Cincinnati, OH, and Lexington, MA July 14, 2008 -- FirstBest® Systems, Inc., developer of advanced Underwriting Management Systems™ (UMS) that enable property and casualty insurance carriers to profit from better underwriting, and Ward Group, a leading insurance industry benchmarking and consulting firm, today announced a free Webinar discussing key findings on how P&C carriers can leverage technology investments to beat the soft market.

The results of an ongoing FirstBest/Ward Group survey about strategic technology investments and insurance software solutions in the P&C insurance industry will be presented, and Webinar attendees will receive a copy of the aggregated survey results. To participate in the survey, click here.

What: "Strategic Technology Investments to Combat the Soft Market," a free Webinar from FirstBest Systems and Ward Group, will discuss technology strategies forward-looking P&C carriers are adopting to compete and win in a soft market, while also enabling them to build a stronger foundation to increase underwriting productivity and profitability as the market turns.

When: July 29, 2008, 1:00PM Eastern / 10:00AM Pacific. Register here.

Who: Jeffrey J. Rieder, CPA, CPCU, President, Ward Group;
John Belizaire and Julian Pelenur, Founders, FirstBest Systems

Why: Attendees will learn:

• How technology currently plays a role in a carrier's ability or inability to compete
• The top areas for P&C process and system modernization
• How an underwriting management system can provide real-time agent/underwriter collaboration and increase underwriting productivity and profitability

About Ward Group:
Ward Group® is a consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry and the leading provider of industry benchmarking and best practices services. The firm provides comprehensive peer group intelligence for core company operations, as well as drill down analysis for underwriting and servicing, claims, technology and finance operations. These benchmarks help decision-makers manage operating costs, improve operations and define strategy. The firm's consulting capabilities help insurance companies to investigate solutions, establish improvement goals and define a clear course of action for improving profitability and efficiency. More information is available at www.wardinc.com.

About FirstBest Systems:
Founded in 2006, FirstBest® Systems, Inc. delivers advanced Underwriting Management Systems™ (UMS) that enable commercial insurance carriers to profit from better underwriting. The FirstBest UMS™ is a next-generation underwriting solution for commercial-lines carriers that enables them to write more business and write better business. Insurers can scale their underwriting profitably while achieving greater speed and business agility; foster real-time collaboration to make it easy for agents to do business with carriers; promote enhanced underwriting discipline and consistency; and empower management with greater visibility into underwriting processes. For more information, please visit www.firstbest.com or call 1.888.863.6095.