Columbian Financial Group Continues to Expand Use of FIS Software’s ALIS Policy Administration System

CFG legacy system consolidation and conversion continues while ALIS’s straight through processing, quick-to-market capabilities, and workflow efficiencies deliver high value

ROCHELLE PARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FIS Software, Inc, a provider of enterprise level end-to-end policy administration systems for life, annuity, pension and health products, today announced that Columbian Financial Group (CFG) has continued to expand upon its successful deployment of FIS Software’s ALIS Policy Administration System.

Since the initial ‘go live’ in December 2008 with CFG’s single premium whole life product, the FIS ALIS platform is now also used to sell and administer CFG’s single-pay and multi-pay pre-need insurance, a new universal life product, and its final expense product. The project included the successful conversion of a block of approximately 170,000 policies. ALIS is also being used to manage CFG’s 40,000+ independent agents.

The CFG and FIS teams are now working to consolidate CFG’s remaining legacy environments with two conversions slated for completion within the next year -- all while CFG continues to introduce new products and enjoy ALIS’s straight through processing (STP) and improved workflow efficiencies.

Commenting on her experience working with the FIS team and ALIS product, Peggy Rubin, CFG’s Executive Vice President & Chief Operation Officer, said, “We had a good feeling after the initial implementation, but things have only gotten better with FIS over time. This is one of those rare times where I look forward to the opportunity to speak out on behalf of a technology vendor and their solution. I don’t think another system can touch what ALIS has to offer as an end-to-end product. And, the FIS staff has bent over backwards for us. We certainly had issues with the conversion, but we had knowledgeable and dedicated on-site support though all of it. I would not hesitate to strongly recommend both FIS and their ALIS solution to others.”

Rubin continued, “I was very impressed with the intuitive nature of the user interface and the broad configurability of the system. FIS obviously has a great deal of insurance expertise.”

In addition to the advantages that come with ALIS’s modern technology, flexibility, and workflow efficiencies, benefits that CFG has realized from the implementation of the FIS system include:

• Straight through processing (STP) from on-line quoting and NAIC compliant illustrations, through underwriting to policy issue, customer service and administration to claims processing. Clean policies are now being “jet-issued” automatically with zero manual intervention, and automated interfaces with MIB with a Personal History Interview service have been fully automated.
• CFG is now utilizing ALIS to manage its diverse and complex independent agent sales force with ALIS managing agent hierarchies without limitations on the number of levels, agent accounts (including agents with multiple accounts, each supporting different product lines and each with a different remuneration plan), transfers, statements, licensing and appointments.
• ALIS is integrated with CFG’s imaging and document management systems, providing automatically created follow ups when applications are imaged into ALIS.
• ALIS Designer is the configuration workbench tool which enables CFG to self-manage their environment. Today, CFG maintains user profiles, security groups, as well as document creation and triggering through ALIS. With plans for complete adoption of the configuration tool this year, CFG’s goal is to be self-sufficient with regard to all configurable aspects of ALIS.
• CFG is using the ALIS follow up workbench capability as a workflow tool to manage and route applications within ALIS to improve workflow. The follow ups are also used for the underwriters who are awaiting decisions on applications based on MIB history and other medical checks.
• In addition to using the ALIS agency management for complete record keeping and management of agent/agencies and commissions, CFG is also using the ALIS agency management software to track agent leads for certain distribution channels.
• CFG utilizes ALIS’s extensive claim management functionality, including state specific interest and assignee payments for funeral homes.

Future CFG implementation plans include the continued introduction of new products, consolidation of all debit business, as well as providing CFG agents access to information from ALIS via iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.

“I would like to extend both our sincere thanks and our congratulations to the CFG team on the successful implementation and ongoing expansion of ALIS,” said Ron Karam, President FIS North America. “We are proud that we were able to play a part in the success of the CFG project and look forward to continuing our work as they continue to expand ALIS’s use, add new products, consolidate old systems to the ALIS platform, and become proficient and more self-sufficient with the ALIS Designer tool. It’s been an outstanding team effort that has resulted in our mutual success.”

FIS Software’s ALIS offers insurers a turnkey solution that supports the complete life cycle of a policy, including: illustrations and quoting, new business processing, forms management, underwriting, reinsurance, billing and collections, customer service, claims management, agency management and accounting. The system is fully compliant with US regulatory requirements and with Sarbanes-Oxley. The Agency Management component is fully integrated within the ALIS solution and can also be deployed as a stand-alone enterprise level agency management system independent of the policy administration system.

The Columbian Financial Group of companies includes Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Company, Columbian Life Insurance Company and other affiliated companies within its corporate family. Columbian’s corporate headquarters is located in Binghamton, NY, with additional offices in Syracuse, NY, Norcross, GA, and Novi, MI. The parent company, Columbian Mutual Life, has been providing quality protection for over 125 years. Additional information regarding Columbian Financial Group is available at www.cfglife.com.

About FIS Software

FIS Software is dedicated to developing and delivering enterprise level end-to-end policy administration system solutions to enable insurance and financial institutions to maximize top line growth and operational efficiency. The company’s flagship product ALIS is a functionally rich and technologically advanced policy administration platform, which manages the entire lifecycle of life insurance, annuity, pensions, and health products. For more information please visit the FIS website at www.fis-software.com/us/, email [email protected]or call 201-820-3501.

Solomark AssociatesSusan Douglas, (847)895-2634
[email protected]

Source: FIS Software, Inc