Real-Time Submission of MA Auto and Homeowner Apps from WinRater/SinglePoint to Peerless is temporarily unavailable. Both Boston Software and Peerless are aware of the situation and are working diligently to get the functionality back up and running.

Agents who attempt to submit an app to Peerless’ website, PLIQ, will receive an error message stating that the submission failed. For the moment, agents wishing to place their business with Peerless will need to enter their clients’ information directly into PLIQ. Real-Time Submission in WinRater/SinglePoint for all other carriers is unaffected.

Tower Group has fully acquired OneBeacon’s Personal Lines. To handle this change, Boston Software has made a few simple but important modifications to your WinRater program.

• All OneBeacon names and logos within WinRater and SinglePoint have changed. OneBeacon Auto is now labeled as Tower Group and OneBeacon OneChoice Home now appears as Tower OneChoice.
• WinRater Auto -  Underwriting Tab: WinRater uses prior carrier information in order to determine if a quote is new business or renewal. If the prior carrier was OneBeacon you will need to select “Tower” from the dropdown.
• WinRater Home - Credit Reports: you will be able to retrieve credit information within WinRater while performing home quoting as you always have. However, you must change your old OneBeacon password to your new Tower Group password.*

*You should have received a new Credit Retrieval password from Tower Group and instructions on how to update it in the Tower Agent Portal. Once this is done, see the instructions below on how to update the new password in WinRater so your credit retrieval workflow will not be interrupted.

Once a quote is opened, this is how to update your password in WinRater:
1) Click “Credit Reports Tab”
2) Click “Settings”
3) Enter your updated password
4) Click “Apply”

Please Note: only the password is changing for the Credit Retrieval. The producer code and User ID will remain the same.

The RMV will now accept electronic stamps and signatures for RMV-1 Forms.  We have developed an e-Stamp feature to take advantage of this.  It’s integrated within WinRater and meets the approval of the RMV and certain carriers.  Here’s how it will work:

• Carriers will be able to create a WinRater “eStamp” for each of their agents containing the agency name and carrier ID number.
• Carriers will deliver the eStamp to agencies.  (Delivery methods will vary, depending on the carrier, including download, email, etc.)
• Agents, in turn, will import the eStamps into their WinRater.
• While in a RMV-1 Form, agents will be able to select from their list of carrier eStamps (accessible from a dialog box) and “paste” it in the appropriate place on the Form. CSRs will be able to type their names on the “signature” line.
• The RMV-1 Form can be printed or emailed as a PDF file.

This is should help make the quote-to-issue workflow even easier for you.  There is no cost for this feature upgrade.  Our aim is to release this to agents in the next 4 weeks for any carrier choosing to use our solution.   We intend to utilize this same functionality for RMV-3 forms in the near future.  Look for more details about release dates and instructions in our monthly Rollout Report.

By now you should have received a SoftSync update from us containing upcoming Rate Changes with additional New Customer discounts. We thought it would be helpful to list the details of your carrier(s) changes. See below:

Arbella - Auto
Updated Rating Factors effective 4/1/2010.

Commerce - Auto
Rate Change effective 4/1/2010.

• Added a Smart Driver discount. To find it, go to the DRIVER’S tab and choose the DRIVER COVERAGES/MOTORCYCLES tab.

MAIP - Auto
Rate Change effective 4/1/2010.

• Added Low Frequency Eligible discount. To find it, go to the DRIVER’S tab and choose the DRIVER COVERAGES/MOTORCYCLES tab.

• Added Operator Continuous Coverage discount. To find it, go to the DRIVER’S tab and choose the DRIVER COVERAGES/MOTORCYCLES tab.

Quincy Mutual - Auto
Rate Change effective 4/1/2010.

• New Good Student discount. To find it, go to the DRIVER’S tab.

• New Student Away from Home discount. To find it, go to the DRIVER’S tab.

• Added Continuously Insured discount. To find it, go to the DRIVER’S tab and choose the DRIVER COVERAGES/MOTORCYCLES tab.

• Added Good Driver discount. To find it, go to the DRIVER’S tab and choose the DRIVER COVERAGES/MOTORCYCLES tab then select the LOW FREQUENCY ELIGIBLE option.

• The Loyalty Credit has been renamed Preferred Operator discount.

MA Fair Plan Rate - Home
Change effective 03/31/2010.

• Base Rate Change

• Endorsement Changes

Bunker Hill - Home
Rate Change effective 4/1/2010

• Introduced two new Homeowners credits: Super Preferred and Agency Loyalty Factor Credit.

• The plan Bunker Hill 1775 has been renamed to Bunker Hill 1775 (HO5).

• Underwriting Guideline changes.

Various Carriers – Dwelling Fire and Umbrella

• Minor rate changes, updates and corrections.

· Upgraded WinRater to version 6.0 to support enhanced requirements for real-time rating.

· Upgraded Web products from .Net 1.1 to .Net 3.5 platform.

· Added “manufactured” rates to WinRater: Preferred Mutual, Harleysville, Private Client Group

· WinRater feature improvements, including better integration with RMV’s Virtual Private Network, printing of RMV1 forms approved for all printers, automated database maintenance/backup utility.

· SinglePoint feature improvements including batch deleting, eliminating undeliverable emails, etc.

· Upgraded and added more servers in our server farm to support increase in real-time transactions (we now have 9).

· Encryption of personal data to protect privacy.

· Various efficiency improvements including streamlining of database structure, SoftSync deployment of updates, tracking and resolving bugs, etc.

All Boston Software products, services, and procedures will be compliant with the new Massachusetts privacy regulations. This includes WinRater and SinglePoint software for all lines of business we currently support.

Boston Software in conjunction with our corporate attorneys are hard at work finalizing our written Information Security Plan that is comprehensive in scope and detail. In addition, we have begun implementing a number of measures to ensure the security, confidentiality, and integrity of personal information. These measures include, but are not limited to:

· thoroughly identifying the internal and external risks to personal information currently within our control;
· training Boston Software employees on new internal security requirements;
· upgrade of all Boston Software servers and firewalls;
· building high level encryption of personal data on our desktop and web products including WinRater and SinglePoint;
· utilizing login/passwords where necessary;
· evaluating the ability of each of our third-party service providers to protect private information;
· working with our third-party service providers to implement appropriate security measures.

Given the type of data collected and stored during the rating process, Boston Software is extremely sensitive to this privacy issue. We do not take the responsibility lightly. We are making every effort to protect against any anticipated threats and/or unauthorized access to or use of personal information.

Please contact Charlie Walsh or Tom O’Connor if you have any specific questions at this time.

As of September 1st, MAIP/CAR will require your MAIP ID to be included in the information sent by SinglePoint during submission. This ID is the same one that you use to log into the MAIP website.

In accordance with this new requirement, Boston Software has released an update for WinRater which adds a new “MAIP ID” field on the SinglePoint Settings screen’s “Carrier Credentials” tab (as pictured below). This field is in addition to the current “CAR Assigned Agency Number” and “CAR Assigned Sequence Number” fields which will remain the same.

Please visit: www.bostonsoftware.com/update and click on the ENTER button to download the available update. Once completed, WinRater will prompt you to enter your MAIP ID into this new field along with any other missing credentials for other carriers.

You will be able to “Ignore” the prompt and successfully submit to MAIP without having entered your ID until September 1st. However, WinRater will continue to prompt you upon startup and upon all attempted MAIP submissions until the field is filled. After September 1st, you will no longer be able to submit to MAIP unless you have entered the MAIP ID under the SinglePoint Settings tab.

We’re putting on the final touches, pilot testing with some agents, and getting ready to ship out our latest Real Time functionality to you. We’ve made a few significant improvements:

· More carriers added – WinRater/SinglePoint will now rate Commerce, OneBeacon, and Travelers directly from Collaborative Edge in real time. You will still enter the rating data as you normally do, but instead of having WinRater calculate the quote, SinglePoint will reach out to Collaborative Edge and retrieve the quote for you.

  Given all the changes in the MA Auto market and the complexity of carrier rate filings, implementing Real Time Rating (and using the carrier’s own rating system to produce the quote) is the best way to assure greater accuracy and agency efficiency.

· More submission data – Got your real time rate and ready to submit it to either Commerce, OneBeacon, or Travelers? Now SinglePoint will transfer more of the data required to submit new business in Collaborative Edge in real time.

   In many cases, 100% of the data will be captured by SinglePoint and pre-filled on the Collaborative Edge screens. You won’t have to hunt & peck through the Collaborative Edge screens to enter some important data, such as Garaging Location or Lendor Info, SinglePoint will pre-fill it for you and get you to the “RMV Lookup” screen in Collaborative Edge faster.

· Streamlined workflow – We made a number of small but significant changes to SinglePoint so that rating and submitting to Commerce, OneBeacon, and Travelers is optimized for your agency.

   For example, we’ve updated the WinRater premium panel, streamlined some of the login procedures (where possible), and simplified some workflow procedures.

Rollout begins…

Our plan is to begin sending SoftSync updates with this new functionality in the near future. It will be a staggered rollout in which we will send updates to approx 50-75 agents per day. This allows us to properly handle training and technical support issues.

Look for more information from us in the coming days. In the meantime, be sure to check out our Learning Center for more information about SinglePoint and Real Time functionality.

And don’t hesitate to contact Jim, Heather, Will, or Tonya if you have any questions or would like to set up your SinglePoint.

WinRater/SinglePoint to N&D’s AgentPak system is off & running! Hundreds of Apps already uploaded!

We haven’t forgotten about Homeowners business! By plugging into SinglePoint, N&D agents can now:

· Take a HO quote in WinRater,

· Click SUBMIT in WinRater to create a SinglePoint New Business App,

· And instantly upload the App to N&D’s AgentPak system, with all the data pre-filled in the appropriate fields.

We released this new feature last week and agents are now experiencing the benefits: a faster, easier submission process for new N&D homeowners business.

This is a great way to eliminate double-entry of data and workflow inefficiencies.

If your agency did not receive a SoftSync email that included this new feature, just visit www.bostonsoftware.com/update and click on the ENTER button to begin downloading this upgrade.

Many of you have already been using SinglePoint for Real Time Submitting of Norfolk&Dedham Auto apps and the process is exactly the same for HO apps. So there isn’t much to learn! And of course, if you need help of any kind, just give us a call.

As you are probably aware, the Massachusetts sales/use tax went from 5% to 6.25% beginning August 1, 2009. We have updated our RMV-1 Form to reflect this change and charge the appropriate tax.

Please make sure you visit www.bostonsoftware.com/update and click on the ENTER button to begin downloading this upgrade. Once you run the update, you will see the new 6.25% being used on your WinRater RMV-1 form.