'The Informer' Celebrates NICB's 110 Years of Fighting Insurance Crime

DES PLAINES, Ill., April 5, 2022 — The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the insurance industry’s association dedicated to predicting, preventing, and prosecuting insurance crime, announces the release of its new issue of The NICB Informer publication.

The Spring edition is dedicated to NICB’s 110-year anniversary. Within the issue, NICB reflects on its legacy, while looking toward a future filled with technological advancements, data and intelligence enhancements, and continuing to develop a core team of insurance crime fighters.

The longevity of the organization, which dates back to 1912, demonstrates the need for a group like NICB, one that can work both outside and alongside the insurance industry and assist law enforcement as a not-for-profit association.

"As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we also acknowledge that NICB is not the same organization it was when it was formed,” said David Glawe, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. "Our continued success is a testament to the organization’s ability to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our members and face the increasing sophistication of criminals."

Crime and fraud—including auto-related thefts, natural catastrophe-related fraud, cybercrime, and cargo theft—have increased dramatically in recent years. However, while criminal activity has changed, so too has the ability to use information in new and innovative ways.

“NICB has been at the forefront of this fight, simultaneously providing the on-the-ground investigative work our members need while building our data analytics capabilities to supplement our field agents’ efforts and provide greater trend awareness for insurers,” said Glawe.

This issue also focuses on the 2021 catastrophe season, which saw the second highest year in billion-dollar insured loss events. As the country experienced many of the same weather offenders, NICB’s Catastrophe Response Team worked diligently in 2021, providing up-to-date information and resources on unfolding CAT events. While CAT events were up, NICB reports that slip and fall questionable claims (QCs) were down 18% from 2018 to 2020. Increases, however, did occur in some states such as New Jersey, which showed a 35% increase from 2018 to 2020.

More insights can be found in The NICB Informer, a publication aimed at providing insurance industry executives with anticipatory intelligence to help identify risks and emerging threats to the industry. Anyone interested in receiving digital copy notification can sign up or send an email to TheNICBInformer@nicb.org to be added to the distribution.