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Columbia Insurance Group Signs With Connective Technologies to Implement TEAM-UP Solution

HOUSTON--Aug. 5, 2002--Connective Technologies, Inc., a Houston based eCommerce solution provider to the insurance industry, today announced that it had entered into a contract with Columbia Insurance Group to provide TEAM-UP upload for Personal Auto. TEAM-UP is a robust and cost effective solution, which allows carriers to upload agency management data directly into their web site where company unique editing and underwriting processes are integrated. Agents interact with their uploaded data to complete any number of processes including quoting, binding, and loss reporting. Because TEAM-UP integrates with a carrier's existing technology modules, implementation time is significantly shortened, and carriers receive an immediate return on investment.

"TEAM-UP fit nicely into our own web initiative. We have spent considerable effort in developing a front end to our rating and policy management system. TEAM-UP allows us to add functionality to our existing site by taking data from an agents management system and populating our own front end. This eliminates double entry for the agents and allows them to interact with the data to get quotes for different policy coverage options. Using TEAM-UP, an agent can get a quote from us in less than 2 minutes," states Vicky Schamberger, Insurance Systems Manager at Columbia.

Connective's Workflow Manager handles all of the "behind the scenes" processes to tie together TEAM-UP with Columbia's existing Web, rating and policy management system. Because Columbia provides real-time rating and quoting, agents have the capability of binding coverage immediately. The uploaded data enables a fully automated policy issuance as the data is fed through to the policy processing system via Connective's Workflow Manager. The agent's system is then synchronized with the policy record during the next download. Maintenance is significantly reduced, as Columbia is no longer required to create and maintain another set of edits that run at the agency.

From the agent's perspective, they work within their agency management system for everything but the company unique edits that Columbia requires. All of the data from the agency system is uploaded to Columbia's web site, so getting a quote is quick and easy. If any information was changed during the editing process, it will be updated on the agency system via the nightly download.

TEAM-UP was introduced to the market in March 2002 and has gained significant attraction with carriers. The full implementation of the solution is estimated to take between 4 to 6 weeks depending on the availability and integration of existing carrier components.

About Connective Technologies, Inc.

Connective Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of business solutions for the property and casualty insurance industry. Connective Solutions provides eCommerce products and services utilizing EDI, Web, Workflow, and Expert Underwriting objects that provide the ability to rate, quote, bind, issue, and print in less than 8 minutes. Engaging Connective Services, Connective Toolkit and the Client Support Facility delivers greater underwriting control, improved speed to market for new products, increased capacity for existing products, and meaningful cost savings through process automation to both carriers and brokers for all major property and casualty lines. To learn more about CTI products and services, contact Lynda Stevens @ 781.369.1150 or lstevens@connective-edi.com