Author Archives: Tom Berger

Tom Berger

About Tom Berger

Thomas Berger is CEO of Cross Country Computer. Tom joined Cross Country in 1991 and acquired the company in 1996. Tom has served as Treasurer of the Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO) and holds the patent for APEARS™. Tom was inducted into the Direct Marketing Association of Long Island (DMALI) Hall of Fame in 2012 and is a lifetime member of MENSA, the international High IQ society. Tom holds a BS degree in Management and Marketing from RIT.

John Hancock Lawsuit is a Wake-Up Call for Some Insurers

February 4, 2013 | Posted by Tom Berger

As reported in LifeHealthPRO on Feburary 1st 2013 (http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/02/01/hancock-hit-with-unclaimed-property-lawsuit) , John Hancock has been named in a class action lawsuit concerning their practices relating to life insurance death benefit payments.  The suit seeks damages for individuals who did not find … Continue reading →

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Four More States Propose Legislation Requiring Routine Deceased Processing using the SSA DMF

January 29, 2013 | Posted by Tom Berger

On January 29, 2013, New Mexico joined Vermont, Massachusetts and North Dakota and became the fourth state this year, the tenth overall, to propose legislation requiring regular use of the Social Security Administration Death Master File (SSA DMF). However, as with the other … Continue reading →

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What NY’s New Laws (SB 6943 & AB 9845) Mean for Death Master File Matching

December 26, 2012 | Posted by Tom Berger

The following is a legislative alert from our friends at Keane.  Cross Country Computer views this information as a confirmation that fuzzy matching must be applied when performing death matching: “The cross-checks shall be performed using the social security number, the name, and … Continue reading →

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FTC Orders Data Brokers to Disclose Information

December 21, 2012 | Posted by Tom Berger

http://www.dmnews.com/ftc-orders-data-brokers-to-disclose-operations-information/article/273181/ The link above will take you to an interesting article that may impact insurer’s evaluation of the reliability of ‘deceased databases’ beyond the Social Security Administration Death Master File (SSA DMF).   At times, we have been surprised to hear an insurer … Continue reading →

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Considerations when Implementing a Strategy to Comply with NY’s Reg-200

November 9, 2012 | Posted by Tom Berger

New York State now requires that insurers match their policy data to the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (SSA DMF).  This emergency rule, which became effective June 14, 2012, “applies to (1) every policy issued by a domestic insurer … Continue reading →

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Five Things to Consider when Deciding Whether to Outsource SSA DMF Processing

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Tom Berger

Every company has its core competencies and most likely if you are an insurance company, your expertise has something to do with insurance and not necessarily data processing.  Having said that, many organizations will consider performing Death Master Processing for … Continue reading →

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5 steps Insurance Companies Need to Take Now for Death Matching Compliance

October 19, 2012 | Posted by Tom Berger

With recent state mandates and audits on the rise, the following steps will help insurance companies who want to ensure compliance with these newly passed death matching requirements. Assign an Internal Champion and Get Informed: Each company needs a dedicated … Continue reading →

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