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Sircon, Thomson Prometric and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Team-Up to Deliver Streamlined Licensing Process for Resident Insurance Producers
Web-Based Licensing Solution Incorporates "Live Scan" Technology
Okemos, Mich., May 8, 2006 - Sircon Corporation, a leading service provider offering strategic producer-centric solutions for insurance carriers, agencies and state regulators, today announced that the Pennsylvania Insurance Department has turned to Sircon and partner Thomson Prometric to streamline the state's resident licensing process.
Pennsylvania insurance law requires that all individuals applying for an initial resident insurance producer license must be fingerprinted in order to facilitate background checks, which are performed by submitting fingerprint images to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJISD) through the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP). As of April 3, 2006, hardcopy fingerprint cards (also referred to as "wet ink" cards) are no longer being processed by the PSP and FBI as a result of the implementation of "Live Scan" technology. This requires all new candidates for licensure to be fingerprinted at a Thomson Prometric Exam Center using the "Live Scan" technology, which allows for the electronic capture and transmission of fingerprints. Sircon solutions are providing the electronic process for license application and payment of fees, while Thomson Prometric does the actual fingerprinting of applicants.
"The Live Scan devices used at testing center locations allow producers to have their fingerprints scanned and transmitted electronically through an encrypted, secure Internet connection and this permits the criminal history record report to be sent back to the Bureau of Producer Services in less than 10 days in most cases as opposed to 30 days for ink cards," said Jack Yanosky, Pennsylvania's Licensing Director. "Sircon has provided a tailored and much needed solution that helps us integrate data from the testing centers, such as examination scores, and resident license applications to streamline the licensing process. Instead of having to go through multiple steps to get licensed, producer applicants can complete the entire application process at an exam center after passing their licensing exam. What was once a 48-day licensing cycle using paper-based processes can now be completed in just 7-10 business days by utilizing this technology," said Mr. Yanosky.
Since 1998, Pennsylvania's Insurance Department has been using Sircon products which provide state insurance regulators with an automated and more efficient way to manage, process and track critical information on insurance companies, agencies and individual producers.
"The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been a visionary in leveraging technology that improves and streamlines the producer licensing process," said Gary Gummig, Vice President of Government Affairs at Sircon. "Not only are they seeing a return on their investment, insurance producers licensed through the new state process can get their license quicker and begin selling sooner."
"We were excited about partnering with Sircon and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on this important initiative where we can utilize our presence at testing centers throughout the state to capture important information on producers that will help expedite the entire licensing process," said Chris Wagenbach, Vice President of State-based Sales for Thomson Prometric. "We believe that this model will soon be adopted by other states as they see the success that this initiative brings to both state regulators and the industry at large."
About Thomson-Prometric
Thomson Prometric, www.prometric.com, is the recognized global leader in testing and assessment services, providing paper-and-pencil, Internet and computer-based testing solutions. It offers a fully integrated testing system that includes test development, test delivery, and data management capabilities. On behalf of 600 current clients in the academic, professional, government, corporate and information technology markets, Thomson Prometric develops and/or delivers assessments through a global network of testing centers in 131 countries as well as directly to candidates via the Web.
About Sircon Corporation
Sircon Corporation provides a strategic platform to grow, manage and optimize producer channel networks. The company's portfolio of managed services delivers compelling value to insurance carriers, insurance producers and state regulatory agencies for licensing, regulatory compliance automation and producer management. Sircon's solutions provide essential industry services by connecting insurance carriers, broker-dealers and state regulatory agencies. Many of the nation's best-known insurance companies and state regulators depend on Sircon, including: The Hartford, GEICO, Nationwide, Conseco, Farmers Group, AIG, Travelers, Aflac, Standard Insurance and CNA. For more information, please visit www.sircon.com or call 877.876.4450.
For more information, contact:
Heather Horne
Airfoil Public Relations
248.304.1439
horne@airfoilpr.com
Paige Vesuvio
Thomson Prometric
443.923.8690
paige.vesuvio@thomson.com
Scott Morrison
Sircon Corporation
517.381.3828
smorrison@sircon.com