized system is disclosed for managing the underwriting, quoting and binding an insurance policy with regard to the technology used to militate against the financial consequences of property losses. The invention utilizes a classifier for categorizing and weighing risk, composed of data representing in an identified building, a first unmitigated insurance risk and a second insurance risk, based upon the use of certain technology. A plurality of such weights are summed such that the weights generate a minimized risk for a building structure under consideration. Combinations of technologies, employed in existing building structures, are assigned to a classification, which then permits an underwriter to establish a premium. In another aspect of the invention data structures representing the quantification of risk reduction attendant a given technology or product are chained into a plurality of decision trees that process a construction phase and a pruning phase.

Claims

1. A system for processing data relating to insuring a building structure by taking into account technologies that mitigate loss comprising:

a storage device storing a database identifying i) a plurality of technologies that reduce risk of loss to an associated building structure and ii) a plurality of building construction material types; and

a computer processor, configured to;

administer, by an insurance company, an insurance policy covering a building structure that incorporates a sensor technology from the plurality of technologies identified in the database, wherein the incorporated sensor technology is capable of outputting data electronically;

obtain, by the insurance company, monitoring data indicating a condition of the building based on data output electronically by the incorporated sensor technology;

obtain, by the insurance company, data indicating a type of material used in construction of the insured building structure;

input into a multivariate statistical model the condition of the building indicated in the monitoring data and the construction material type of the building;

receive an output of the multivariate statistical model, wherein the output is indicative of a risk associated with the condition of the building in relation to the construction material type of the building;

determine, based on the output of the multivariate statistical model, an alteration to a premium for the insurance policy, and

alter data indicative of the premium of the insurance policy based on the determination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the incorporated sensor technology comprises a risk mitigation technology.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data output by the incorporated sensor technology is output over a communications network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data output by the incorporated sensor technology is output via a broadcast transmission.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor calculates a risk modifier representative of a difference between an unmitigated risk and a risk mitigated by the incorporated sensor technology, and the determination of the alteration to the premium is further based on the calculated risk modifier.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the alteration to the premium based on information stored in the database about the incorporated sensor technology.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance policy includes an attachment point, and the processor is further configured to determine the alteration to the premium based on the attachment point.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the alteration to the premium based on a standard industrial classification code associated with a business associated with the building structure.

9. A computer-implemented method for processing data related to insuring a building structure by taking into account technologies that mitigate loss comprising:

maintaining in a database stored in a storage device, data identifying i) a plurality of technologies that reduce risk of loss to an associated building structure and ii) a plurality of building construction material types;

administering, by at least one computer processor, data indicative of an insurance policy covering a building structure that incorporates a sensor technology from the plurality of technologies identified in the database, wherein the incorporated sensor technology is capable of outputting data electronically;

obtaining, by the at least one computer processor, monitoring data indicating a condition of the building based on data output electronically by the incorporated sensor technology;

obtaining, by the at least one computer processor, monitoring data indicating a type of material used in construction of the insured building structure;

processing for input, by the at least one computer processor, the condition of the building indicated in the monitoring data and the construction material type of the building into a multivariate statistical model;

receiving, by the at least one computer processor, an output of the multivariate statistical model, wherein the output is indicative of a risk associated with the condition of the building in relation to the construction material type of the building;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, data indicative of an alteration to a premium for the insurance policy based on the output of the multivariate statistical model, and

altering, by the at least one computer processor, data indicative of the premium of the insurance policy based on the determination.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the incorporated sensor technology comprises a risk mitigation technology.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising outputting, by the incorporated sensor technology, data over a communications network.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising outputting, by the incorporated sensor technology, data via a broadcast transmission.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising calculating, by the at least one processor, data indicative of a risk modifier representative of a difference between an unmitigated risk and a risk mitigated by the incorporated sensor technology, and wherein the determination of the alteration to the premium is further based on the calculated risk modifier.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the alteration of the premium is based on information stored in the database about the incorporated sensor technology.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the insurance policy includes an attachment point, and the determination of the alteration of the premium is based on the attachment point.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the alteration of the premium is based on a standard industrial classification code associated with a business associated with the building structure.

17. A system for processing data relating to insuring a building structure by taking into account technologies that mitigate loss comprising:

a database identifying i) a plurality of technologies that reduce risk of loss to an associated building structure and ii) a plurality of building construction material types; and

computer executable instructions stored in memory for causing at least one computer processor to;

administer, by an insurance company, an insurance policy covering a building structure that incorporates a sensor technology from the plurality of technologies identified in the database, wherein the incorporated sensor technology is capable of outputting data electronically;

obtain, by the insurance company, monitoring data indicating a condition of the building based on data output electronically by the incorporated sensor technology;

obtain, by the insurance company, data indicating a type of material used in construction of the insured building structure;

input into a multivariate statistical model the condition of the building indicated in the monitoring data and the construction material type of the building;

receive an output of the multivariate statistical model, wherein the output is indicative of a risk associated with the condition of the building in relation to the construction material type of the building;

determine, based on the output of the multivariate statistical model, an alteration to a premium for the insurance policy, and

alter data indicative of the premium of the insurance policy based on the determination made by the processor.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the incorporated sensor technology comprises a risk mitigation technology.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data output by the incorporated sensor technology is output over a communications network.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the data output by the incorporated sensor technology is output via a broadcast transmission.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the processor to calculate a risk modifier representative of a difference between an unmitigated risk and a risk mitigated by the incorporated sensor technology, and wherein the determination of the alteration to the premium is further based on the calculated risk modifier.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the processor to determine the alteration to the premium based on information stored in the database about the incorporated sensor technology.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the insurance policy includes an attachment point, and the computer executable instructions further cause the processor to determine the alteration to the premium based on the attachment point.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the processor to determine the alteration to the premium based on a standard industrial classification code associated with a business associated with the building structure.