States, Including CT, Reach $575M Settlement with Wells Fargo

In a settlement described as  "the most significant engagement to date by state attorneys general involving a national bank without a federal law enforcement partner, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen announced that Wells Fargo Bank N.A. will pay $575 million to resolve claims that the bank violated state consumer protection laws by (1) opening millions of unauthorized accounts and enrolling customers into online banking services without their knowledge or consent, (2) improperly referring customers for enrollment in third-party renters and life insurance policies, (3) improperly charging auto loan customers for force-placed and unnecessary collateral protection insurance, (4) failing to ensure that customers received refunds of unearned premiums on certain optional auto finance products, and (5) incorrectly charging customers for mortgage rate lock extension fees. Connecticut served on a multistate investigation leadership and negotiating team, along with the attorneys general of Arizona, Iowa and Pennsylvania. Connecticut's share of the settlement is $5,242,279, which will be deposited into the state's General Fund.

Through this settlement with all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the company will also create a consumer redress review program through which consumers who have not been made whole through other remediation programs already in place can seek to have their inquiry or complaint reviewed by an escalation team for possible relief, officials said.

"Wells Fargo engaged in conduct that violated the public's trust and ran afoul of state laws," said Attorney General Jepsen. "This settlement resolves Connecticut's consumer protection claims against the bank and creates an important avenue for Connecticut consumers seeking redress for the bank's  improper conduct. I'm proud of the strong, bipartisan work of the states in this investigation that has helped bring this matter to a close."

As part of its settlement with the states, Wells Fargo has agreed to implement within 60 days a program through which consumers who believe they were affected by the bank's conduct, but fell outside the prior restitution programs, can contact Wells Fargo to be reviewed for potential redress. Wells Fargo will create and maintain a website for consumers to use to access the program and will provide periodic reports to the states about ongoing restitution efforts.

According to the Attorney General's office, Wells Fargo has identified more than 3.5 million accounts where customer accounts were opened, funds were transferred, credit card applications were filed, and debit cards were issued without the customers’ knowledge or consent. The bank has also identified 528,000 online bill pay enrollments nationwide that may have resulted from improper sales practices at the bank.  In addition, Wells Fargo improperly submitted more than 6,500 renters insurance and/or simplified term life insurance policy applications and payments from customer accounts without the customers’ knowledge or consent.

The states alleged that Wells Fargo imposed aggressive and unrealistic sales goals on bank employees and implemented an incentive compensation program where employees could qualify for credit by selling certain products to customers. The states further alleged that the bank's sales goals and the incentive compensation program created an impetus for employees to engage in improper sales practices in order to satisfy such sales goals and earn financial rewards. Those sales goals became increasingly harder to achieve over time, the states alleged, and employees who failed to meet them faced potential termination and career-hindering criticism from their supervisors.

The states also alleged that Wells Fargo improperly charged premiums, interest, and fees for force-placed collateral protection insurance to more than two million auto financing customers, despite evidence that the customers’ regular auto insurance policy was in effect, and despite numerous customer complaints about such unnecessary placements.  Wells Fargo has agreed to provide remediation of more than $385 million to approximately 850,000 auto finance customers.  The remediation will include payments to over 51,000 customers whose cars were repossessed.

Additionally, the states alleged that Wells Fargo failed to ensure that customers received proper refunds of unearned portions of optional Guaranteed Asset/Auto Protection (GAP) products sold as part of motor vehicle financing agreements.  As a result, the bank has agreed to provide refunds totaling more than $37 million to certain auto finance customers.

Finally, the states alleged that Wells Fargo improperly charged residential mortgage loan consumers for rate lock extension fees even when the delay was caused by Wells Fargo, a practice contrary to the bank’s policy.  Wells Fargo has identified and contacted affected consumers and has refunded or agreed to refund over $100 million of such fees.

It is the latest major settlement involving government action against Wells Fargo practices.

Wells Fargo has previously entered consent orders with federal authorities – including the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – related to its alleged conduct. Wells Fargo has committed to or already provided restitution to consumers in excess of $600 million through its agreements with the OCC and CFPB as well as through settlement of a related consumer class-action lawsuit and will pay over $1 billion in civil penalties to the federal government. Additionally, under an order from the Federal Reserve, the bank is required to strengthen its corporate governance and controls, and is currently restricted from exceeding its total asset size.

More information on the redress review program, including Wells Fargo escalation phone numbers and the Wells Fargo dedicated website address for the program will be available on or before February 26, 2019.  Consumers with questions about the redress program can contact the Office of the Attorney General's Finance Department at 860-808-5270.

How Does Your Health Insurance Plan Stack Up? There’s A Resource for That

Connecticut’s Insurance Department has issued its 2018 Consumer Report Card on Health Plans in Connecticut, providing consumers with an updated snapshot of 12 health carriers in the Connecticut marketplace.  The goal:  to help consumers make informed choices when choosing a health plan. “The Department’s annual Report Card is designed to deliver side-by-side comparisons of health carriers across a variety of quality measures, including coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment,” Commissioner Katharine L. Wade said recently. The analysis includes health claims, mental healthcare, pregnancy coverage and preventative care, and reviews the reasons cited in instances of denial of coverage. 

Among the trends identified in the latest annual report care are:

• Total enrollment over 2.2 million, a slight increase from 2016.
• 5 percent of those covered (1.85 million people) get their insurance from large group plans
• 131,000 people have individual plans (5.9 percent)
• 235,000 people are covered under small group plans (10.6 percent)

The 72-page data-filled report card also notes that there was an increase in the number of primary care providers, specialists and pharmacies participating in health plan networks. There was a decline in the number of participating hospitals, officials indicated, but attributed it “primarily due to consolidations in the industry and not facilities closing.”

Customers surveyed said they were always or usually able to see a specialist or get routine care as soon as they wanted.  The enrollment breakdown in Connecticut is lopsided.  Among HMO's, Anthem has 81% of the market, ConnectiCare 17%, Oxford 2%.  Among indemnity enrollments, Anthem has 42%, followed by Aetna's 20%, CIGNA's 19%, United's 7% and ConnectiCare's 5%.

The report card, issued this fall,  includes “terms” that consumers should know, a series of frequently asked questions and answers, and results of a member satisfaction survey for HMO’s Anthem, ConnectiCare, Harvard Pilgrim and Oxford Health.  Indemnity insurers Aetna Life, Anthem, CIGNA, ConnectiCare, Harvard Pilgrim, United Health and Oxford Health also had members surveyed on a range of “satisfaction” queries.

This report includes three years of data, where available, to be informative for consumers, officials said.  The data utilized was through 2017.

The mission of the Connecticut Insurance Department is to protect consumers through regulation of the industry, outreach, education and advocacy. The Department recovers an average of $4 million yearly on behalf of consumers, according to officials, and regulates the industry by ensuring carriers adhere to state insurance laws and regulations and are financially solvent to pay claims.

Each year, the Department returns an average of $100 million a year to the state General Fund in license fees, premium taxes, fines and other revenue sources to support various state programs, including childhood immunization. The Department’s annual budget is funded through assessments from the insurance industry.

Individuals with questions or seeking further information may contact the Department at  insurance@ct.gov or 860-297-3900.

Most Expensive States for Car Insurance? CT Ranks Fifth in Survey of 50 States

Connecticut is fifth, but Michigan has been first for five consecutive years in an annual comparison of car insurance rates.  Connecticut is 34 percent more expensive than the national average, according to the criteria used in the state-to-state comparison. When the website insure.com looked to compare car insurance rates, they worked with Quadrant Information Services to calculate car insurance rates for a 40-year old man seeking full coverage from six different major carriers. They tabulated the price quoted in 10 zip codes for every state, looking for the average of a 2018 model-year version of America’s 20 best-selling vehicles.

Their finding: car insurance rates can vary widely depending on the state you call home, and numerous other factors. Connecticut was near the top – in the middle of the top ten most expensive states for car insurance, based on this criteria.  A year ago, Connecticut ranked third.

The website’s analysis pointed out that high vehicle density is one culprit for higher than average premiums. They noted that Connecticut is the fourth densest state in the country and “tons of cars piled into a small space leads to accidents, which leads to claims, which ends in high car insurance rates.”

The top five states with the highest rates were Michigan ($2,239), Louisiana ($2,126), Florida ($2,050), Rhode Island ($1,852) and Connecticut ($1,831).  Rounding out the top ten most expensive states for car insurance, according to the survey, were Washington DC ($1,827), California (1,731), Georgia ($1,668), Delaware ($1,600), and Texas ($1,589).

Across the Northeast, Vermont ranks lowest in the entire country at just $932.  New Hampshire was also among the lowest, at $1,039.  Massachusetts ranked number 38, with an annual premium of $1,176.

Hartford Surges into Top 50 Cities to Start a Business

Hartford is surging.  So says Inc. magazine, in the latest ranking of the leading “Surge Cities” in the U.S. – the 50 Best Places in America for Starting a Business.  Of Hartford, which ranked number 46, the publication said “Hartford gets its groove back by doubling down on manufacturing--and social impact startups.” Hartford ranked just ahead of Memphis, Cleveland, Virginia Beach and Buffalo in rounding out the top 50.  Leading the list were Austin, Salt Lake City, Raleigh, Nashville, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Denver, Orlando and Portland.

Inc. pointed out that “Despite years of state budgetary woes, the Hartford area is on an upswing--thanks, in part, to a rebound in manufacturing. Aerospace company Pratt & Whitney can't keep up with jet engine orders, and Otis Elevator does over $12.3 billion in net sales.”  They went on to highlight what’s new: “Pioneering accelerator ReSet, which has a social impact focus, has graduated 100 area companies over the past five years. Toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker recently launched a manufacturing accelerator with Techstars. And Hartford--the ‘insurance capital of the world’--was named one of the state's four Innovations Places, making it eligible for $2 million in matching funds, part of which it's putting toward an accelerator aimed at insurance startups.”

Among the criteria in the analysis, and Hartford’s ranking:  rate of entrepreneurship (38), high-growth company density (48), net business creation (35), early-stage funding deals (35) and wage growth (21).

Elsewhere in New England, Boston ranked number 15; Providence was number 44.

Ratepayers, Businesses, and Environmental Advocates Seek to Reverse Decision on Ratepayer Fund Raids

Attorneys for ratepayers, efficiency businesses and environmental organizations have filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York , asking the appellate court to reverse an October 25 U.S. District Court decision that denied plaintiffs a remedy in their lawsuit to force the State of Connecticut to restore $145 million in ratepayer dollars intended to save families money on energy bills and reduce climate pollution. The original lawsuit, filed in May, was filed to stop the state legislature’s 2017 sweep of Connecticut’s energy efficiency and clean energy funds, and to prevent future diversions of ratepayer funds. The original complaint argued that diverting ratepayer funding to plug a budget deficit instead of using the dedicated funds for its intended purpose violates the Contract Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution and functions as an illegal tax on tax-exempt organizations like churches and nonprofits.

“We are pursuing the case to fix the damage the raids have done to Connecticut families and businesses,” said Roger Reynolds, chief legal director at Connecticut Fund for the Environment. “Residents trusted that their ratepayer dollars would go where their electric bills said they would—towards energy efficiency and clean energy programs that save money and cut climate pollution. Instead those hard-earned dollars were used to plug a hole in the state budget. We believe the appellate court will see that the state’s action violated federal contract and tax law, and ask them to correct that mistake to put Connecticut back on the path to a healthier energy future and a stronger economy.”

Judge Janet C. Hall at the U.S. District Court in New Haven ruled in October that the state’s 2017 budget that swept ratepayer funds did not impair contracts between ratepayers and their electric distribution companies because neither utility tariffs nor state law ever promised ratepayers that their dollars would not be transferred to the General Fund for unrelated purposes.

The organizations filing the suit pointed out that when the General Assembly found itself facing a deficit in fall 2017, they passed a budget instructing the state to “sweep” and divert the energy efficiency and clean energy funds to the general fund. However, these funds are not government property, they stressed,  and were not raised through state taxes but were paid by ratepayers to utilities for specific services. Therefore, "seizing these funds amounts to taking ratepayer funds that were paid for another purpose."

As a result of the "raids", the filers of the lawsuit pointed out that "12,900 homes will not receive energy assessments, weatherization upgrades, reduced pricing on insulation, or associated energy bill savings. Furthermore, 5,600 of these are low income households that often require additional financial assistance to close the energy affordability gap.  The award-winning Connecticut Green Bank leverages $6 in private investment for every $1 of renewable energy funding. Yet these sweeps resulted in a 53% reduction in this program’s budget, requiring layoffs and project cancellations."

This case raises an important legal issue relevant beyond Connecticut, according to environment groups,  because it is the first time ratepayers argued in court that when they pay their utility bills with surcharges dedicated for specific programs or services—such as energy efficiency and renewable energy—enforceable contracts arise that cannot be invaded by any state.

"Connecticut’s leaders broke the trust of their constituents when they turned electric ratepayer dollars into an illegal tax,” said lead plaintiff Leticia Colon de Mejias, chair of Efficiency For All (EFA) and founder. “Even in these difficult times, it is obvious that stealing ratepayer funds intended to help Connecticut residents and businesses reduce energy waste, save money on energy bills, and access clean resources is a bad choice."

“Sierra Club Connecticut supports this legal appeal by Connecticut Fund for the Environment and allies, and the advocacy of groups including Efficiency for All, to restore the misappropriated energy efficiency monies that our General Assembly voted to take away and use as a stop gap for our budget woes" said Martha Klein, chair, Sierra Club Connecticut. "It was a myopic mistake, as these funds have been proven to create jobs, make revenue for the state, and reduce climate-destroying greenhouse gas emissions. This type of fund raiding hurts all of us in the long run. That money was taken from ratepayers specifically to improve the efficiency of our whole state, which would save all of us money on energy costs, and improve our health and climate.”

When the initial suit was filed against the state back in May, Governor Malloy  issued a statement that, rather than defending the state action, seemed to take the opposite view:

"This should come as a surprise to no one. I have long maintained that these shortsighted sweeps would increase energy costs for consumers and businesses and cause untold harm to our green energy economy. [W]e should be cementing our role as a national leader in our efforts to combat climate change and protect our communities. The energy sweeps . . . represented a massive step backwards, and I continue to strongly oppose them," Malloy said.

Next Wave of Insurtech Startups Prepare to Descend on Hartford

Will insurance be as much the story of Hartford’s future as it was in the Insurance City’s past?  It is a distinct possibility if the combination of a strong insurance pedigree and receptivity to technological innovation come together as the organizers of the Hartford InsurTech Hub hope. Early next year, the city will witness the arrival of the next wave, as 10 startups arrive to participate in three months of activity, powered by Startupbootcamp, as part of the 2019 cohort for its acceleration program, hosted at Upward Hartford downtown.

Hartford InsurTech Hub is an initiative established in 2017 by Hartford insurance companies, the City of Hartford, and CTNext. The initiative is focused on addressing the need to attract new technologies and talent in insurance and technology into Hartford and the local ecosystem. Selected from more than 230 applications, each startup will relocate to Hartford for the start of the program in February and will remain for its three-month duration.

The chosen startups cover a wide range of abilities, from property insurance claims to peer-to-peer (P2P) insurance, and exhibit a variety of technologies and insurance types. Participating startup companies will receive support, resources, and industry and investor connections to help grow their businesses. With support from Startupbootcamp, the teams will be provided with access to an extensive range of partners, mentors, and investors from across the accelerator’s global network.

The 10 startups that will join the second year of the Hartford InsurTech Hub acceleration program will work closely with Hartford InsurTech Hub’s insurance corporate partners: Aetna, Capgemini, Cigna, Clyde & Co., Deloitte, The Hartford, Travelers, USAA, White Mountains and CTNext.

Sabine VanderLinden, CEO at Startupbootcamp InsurTech, explained that “The insurance industry is continuously evolving and technology is having a huge impact. InsurTech of the past has been about enhancing retail-based offerings with improved customer engagement. InsurTech of today is focused on business model innovation and reconfiguring value chains—something we are committed to developing in Hartford.”

The startups include:

• Pineapple: Pineapple offers a fair, transparent, and affinity based P2P insurance and they’re coming to Hartford from South Africa.
• handdii: Coming from Australia, handdii is a digital platform that automates the property insurance claim process from FNOL through to claim finalization.
• Dream Payments: Dream Payments is a Fintech startup from Canada that powers digital and mobile payment services for business customers.
• Pitch Gauge: Pitch Gauge, from Georgia, is a roofing estimating application using mobile devices to do property inspections.
• Medyear: From New York, Medyear is a social network for healthcare collaboration. They connect consumers to over 190 health systems and 700k doctors for real-time chat, secure email, microblogging, and personal health records.
• SkyWatch: SkyWatch is a licensed insurance broker in all 50 US states offering a holistic software solution for on-demand risk-aware solutions for connected, moving platforms. They’re originally from California.
• Talem Health Analytics: Coming from Canada, Talem Health Analytics provides data driven insights on bodily injury claims cost.
• See Your Box: See Your Box provides Industrial IoT tools to digitize supply chains. SYB is a tech-service platform that collects, analyses and extracts information related to goods across all steps of the supply chain and is coming to Hartford from Switzerland.
• ClaimSpace: Coming from Australia, ClaimSpace is a platform that bridges the communication gap between customers, insurers and stakeholders during the claims process.
• CareValidate: Powered by a life-saving light bulb called SafeLight, CareValidate provides health, safety, and quality of care telematics to transform workers’ compensation, senior living, long-term care, life, and health insurance products with plug-and-play insurtech solutions. They’re originally from Georgia.

VanderLinden added: “We have built strong foundations over the last 18 months and we’re on the way to transforming the city of Hartford into the InsurTech capital of the United States. There’s still much to do and I am therefore delighted to be welcoming some truly inspiring teams into the next program in Hartford to continue this transformation.”

The insurance industry employs just over  60,000 people in Connecticut, up 2.6 percent from last year, according to PwC’s 2018 Connecticut insurance market brief, released earlier this month.  The second Insurtech class of startups hopes to grow that number.  Some of the participants in the inaugural class a year ago are still in town, planting roots and Hartford and growing rapidly.

Hartford InsurTech Hub is part of Startupbootcamp, the award-winning global network of industry-focused accelerator programs that help startups gain access to relevant mentors, partners, and investors in their industries.

Top Companies Profiting from War: Two Have Major CT Presence

An analysis to determine the top 20 companies across the globe that are “profiting the most from war,” finds two with Connecticut connections. Virginia’s General Dynamics, parent company of Groton-based Electric Boat is ranked at #6 and Farmington-headquartered United Technologies is at #11. In its analysis, the website 24/7 Wall St. indicated that “global military spending increased by 3.9% in 2017, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The global rise was driven partially by a $9.6 billion hike in U.S. spending — the United States is the world’s largest defense spender by a wide margin. What growing arms investments will mean for the future of international peace is unclear. What is clear is that defense companies around the world are benefitting tremendously.”

The analysis also found that:

• Total arms sales among the world’s 100 largest defense contractors topped $398 billion in 2017 after climbing for the third consecutive years.
• Russia became the second largest arms-producing country this year, overtaking the United Kingdom for the first time since 2002.
• The United States is home to half of the world’s 10 largest defense contractors, and American companies account for 57% of total arms sales of the world’s 100 largest defense contractors (based on SIPRI data).

Leading the list was Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, the largest defense contractor in the world, with $44.9 billion in arms sales.  Rounding out the top five were Boeing, Raytheon, BAE Systems, and Northrup Grumman.

For United Technologies, the analysis indicated arms sales of $7.8 billion, total sales of $59.8 billion, and profit of $4.9 billion, led by its subsidiary brands Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney.  Collins Aerospace designs and sells advanced systems for military helicopters, including rescue hoists, autopilot systems, and laser guided weapon warning systems, the report noted. Pratt & Whitney designs and manufactures engines currently in use by 34 militaries worldwide.

United Technologies recently announced plans to split into three independent companies. Plans are for company’s defense division to remain under the United Technologies name, as the Otis Elevator Company and Carrier breaking off as independent entities.

During 2017, General Dynamics – based in Falls Church, Virginia, - sold $19.5 billion worth of arms, the fifth most of any U.S. company and the sixth most of any company worldwide. In the past year, General Dynamics earned a $5.1 billion contract to design and develop a prototype of the Columbia-class submarine. Electric Boat was awarded a contract modification to continue development of the US Navy’s next-generation Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine.

“In close collaboration with the navy and the submarine industrial base, Electric Boat will continue to lead key aspects of the Columbia-class development effort,” said General Dynamics Electric Boat president Jeffrey S Geiger.  “This work includes design, material procurement, construction and operating cost reduction. The entire Columbia-class team is committed to achieving an affordable and effective programme. Our nation’s security depends on it.”

Pay Business Taxes in Bitcoin? In Ohio, Yes You Can

Just months ago, the news this month from Ohio’s State Treasurer might not have caused a ripple in Connecticut.  That was before Ideanomics, a global technology company focused on digital asset production and distribution, closed a deal to construct its first “Fintech Village” Center for Technology and Innovation in West Hartford.  Ideanomics is pioneering the new blockchain and AI-empowered economy. In Ohio, that technology has crossed another mainstream threshold.  Ohio has become the first state where businesses can pay their taxes in bitcoin. Bitcoin is the most well-known of cryptocurrencies, which all use distributed ledger technology. Distributed ledger technology -- such as blockchain -- allows users to record data and transactions instantaneously in a way that is mostly unhackable, Governing magazine reported.

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (D) told Governing that he hopes accepting bitcoin for 23 business taxes will be particularly appealing to tech startups and international businesses. He eventually wants to expand payments to individual taxes and other types of cryptocurrencies.

"We want to project to the rest of America that Ohio is loud and proud about embracing blockchain technology," he says, noting that the launch of ohiocrypto.com coincides with a major blockchain conference in Cleveland. "We're trying to plant the flag and send the message to entrepreneurs and software developers across America that Ohio is open for business."

As for Ideanomics, through strategic partnerships with and ownership stakes in leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain companies, Ideanomics is plans to bring transparency, efficiency, cost savings and new ownership paradigms to various markets including finance, commodities/energy, vertical industry/supply chain and consumer.

“The government adoption is the latest signal that cryptocurrencies are gaining legitimacy after initially being associated mainly with drug and weapons dealers on the dark web,” Governing magazine reported:    “First, BitPay -- much like currency exchange desks -- locks in an exchange rate and converts the currency to U.S. dollars. That makes the transaction less risky for government.  Second, bitcoin offers taxpayers an option with a lower fee -- 1 percent -- than those associated with credit cards, where there's usually a 2 or 3 percent surcharge for payments to the government.”

Seminole County, Fla., began accepting payments in bitcoin for things like license fees and taxes in late August.  Neither jurisdiction expects to see rapid utilization of the new payment method, Governing pointed out, but both expect to be leading the way for other governments to follow.  Ohio’s current treasurer leaves office in January, to be succeeded by Robert Sprague.

The $5.2 million purchase of land in West Hartford by Ideanomics, formerly the University of Connecticut greater Hartford campus, formally closed with the State of Connecticut and UConn in October.  Plans are to bring 330 new jobs to the town, and to achieve LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council by investing in new and environmentally efficient technologies.

Travelers Ranked in Top 100 Best Places to Work

Founded in Hartford in 1853, Travelers is one of the nation’s top 100 places to work for 2019 according to a new ranking from the website Glassdoor.com.  The Travelers Companies Inc. ranked number 70, the only Connecticut-headquartered company to earn a slot on the list.

The Travelers Companies, Inc. is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance for auto, home and business, with approximately 30,000 employees and operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.  It is one of the oldest insurance companies in the U.S. and the only property casualty company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.  The iconic red umbrella logo have been staples of the company for generations, and the Travelers Tower has long held a prominent place on Hartford’s skyline.

While steeped in history, the company’s status on the top 100 list for the coming year is a reflection of continual efforts to respond to both customer and employee preferences.  Travelers was ranked number 80 on last year’s top 100 list and also appeared in 2010 and 2011.

The latest annual list marks the 11th annual Employees’ Choice Awards, honoring the Best Places to Work in 2019. The rankings rely on feedback from employees who elected to anonymously submit a company review on Glassdoor.

The top 10 companies were Bain & Co., Zoom Video Communications, In-N-Out Burger, Procore Technologies, Boston Consulting Group, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, lululemon, and Southwest Airlines.

The top six industries represented on the list: Technology (29 companies), Health Care (13 companies), Retail (8 companies), Manufacturing (8 companies), Consulting (5 companies), and Finance (5 companies).  The most-represented metropolitan areas include SF Bay Area (23 companies), New York City, NY (9 companies), Boston, MA (7 companies), Los Angeles, CA (6 companies), Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (6 companies), and Seattle, WA (5 companies).

The Glassdoor 2019 Employees’ Choice Awards for the Best Places to Work feature distinct categories.  For each category, company reviews and ratings from current and former employees were considered between October 23, 2017 and October 21, 2018. They include overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation & benefits, culture & values, senior management, work/life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook. All eight attributes are a part of the awards algorithm.

Travelers work was evident during the wildfires in California last month as the company responded to policy owners impacted by the devastating fires. The response came from the glassed-in Travelers National Catastrophe Center, located in Windsor, a short drive from the corporate headquarters in downtown Hartford.

Modeled after military war rooms, the Associated Press reported last month, it includes a conference table behind 19 high-definition screens, which display maps, graphs, television images and social media sites, all providing real-time data on the fires. By overlaying the data on maps marking its customers’ locations, the company can quickly identify those who are likely to have been affected, Jim Wucherpfennig, Travelers vice president of claims, told the AP.

Glassdoor, which compiles the annual ranking, is one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites, with more than 62 million unique users each month.

History of Travelers 

Hartford Ranked 3rd in U.S. for Women in Business

If you’re a woman in business, Hartford is among the best places in the nation to be.  That’s according to a new analysis by the website ShareFile, which ranked Hartford as the third best place in the U.S. for businesswomen.  Hartford ranked seventh a year ago. The “Businesswomen Power City Index” was developed by evaluating the 50 largest cities in the U.S. to determine where the best locations are for women to achieve business success, according to ShareFile.  The index ranks cities based on the percentage of women-owned businesses, executive jobs held by women, women vs. men wage gaps and the buying power of women, which is based on the cost of living and the average wages earned by women.

Hartford has jumped four places from 2017, as a result of a higher percentage of women-owned businesses (up 1.4%), according to the analysis.  Hartford’s ranking in the individual categories was:

• 3^rd (down from 2^nd) in women’s buying power: 119
• 6th (same as last year) in the percentage of women business executives: 31.9%
• 16^th (up from 22^nd) in the wage gap between women and men: 18.1%
• 31^st (up from 42^nd) in the percentage of women-owned businesses: 20.4%

The website points out that Hartford is home to the Women’s Business Center, located at the University of Hartford, which supports female entrepreneurs across the city and the state, offering advice, training, and events for women looking to expand their business.

Hartford is the only New England city in the top 20.  Providence, in the top 10 a year ago, fell out of the top 20.

Just ahead of Hartford, and retaining the top two positions in the ranking, were Baltimore and Tampa.  Rounding out the top 15 were Washington DC, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Denver, Orlando, Miami, Austin, Virginia Beach, Las Vegas, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Aside from the top two, no other city in the top 20 has remained in the same position as a year ago.

The analysis relies on data from four main sources, including the U.S. Census 2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, U.S Census Bureau 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Sperling’s Best Places and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. ShareFile is a cloud-based file sharing service, a Citrix Systems company, based in Raleigh.