BerkshireEagle.com, March 31, 2008
Drivers will get the green light this week to start signing up for new, potentially cheaper auto insurance plans under the state’s new system of managed competition, the first foray into deregulated insurance in more than 30 years.

About 314,000 Massachusetts drivers have insurance policies up for renewal tomorrow, and the state as well as insurers are hoping that consumers will take advantage of competition and test the market.

“The most important thing for them to do is inform themselves and then shop around. We have a number of things on our Web site to assist them,” said state Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes.

InsuranceNewsNet.com, March 28, 2008
Gov. Marc Racicot, President of the American Insurance Association (AIA), today commended the significant efforts made by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and the Patrick Administration to improve the state’s regulatory environment by implementing a managed competition system for private passenger auto insurance beginning April 1.

TheBostonChannel.com, March 28, 2008
New car insurance rules are set to go into effect in Massachusetts next week. Some insurers are pursuing a group of drivers that they have traditionally tried to avoid: teenagers.

Telegram.com, March 28, 2008
With “managed competition” placing cost-containment at the top of auto insurers’ marketing strategies, Massachusetts’ crackdown on fraud is all but certain to intensify. That’s good news for drivers, who as a result are apt to see further reductions in premiums in years to come.

We fully expect to make changes to WinRater as we fix bugs that agents report, correct rating inaccuracies, etc.  In addition, we will be rolling out functionality that didn’t make it into the initial WinRater release.  The first major update will include Motorcycle rating.

So look for emails from us and run SoftSync frequently to be sure you are on the latest version of WinRater.

And please remember that WinRater is still a work in progress—and we’re working every day to make it more useful for you.  Rome, as they say, wasn’t built in a day.

A lot of agents have called about the validating driver, vehicle and policy infomation from the Registry. 

We recommend that all agencies sign up for the Registry’s VPN to get the RMV information you need to accurately quote policies under managed competition.  The cost is $20 per month per workstation— not a lot if you have one or two CSRs, but it can really add up if you are part of a large agency.

We’ve worked hard to get the Registry to allow WinRater to retrieve this information in a faster, less expensive manner.  Then, agents wouldn’t have to maintain and pay for the VPN connection.  But, to be honest, it probably won’t happen anytime soon.  State agencies move slowly.  Maybe someday they will see the light.  Until then, you’ll just have to pay the piper, unfortunately. 

Another option is to go to your carrier web site and connect to the RMV.  You can then re-key the data in WinRater and get a comparative quote.  Not that efficient, I know, but it is an option.

TheSunChronicle.com, March 24, 2008
The state’s new competitive rate system for auto insurance is aimed at saving consumers money, but the road leading to that savings is a bumpy one. One of the problems, some agents say, is a website launched by the Division of Insurance intended to help consumers begin their search for auto insurance but which agents claim provides inaccurate rates.

InsuranceNewsNet.com, March 24, 2008
As part of a review of insurer practices under “managed competition” by MASSPIRG and the Center for Insurance Research, the two consumer groups discovered that at least two insurers are rejecting experienced Massachusetts drivers with clean driving records, in violation of a Division of Insurance requirement.

This is insanity to the nth degree.  We released the new WinRater and have been rolling it out to agents over the past week - 10 days…

… and our phones haven’t stopped ringing since!  Agents mostly need help installing the new WinRater.  On their network.  On their laptop.  In their home office.  Etc.  There are those quirky technical support questions too that need resolving.  And the fax machine has lit up like a proverbial Christmas tree, as agents are sending us copies of DEC pages and WinRater quotes that don’t match up.  

We’re busy 12 or 13 hours a day, seven days a week.  We’re battered and bruised (but not defeated).   Tom and I have lost most of our hair.  Poor Becky developed a facial tick.  Terry has taken to drinking.  Carol sleeps at the office.  Pizza boxes litter the office.  A picture of Nonnie Burnes hangs on the wall — someone drew a mustache and beard on her face with a Sharpie.  It brings us a little bit of joy.

Hope things aren’t as crazy at your agency….

MassLive.com, March 19, 2008
State Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes encouraged lunchtime passers-by today at the food court in Tower Square to plug their information into a state Web site and find out how much money they could save on their auto insurance once managed competition starts April 1. Then Burnes defended the Web site and other aspects of managed competition in front of a group of insurance agents who are saying the site is inaccurate.