Business News: DRN, Vale Consulting Services, AIR Worldwide

Texas-based Digital Recognition Network (DRN), a provider of vehicle location data and insights, now enables access of over 4 billion vehicle sightings. Through Event Links, insurance carriers can access the pictures functionality, for a fee as an add-on at underwriting or claims, to evaluate commercial policies for final build and on personal lines to identify commercial use of a personal vehicle.

A carrier can upload a VIN or batch of VINs and DRN converts the VINs to plates. Then, an Event Links search will return images of the vehicles associated with the plates. The images will show the final build of a vehicle. For example, a vehicle will be insured as a flatbed when the Event Links Pictures reveals otherwise. This enables carriers to capture premium leakage and properly assess claims.

For personal lines carriers, the Event Links Pictures functionality provides vehicle images that include signage or other markings that could indicate commercial use. By identifying commercial use of a personal vehicle carriers can capture premium or potential claim losses.

Carriers may also use the product to investigate suspicious auto claims by finding the location, date, time and images of vehicles. Armed with this data, investigators can evaluate pre-existing damage, commercial use of a private vehicle, PIP, staged accidents, commercial use, final build and theft fraud. Evidence of collusive fraud and more can be provided through license plate searches, address searches and searches of plates common to two or more addresses.

Vale Training, a Cunningham Lindsey Company and an independent division specializing in training for adjusters and appraisers in the insurance claims industry, announced the launch of Vale Consulting Services (VCS) to provide seasoned executives as claims consultants to advise insurers, brokers, and third party administrators in best practices and processes to address evolving claims challenges.

VCS currently specializes in providing leakage analysis for property, casualty, worker’s compensation and litigation management.

Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has formed a global resilience practice, a new function to support risk reduction and resilience initiatives across the globe. The initiatives are aimed at developing solutions that aid society’s efforts to better prepare for and recover from catastrophes. Joining AIR to lead this new practice is Dr. Daniel Kaniewski, who will serve as vice president, global resilience. AIR Worldwide is a Verisk Analytics business.

AIR is establishing its global resilience practice to serve these distinct roles:

• Develop solutions that aid society’s efforts to better prepare for catastrophes;
• Assist organizations in applying catastrophe modeling to disaster risk financing;
• Establish alliances with organizations that can provide data for AIR model development to advance the science of modeling and help society better manage the risks from natural hazards;
• Strengthen relationships with regulatory bodies and rating agencies globally.

Dr. Kaniewski is a crisis, risk, and resilience leader with 20 years of experience as a management consulting executive, Presidential advisor, thought leader, educator, and first responder. Having served as a senior advisor at the White House during major crises and as a trusted security expert to numerous governmental and nongovernmental organizations, Dr. Kaniewski has a unique blend of policy and operational experience.

Dr. Kaniewski holds a B.S. magna cum laude in Emergency Medical Services from George Washington University, an M.A. in National Security Studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from George Washington University.