Tag Archive: property


Pappas: Second Installment Property Tax Bills Due November 1, 2011

Filed Under: Insurance News
Oct.03, 2011

CHICAGO, Oct. 3, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said today that tax year 2010 Second Installment property tax bills will be due November 1, 2011.  Payments received after that date will be charged a 1.5 percent penalty per month on unpaid balances. 

The bills were mailed October 1, 2011, to the owners of more than 1.7 million homes, businesses and land parcels across Cook County.  The revenue collected will be distributed to local governments and municipalities.

Property owners can pay online by visiting cookcountytreasurer.com, at any Chase Bank or by mail.  All mail payments must be postmarked no later than November 1, 2011, to avoid penalty.  Partial payments are accepted.

All forms of payment require taxpayers to reference their 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN) found at the top of the tax bill.  Those paying at Chase Bank must bring their original payment coupon with payment.  Individuals paying by mail must include the payment coupon with their PIN written on the check.

Property owners who have questions about payments made from escrow accounts should contact their lenders, Pappas said.

Taxpayers also can visit cookcountytreasurer.com or call 312.443.5100 for general information in English, Polish and Spanish.

Information: Maria Pappas (312) 603-6202

SOURCE Cook County Treasurer’s Office


http://www.cookcountytreasurer.com

Pappas: Second Installment Property Tax Bills Due November 1, 2011 | Chicago Press Release Services – Chicago’s leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.



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HDI-Gerling America Insurance Company Selects Frasco, Inc. for National Provider of SIU and Investigative Services

Filed Under: Insurance News
Sep.29, 2011

CHICAGO, Sept. 29, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — HDI-Gerling America Insurance Company, a national provider of Fire, Marine, and Casualty Insurance services, announced it has chosen Frasco® Investigative Services, one of the largest insurance investigation corporations in the United States, as their national SIU and provider of investigative services.

As the sole provider of HDI-Gerling America Insurance Company’s SIU Services, Frasco will ensure compliance with all SIU anti-fraud regulatory requirements, including DOI and District Attorney referrals for potential prosecution, filing of SIU annual and suspected fraud claim reports, ongoing claim file fraud indicator reviews, and SIU anti-fraud training.

“We are pleased to provide investigation and SIU Services to HDI-Gerling America,” said John Simmers, President and CEO of Frasco, Inc.  ”We have extensive hands-on experience implementing and operating our Special Investigations Unit with unparalleled success and we are well equipped to support HDI-Gerling America’s fraud detection, regulatory, and monitoring needs.  Our partnership will provide program management to HDI-Gerling America with a full range of client services, training and SIU assistance.”

About HDI-Gerling America

HDI-Gerling America Insurance Company is a commercial property and casualty insurer licensed in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.  HDI-Gerling America is a 100% owned subsidiary of the German insurance group, HDI-Gerling, a part of the Talanx Group, which is based in Hannover and is the third-largest German insurance group according to premium income.  HDI-Gerling has a global presence in 28 locations, with a well-established presence in Western Europe, and in the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America.  Visit www.hdi-gaic.com for further information.

About FRASCO, Inc.

Frasco, Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is one of the largest insurance investigation corporations in the United States.  With a long standing reputation for excellence, Frasco is a recognized leader in the national investigation vendor management industry due to its best-in-class investigative expertise, state-of-the-art technology, and operational efficiencies.  Founded in 1964, Frasco has over four decades of experience in corporate, insurance, fraud, and employment related investigations, including pre-employment screening and drug testing.  Frasco operates nationally with numerous strategically placed offices throughout the United States.  For more information, visit www.frasco.com or contact Jeff Davis at jdavis@frasco.com, (877) 372-7261.

PRESS CONTACT:
Ms. Fay Smith
Frasco, Inc.
Phone:  (877) 372-7261
Fax:  (877) 734-6478
Email:  fsmith@frasco.com
Website:  www.frasco.com

SOURCE Frasco, Inc.


http://www.frasco.com

HDI-Gerling America Insurance Company Selects Frasco, Inc. for National Provider of SIU and Investigative Services | Chicago Press Release Services – Chicago’s leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.



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Report: Cities strapped by declining tax revenue (AP)

Filed Under: Insurance News
Sep.27, 2011

WASHINGTON – A new survey says more than half of cities have cut staff, canceled projects or raised fees this year to cope with shrinking property- and income-tax revenue.

The National League of Cities says cities are struggling to make ends meet. High unemployment, weak housing markets and slow spending have reduced the tax money they collect. Rising health care and pension costs for city workers are also draining budgets.

Two-thirds of city finance officers said they had delayed or canceled public works projects. Two in five reported raising fees for city services. One in five had cut spending on public safety.

The annual survey found the impact of the recession on cities was delayed because it took time for lower home values to affect property tax bills.

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Card Logistics to Auction Smart Card Gaming Technology at Upcoming ICAP Patent Brokerage Fall 2011 Live IP Auction in San Francisco

Filed Under: Insurance News
Sep.27, 2011

CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — ICAP Patent Brokerage, a division of ICAP plc, the world’s largest intellectual property brokerage and patent auction firm, announces the auction of U.S. Patent 7,562,815 and related assets owned by Card Logistics at the upcoming Fall 2011 Live IP Auction November 17th in San Francisco. The patent discloses a smart card device that can be used to store information for use in casinos and other gaming establishments.

(Logo:  http://photos.CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM.com/prnh/20100614/CG20517LOGO)

Key Attributes of the Patented Technology Include:

  • Processor-based casino player card for encrypted storage of gaming information, usable in smart-card format as well as portable computers, tablets, smart phones, et al.  Includes a communication interface to other electronic devices, such as slot and card readers.
  • Processor-controlled memory provides secure storage of personal user information and gaming history including available credit and winnings/losses in secure encrypted format.  Allows for separate encrypted storage of user purchases throughout the gaming facility.
  • Provides unique active security authentications for all user transactions, including gaming, wagering, purchases, access to special areas or hotel room, and holds user identification.
  • Stored gaming history as well as all casino and hotel/resort purchase information can be read and/or downloaded and used to determine loyalty points or other VIP-related awards.

“The technology in this lot provides benefits to both the player and the casino,” said Dean Becker, CEO of ICAP Patent Brokerage. “The patent is a key asset for entities involved in the multi-billion dollar casino gaming industry, as well as companies active in the smart card technology market. Industry adoption makes this a timely acquisition opportunity.”

Joe Fasulo, CEO of Card Logistics commented, “The CasinoPass™ System resolves some of the critical challenges within the Gaming Industry and facilitates the use of smart card technology throughout the casino.  In addition to secure storage of gaming points and maximum fraud protection, the system provides the ease of securely obtaining, maintaining, and processing CRM data from multiple casinos in one location, providing casinos the opportunity to maximize their client’s loyalty, and increase profits.”

To learn more about the assets available for license in this portfolio:

Contact Dean Becker of ICAP Patent Brokerage at 561-309-0011 or Dean.Becker@us.icap.com

About ICAP Patent Brokerage

ICAP Patent Brokerage is a division of ICAP plc and the world’s largest intellectual property brokerage and patent auction firm.

About ICAP

ICAP is the world’s premier interdealer broker and provider of post trade services. The Group matches buyers and sellers in the wholesale markets in interest rates, credit, commodities, foreign exchange, emerging markets, equities and equity derivatives through voice and electronic networks. ICAP plc was added to the FTSE 100 Index on 30 June 2006. For more information go to www.icap.com.

About Card Logistics

Card Logistics is a developer of leading edge patented smart-card based technologies for Secure Identity, Healthcare IT, and Entertainment/Hospitality applications.  The Company has extensive experience and knowledge in advanced information technology, and continues to develop both smart card and multiple platform solutions for their primary markets. For more information go to www.cardlogistics.com.

SOURCE ICAP Patent Brokerage


http://www.cardlogistics.com
http://www.icap.com

Card Logistics to Auction Smart Card Gaming Technology at Upcoming ICAP Patent Brokerage Fall 2011 Live IP Auction in San Francisco | Chicago Press Release Services – Chicago’s leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.



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Improved Mobile Phone Usability – ICAP Patent Brokerage Announces for Sale a Multi-Modal User Interface Patent Portfolio that Simplifies Voice…

Filed Under: Insurance News
Aug.30, 2011

CHICAGO, Aug. 29, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — ICAP Patent Brokerage, a division of ICAP plc, the world’s largest intellectual property brokerage and patent auction firm, is offering for sale a patent portfolio that discloses a multi-modal user interface that simplifies voice spoken instructions for mobile phones and related applications.  The patent portfolio is available from VIDA Software S.L.

(Logo:  http://photos.CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM.com/prnh/20100614/CG20517LOGO)

Key Characteristics & Benefits

The patent portfolio includes technologies that simplify the user interfaces of mobile devices and personal digital assistants as well as related applications for improved usability.

  • The key component of this invention is its coverage of voice spoken instructions for mobile devices and an ability to adjust to the expertise of the user.
  • The user interface can be easily distributed and multiple interaction queues can be arranged in distributed fashion by using a publish/subscribe model.
  • An interaction engine monitors mobile phone use as well as currently running applications.
  • A user expertise calculation module receives relevant information regarding interactions.
  • The module then uses that information to determine the user’s current expertise level.  
  • Less experienced users receive a prompt designed to help familiarize themselves with the device while more experienced users receive other, more advanced suggestions.
  • The interaction engine uses this determined level of user expertise to offer a selected set of prompts – enabling improved usability.
  • In addition, two or more interaction event queues are maintained rather than having the single queue common to other user-interface components.
  • Messages can be transmitted between the user-interface components or user-interface interaction event queues. This allows for a single interaction event to be distributed to multiple user-interfaces simultaneously.
  • The technology allows a single icon to be used to convey information regarding two or more factors relating to the operation or condition of the device. This further improves usability by reducing the number of displays presented to the user.

“As computing moves from wired PCs to wireless mobile devices, user interfaces must continue to be developed and improved upon to meet the growing needs of the end user,” said Dean Becker, CEO ICAP Patent Brokerage.  ”This portfolio represents the next step in the evolution of the user interface for mobile computing and should be of interest to mobile device manufacturers, mobile operating system developers, wireless carriers, or any other entity operating in this fast growing field.”

Market Potential

This patent portfolio should be of interest to entities manufacturing mobile devices and providing mobile services.

  • Voice input for such features as location-based services and contact outreach projects to be a very important space in the coming years.
  • Primary group of interest is expected to be mobile service providers of which the global market, including broadband and messaging, is estimated to reach $870 billion by 2014.(1)
  • Globally, the mobile software market is expected to reach $79.7 billion by 2017.(2)(3)

To learn more about the assets available for license in this portfolio:

Contact Dean Becker of ICAP Patent Brokerage at 561-309-0011 or Dean.Becker@us.icap.com

About ICAP Patent Brokerage

ICAP Patent Brokerage is a division of ICAP plc and the world’s largest intellectual property brokerage and patent auction firm.

About ICAP

ICAP is the world’s premier interdealer broker and provider of post trade services. The Group matches buyers and sellers in the wholesale markets in interest rates, credit, commodities, foreign exchange, emerging markets, equities and equity derivatives through voice and electronic networks. ICAP plc was added to the FTSE 100 Index on 30 June 2006. For more information go to www.icap.com.

(1) http://www.infonetics.com/pr/2010/1H10-Mobile-Service-and-Subscribers-Market-Highlights.asp

(2) http://www.delloro.com/

(3) http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/4/prweb8310947.htm; http://www.marketresearch.com/product/display.asp?productid=6066889&xs=r

SOURCE ICAP Patent Brokerage


http://www.icap.com

Improved Mobile Phone Usability – ICAP Patent Brokerage Announces for Sale a Multi-Modal User Interface Patent Portfolio that Simplifies Voice Spoken Instructions for Mobile Phones and Related Applications | Chicago Press Release Services – Chicago’s leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.



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NICB Offers Post-Hurricane Irene Consumer Advice

Filed Under: Insurance News
Aug.30, 2011

If You Didn’t Request It – Reject It

DES PLAINES, Ill., Aug. 29, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — As East Coast residents begin to rebuild and recover from Hurricane Irene, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) wants victims to know that, unfortunately, they may be the targets of quick-buck scam artists.  After a disaster, some professionals will often go door-to-door in neighborhoods, which have sustained damage to offer clean-up and/or construction and repair services.  Most of these business people are reputable, but many are not.  The dishonest ones may execute schemes to defraud innocent victims.  One such scheme is to pocket the payment and never show up for the job, or never complete a job that was started.  Another scheme is to use inferior materials and perform shoddy work not up to code in order to pocket more profit.

Almost all of these scams begin with a knock on the door—an unsolicited visit from a contractor. That is why we say, “If you didn’t request it, reject it.”  If you have damage from Irene, make contact first with your insurance company.

Right now the nation’s property and casualty insurance companies — nearly 1,100 are members of NICB — are in the field working hard to get victims back on their feet as rapidly as possible.  Still, they may not reach you before a scam artist does; NICB suggests you consider these tips before hiring a contractor:

  • Get more than one estimate  
  • Get everything in writing; cost, work to be done, time schedules, guarantees, payment schedules and other expectations should be detailed
  • Demand references and check them out
  • Ask to see the salesperson’s driver’s license and write down the license number and their vehicle’s license plate number
  • Never sign a contract with blanks; unacceptable terms can be added later
  • Never pay a contractor in full or sign a completion certificate until the work is finished and be sure reconstruction is up to current code
  • Make sure you review and understand all documents sent to your insurance carrier
  • Never let a contractor pressure you into hiring them
  • Never let a contractor interpret the insurance policy language
  • Never let a contractor discourage you from contacting your insurance company

If you believe you have been approached by an unlicensed or unscrupulous contractor or adjuster, or have been encouraged to fabricate an insurance claim, contact your insurance company or call the NICB Hotline at 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422).  You may also text your information to TIP411, keyword “FRAUD” and remain anonymous if you so desire.

In the weeks and months ahead, information about vehicles that are declared “salvage” by insurers participating in NICB’s VINCheck program will be available through queries of the database which is available at www.nicb.org.  VINCheck allows consumers to check to see if a car has been declared as salvage and alerts them to potential issues before they buy a used car.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation’s leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness.  The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations.  NICB member companies wrote over $317 billion in insurance premiums in 2010, or approximately 80 percent of the nation’s property/casualty insurance.  That includes more than 93 percent ($151 billion) of the nation’s personal auto insurance.  To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau


http://www.nicb.org

NICB Offers Post-Hurricane Irene Consumer Advice | Chicago Press Release Services – Chicago’s leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.



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ACE USA Appoints Mattheessen, Vest to Leadership Positions in Texas

Filed Under: Insurance News
Dec.14, 2010

December 14, 2010

ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, has appointed Keith Mattheessen as senior vice president for ACE Risk Management’s (ARM) Houston region, and Laura Mattheessen as senior vice president and branch manager for ARM in Dallas.

Based in Houston, Mattheessen will expand his responsibilities to also now include setting and driving the overall strategic direction for ARM’s branch operations in the Houston region. Mattheessen adds this new role to his current responsibilities as senior vice president and chief underwriting officer of the ARM Energy Underwriting Unit.

Mattheessen has more than 26 years of insurance and underwriting management experience, and joined ACE USA in 1999. He has held several senior account management and underwriting leadership roles for ACE Risk Management. View Full Article »

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Comparing Car Insurance Companies As Well As Rates – The Auto Insurance

Filed Under: Insurance News
Dec.13, 2010

Everyone – at least the 98% of Americans who haven’t been doing so well over the past ten years as opposed to the 2% who have never had it so good – is looking for a bargain these days. And that includes a lower car insurance bill – but make sure you look at the whole picture, including the car insurance companies themselves.

After all, cheaper car insurance isn’t really a bargain if the people running the insurance company are incompetent, inept or even worse, downright dishonest.

Fortunately, there are many organizations, across the country, that provide independent ratings of insurers. These ratings not only take into consideration policy pricing but also economic health and stability and customer service and satisfaction – two extremely important factors to consider when choosing an insurance provider.

Step One: Is the Insurer Allowed to Sell Policies in Your State?

Auto insurance providers fall under the category of property and casualty insurers. View Full Article »

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DeVito Named CEO at Baldwin & Lyons

Filed Under: Insurance News
Dec.13, 2010

December 13, 2010

Indiana-based property and casualty insurer Baldwin & Lyons Inc. announced that Joseph J. DeVito was elected to the position of chief executive officer, replacing Gary W. View Full Article »

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Illinois Announces Disciplinary Actions for November 2010

Filed Under: Insurance News
Dec.13, 2010

December 13, 2010

The Illinois Department of Insurance announced it issued the following disciplinary orders for November 2010:

Adele M. Cowell, Red Bud – Stipulation and Consent Order, effective Oct. 6, 2010. View Full Article »

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