System and method for underwriting a prepackaged business owners insurance policy

• US 8,589,190 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Liberty Mutual Holding Company)
• Original Assignee: Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Liberty Mutual Holding Company)
• Inventors: Pugh, Todd, Ruddy, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US11/867,865
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/2, 705/36.T, 705/38, 463/25, 463/29, 235/380, 273/142.D
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A method, computer program product and system are provided for underwriting an insurance product such as a business owners policy by establishing a prepackaged policy having predetermined coverages, predetermined limits, and a fixed price, screening a potential customer for eligibility, and issuing the policy. The process may omit application of underwriting models to provide risk profiles and a premium based on a customer'"'"'s individual data. The screening process may include comparing information from a customer to characteristics of a category of customers eligible for the insurance product, and verifying the information provided by the customer using internal carrier and external sources.

Claims

1. A computer system for insuring a business owner, comprising:

a database containing acceptable profile values for characteristics of micro business insurance customers, a fixed price, and predetermined coverages and coverage limits for a business owner'"'"'s policy; and

one or more computer systems having access to the database and being configured to execute computer software;

to the calculate acceptable profile values for characteristics of micro business insurance customers based on data for existing customers in similar micro businesses, and set the fixed price and predetermined coverages and coverage limits for the business owner'"'"'s policy based on said data, the characteristics selected from a combination of two or more of;

micro business classification, payroll amount, credit score, or premises size;

to store the acceptable profile values, fixed price and predetermined coverages and coverage limits for the business owner'"'"'s policy in the database;

to receive, over a network from a computing device of a micro business party, application information from the business party describing aspects of the party'"'"'s business related to the selected characteristics;

to compare the application information received from the party to the profile values; and

in response to the party having acceptable values for the characteristics, offering the party the business owner'"'"'s insurance policy having the predetermined coverages and coverage limits at the fixed price without further risk analysis of the party.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the coverages include liability coverage.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer systems are further configured to execute computer software to communicate over the network with one or more third party information sources to seek verification of information provided relating to the applicant party.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more computer systems seek the verification of information at a time selected from prior to providing an offer to bind the party to insurance or subsequent to providing an offer to bind the party to insurance.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the network comprises the Internet, and wherein the one or more computer systems comprise a carrier server operating a website.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user party computing device is associated with an agent representing the applicant party.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the party computing device is associated with the party.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet, and wherein the one or more computer systems comprise a carrier server operating a website.

9. A method for providing a prepackaged business owners insurance policy, comprising:

calculating acceptable profile values for characteristics of micro business insurance customers based on data for existing customers in similar micro businesses, and setting a fixed price and predetermined coverages and coverage limits for a business owner'"'"'s policy based on said data, the characteristics selected from a combination of two or more of;

micro business classification, payroll amount, credit score, or premises size;

receiving application information from a micro business party describing aspects of the party'"'"'s business related to the selected characteristics;

comparing the application information received from the party to the profile values; and

in response to the party having acceptable values for the characteristics, offering the party the business owner'"'"'s insurance policy having the predetermined coverages and coverage limits at the fixed price without further risk analysis of the party.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the characteristics are:

micro business classification, payroll amount, credit score, and premises size.

11. A method for providing a prepackaged business owners insurance policy, comprising:

calculating acceptable profile values for characteristics of micro business insurance customers based on data for existing customers in similar micro businesses, and setting a fixed price and predetermined coverages and coverage limits for a business owner'"'"'s policy based on said data, the characteristics selected from a combination of two or more of;

micro business classification, payroll amount, credit score, and premises size;

receiving application information from a business party describing aspects of the party'"'"'s business related to the selected characteristics;

comparing the application information received from the party to the profile values;

in response to the party having acceptable values for the characteristics;

verifying the truth of the application information; and

in response to successful verification of the application information, offering the party the business owner'"'"'s insurance policy having the predetermined coverages and coverage limits at the fixed price without further risk analysis of the party.