IDT expands insurance modules
Software and information supplierInvestment Data Technologies(IDT) will now offer general insurance research, quotation and electronic policy fulfilment capabilities as part of its financial planning software.
IDT says it is the first software company to offer this service to the planning market, after forming an alliance with electronic insurance policy delivery company NAQ Technology.
IDT client services executive Alison Burns says that at present, advisers are referring their general insurance work to other providers because they do not see the value for the amount of paperwork involved.
However, Burns says this puts financial advisers at risk of losing these clients, as insurance providers are broadening their own offerings into planning services.
Burns says the software upgrade, to be available by the end of June, will enable advisers to maximise the income they can earn from a particular client and assist them in better meeting clients’ needs.
Burns says that in pursuit of this holistic model, IDT is looking at including more elements in its software, including a mortgage module, online prospectuses and estate planning.
Recommended for you
Policy and advocacy specialist Benjamin Marshan has left the Council of Australian Life Insurers after less than a year, having joined in March from the Financial Planning Association of Australia.
The declining volume of risk advisers meant KPMG has found a rising lapse rate for insurance policies arranged by independent financial advisers, particularly in the TPD and death cover space.
The Life Insurance Code of Practice has transferred from the Financial Services Council to the Council of Australian Life Insurers.
The firm has announced it will no longer be writing new life insurance policies in the retail advised and corporate group insurance channels, citing a declining market and risk adviser numbers.