Business News: Ascot, CNA, AutoClaims Direct

Ascot US Holding Corporation announced the acquisition of Greyhawk Insurance Company, and its wholly owned subsidiary Greyhawk Specialty Insurance Company (“Greyhawk Specialty”). Greyhawk is a Colorado domiciled admitted lines insurer and has been in runoff since 2006. Greyhawk Specialty is a dormant Rhode Island domiciled Excess & Surplus lines insurer. The acquisitions are subject to regulatory approvals.

The Greyhawk companies will expand Ascot’s U.S. platform and provide increased access to the U.S. insurance markets.

Ascot Group Limited is a Bermuda domiciled global specialist in insurance and reinsurance. Built on a foundation of underwriting expertise, the Group compromises three divisions: Ascot Underwriting Limited- a Managing Agent for Syndicate 1414 at Lloyd’s; Ascot Reinsurance Company Limited-a Bermuda based specialty reinsurer; and Ethos Specialty Insurance Services LLC-a New York based Managing General Agent (MGA).

Ascot Group is owned by the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the largest pension plan in Canada with over C$300 billion in invested assets.

June 1, 2018, marks the official opening of CNA Center — the new, modern global headquarters for more than 1,700 Chicago-based CNA employees, located at 151 North Franklin Street in Chicago’s Loop business district.

The relocation makes it easier for employees to connect all that CNA has to offer its customers. Upgrades in technology across all locations are enabling easier, faster connections both internally and externally. CNA’s network of approximately 6,300 employees, thousands of partners and 79 locations has been designed and built to better deliver products and services to customers, whether located in a major metropolitan area or a small town in any of the more than 200 countries and territories that CNA is able to serve.

AutoClaims Direct (ACD), an auto claims technology, decision support, advisory and service network aggregator to the property/casualty industry, announced the launch of Self(ie), an all-new, fully-enhanced version of the company’s photo estimating solution to speed up the processing and resolution of claims.

The new release was built from the ground up with a modern and intuitive user interface that requires no downloads and can be white labeled for insurers. When a claim qualifies for photo estimating, ACD promptly sends a Self(ie) link to the vehicle owner through a text message or email. Customers are then guided step-by-step through a smart user experience and all photos are immediately transmitted back to ACD allowing appraisers to assess the extent of damage and complete estimates in as little as one hour.